Thinker vs. Runner

I don't have asthma, and I'm not a hippopotamus. I just feel like one sometimes when I run, usually right around the 2-2.5 mile mark.

I'm actually pretty fit. I'm 28 years old, just shy of 5'4, and I wear a size 4 or 6, depending on the brand or designer. (Ladies, you know what I'm talking about.) I got married in May, and one of the most valuable things I learned about myself during the wedding planning process is that I'm a goal-oriented exerciser. In the months leading up to the wedding, I worked out constantly. I lifted three times a week and did at least 30-45 minutes of cardio on days I didn't lift. It paid off, and I felt great on our wedding day.

But post wedding, I've found it harder and harder to motivate myself to get to the gym. I've decided it is because I need a new goal, so I've set my sites on running a half marathon in early November. I found a 12-week 1/2 marathon training program for novices online, and with the encouragement of my husband and friends I'm going to go for it.

Let me be clear here -- as far as cardiovascular exercise goes, I've always been an elliptical machine, spinning class, step aerobics kind of girl. Up until this point, I had much the same taste for running as I do for a plate of wax beans. I can choke it down, but I don't necessarily enjoy it.

I did run a a season with the cross country team my freshman year of high school, but the only medal I won was for a race where there were more medals than runners. Near the end of the season, my track coach -- a burly, gruff, ex-NYPD cop -- said I should go back to the debate team, telling me "you're a thinker, not a runner." (And, at the time, he was right. I went on to compete and place at the national level in speech and debate three years in a row. But I digress.)

Most people that know me would probably argue that I'm still a "thinker." And I think I still have a shot at being a runner. Yesterday I ran 3.3 miles in approximately 36 minutes, on Wednesday I ran 2.2 miles in 26 minutes, and on Sunday I ran 2.7 miles (I forgot to keep time last Sunday). I should probably point out here that I didn't say I thought I had a shot at being a fast runner. Just a runner.

This weekend I have 30 minutes of cross training and 4 miles ahead of me. Stay tuned!