The next step in my running career...

Vibram Fivefingers....

Since I am rapidly becoming a running officianado (lol!) I needed to pay homage to what started this wild fascination....

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall was the beginning of something amazing. I read this book on recommendation from a fellow running friend... and halfway through I signed up to run a half marathon six months away. Having been an avid anti-runner for many many years, I had a lot going against my ambitions, but I allowed near insanity to guide me from couch potato to mildly competitive runner in just six long months of training.

In this book was the first time I saw the words "Vibram Fivefingers" and the name itself fascinated my curiosity. I had to know what all the fuss was about. These are the funniest shoes I ever laid eyes on. I had seen them on some super crazy running people last March at the DC Marathon (I was a finish line spectator, really in it to see my friends and have brunch lol). I had to leave my job and move to a new state, but my goal was to buy these fantastic shoes with my first paycheck at my new dream job. And then I was officially unemployed for six months (eek!).

(Disclaimor: I am an independent Arbonne consultant, so I had a home business, but moving to a new state where you don't have any connections makes relaunching a network marketing business super difficult, not impossible, but harder than a guaranteed paycheck to use toward new running shoes... now my business is booming but it took work to get here!)

So, I ran two half marathons without my coveted vibrams but I was not discouraged. One day I knew I would be a minimalist, a barefoot runner, if you will. There are not too many things I am confident about regarding the future, but that was one. In walks my mom. She's the best. It was her birthday yet she said to me "For finishing the race in such a great time, I'm going to buy you those crazy shoes you want." WHAT?! I love her! She isn't the richest woman in the world, and she doesn't have to buy my shoes for me when I'm 28years old. But this is mom's way of showing how proud she is of me, how much she supports what I'm trying to do for my health. She is fantastic. And then a facebook post led to a friend finding VFs for $50!!! OMG. I placed my order monday, and on Friday... they arrived....

My first outting with my new friends will be Monday afternoon... details to come... :)

NEXT!

While spraining my ankle wasn't the best way to run half the race, it's quick recovery made me realize that exercise is really helping strengthen my body... and with that... I registered for the Philadelphia Half Marathon on November 20th! I have 6 months to train so it should be a little better than trying to squeeze training into two good weeks in the winter.

Also, I'm going to run this race to raise money for Cancer Research... although I haven't chosen which organization to donate it to yet. But expect to see more information about how you can donate coming soon!

So, who is with me?? The Philly course is a lot less hilly than DC and I really enjoyed running through parts of Philly I hadn't been to before... register before April 15th for the cheapest prices!!

www.philadelphiamarathon.com

Step One: Admit You're a Runner

I have been running for just under a year now. I still consider myself a newbie even though I ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon (Nov 2010) in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Somehow, I still think that was a first time fluke. Even though I remember running, and I remember the adrenaline, and knowing that I couldn't stop until I got to the end... but there is just something impossible about believing I accomplished a goal and exceeded ALL possible expectations I had for myself.

I've been training for the DC Half Marathon for a few months, although I use the word "training" lightly since I have lacked the consistency of a true runner and instead look more like a high school track athlete trying to impress the boys with her pretend skills.

But okay, I admit it, I'm a runner. I guess I had been fighting it for years, who knows why, that will be for the shrink to uncover in about ten years...

So I run... I don't run fast... and typically I don't even run far... unless there are 17000 other people with me and I've paid a lot of money to get a number on my shirt.

It all started with a gchat or a text message (can't really remember which) where a book was recommended to me... Born to Run... an amazing book that halfway through seriously changed my life... and I started running in my backyard... barefoot... for 30 seconds, then a minute, then two minutes...

I ran on the sidewalks of Rodgers Forge, Baltimore, Maryland. Then we moved to Surry County, North Carolina... and I began running on the roads of Shoals.... then I took some time and ran 5 miles in Accra, Ghana... then back to running in Shoals... and Pilot Mountain, NC.

Eventually, I made my way home to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon... and as I've already reported, I finished that race with flying colors... and a desire to keep going....

But then it was winter... and it is hard to run in the ice and snow... in the freezing temperatures... around the holidays... I kept trying... nothing extravagate or memorable... I used a treadmill in my hotel in Las Vegas twice to take advantage of the indoor running opportunity... I found a park with a trail near my new part-time job during an unseasonably warm week in February... and here I am, about to start the second week of March... after suffering a week off due to the flu, and a FAIL week due to the lingering cough and sinus pain...

2.5weeks until DC Half Marathon... I have my supplements, my game plan, my ipod... now all I need is time, good weather, and energy...