Looking Around

Looking Back...
Last January, several members of my herd (the Heffers) decided that we could run a marathon. We had really no idea what we were getting into. In fact, most of us could barely run three miles...including me. While Betty and I had run a 1/2 marathon the previous August, I really wasn't much of a runner at that point. In fact, when I started the SDTC marathon training program last January, I probably hadn't run but a handful of times in three months following the 1/2 marathon.

Luckily, I am blessed with an amazing group of friends, and we have a history of talking each other into doing things that we probably wouldn't do otherwise, so we joined the San Diego Track Club and signed up for the Rock and Roll Marathon in San Diego. Almost immediately, I decided to chronicle that training with a blog.

Tonight, I located the first blog entry, which I thought had been lost to the Internet. When I started this blog, I used iWeb (Apple's blogging software). I thought that first blog entry had been lost when I upgraded software, then I moved to blogger...the herd was no-doubt completely annoyned or amused by my bloggy-ADD-ness...anyway, I thought the first blog was gone, but I found it. Here's the first photo of Elsie, Betty, Clarence and I after that first, wet, training run in the pouring rain...

We look fabulous and heffer-like, don't we? It was pouring rain that morning.

Then, I dropped my iPhone in a toilet after our second marathon training run, and in my mourning over the loss of my iPhone, I felt compelled to release my angst into said blog, and somehow I became a blogger. So, I was hooked, both on blogging, and on running. (I also now spend an inordinate amount of time making sure my (new) iPhone is NOT in my back pocket.)

The running herd on our first long run - back when running for 35 minutes was a long run - Alberta, Betty, Clarence, Edith, BBJ, and me, not pictured - Elsie & Mik.
Even for SoCal, it was COLD that morning

Along the way, I blogged about the fun, pain, bodily function discoveries, Elvis, random condom sightings, and the GALLONS OF MIMOSAS CONSUMED during our marathon training season and low and behold, I became a runner. You have to believe it when I say that NOBODY is more suprised by this than me.

So...as I draw close to my 100th blog entry, I'm having a little fun, looking back, thinking about now, and making plans for the future... The looking back part was fun...

For now...
Betty, Alberta, Mik, BBJ, Elsie (scanning Craigs list for a Bib since it's now sold out) and I are training for the Carlsbad 1/2 in about six weeks. (Edith? are you in?)

Saturday morning, Betty, Elsie and I ran 8 miles...it was a great run. Cool, on the bay, flat... easy... What a strange thing to say, an easy 8 mile run, but it was. I ran 8 miles in about 90 minutes...quite speedy for me. We all talked about how we felt great afterwards...of course there were mimosas at our favorite World Famous, where we had the best waitress EVAH, who even came off her break to make sure we were OK...

Yum...mimosas, breakfast, and surf...

I have no doubt that we talked about completely inappropriate things during breakfast, but that was on Sunday, now it's Thursday and I don't remember a single one of them. I do know that there has been an email circulating among the herd this week which originated with Mona...I know I've got three holiday pot-luck parties to go to in the next two weeks...Do you think this is appropriate for the department holiday party?

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?

Our favorite caption: "It's better than a candle because you can eat it"

Looking ahead
The goal for this year is to do the triple crown--The Carlsbad 1/2 Marathon in January, La Jolla 1/2 Marathon in April, and America's Finest City 1/2 Marathon in August. Then to do one or two of the three California Dreamin' 1/2 marathons, which includes the San Francisco 1/2 Marathon in June and the Long Beach 1/2 Marthon in October. The Surf City 1/2 Marathon will have to wait until February 2010, first because it's sold out this coming February, and second because it's the week after Carlsbad, but next February...FO SHO...

I also hope to do the Nike Women's 1/2 in October again...mostly because it was just a really fun weekend.

My big question is whether or not to join the San Diego Track Club again. Their winter training program focuses on training for the Rock and Roll Marathon in June. I'd really rather focus on running 1/2 marathons this year, and not another marathon. On the other hand, training with the club put me in the best shape of my life...and that couldn't hurt the 1/2 marathon training that I need to do to do the triple crown...especially the La Jolla 1/2 in April...the hill at Torrey Pines is a KILLAH!

Decisions, decisions, decisions...it's a good time of year for that.

What's up for this weekend? 10 miles on either Saturday or Sunday.

Have I run this week? Not much...three miles yesterday morning, four or five tomorrow am. Thank goodness the semester is about over. I taught my last class today...three finals on Monday, one on Tuesday...then I can think about the holidays.