And...We're Off!

To kick-off our Winter Won't Win Challenge, the ladies of Sparkle.Pounce. decided it would be a fabulous idea to meet for a morning run on New Year's Day. And, at the last minute we decided we should go ahead and invite any of our challengers that wanted to, to join us for 6 chilly miles around our favorite paved loop at Stony Creek. 

We didn't get much of a response, and I was left to believe that we would be jogging our first 6 miles of the New Year at a very leisurely pace. So, I didn't really think twice about staying up late on New Year's Eve and stuffing my face with enough holiday goodies to leave me with a sugar induced stomach ache and a thin crusted layer of frosting around my lips. (Slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.)

So, you can imagine my surprise when I got a text from Sarah on my drive to Stony Creek that morning that went something like this: "My sister is meeting us. I told her she was going to have to slow down, but I'm not sure she's capable of that. I hope you're in the mood to run fast, Kendra!"

Ummmm...nope! And even if I was, I'm not THAT fast! Sarah's sister is FAST. Like...running Boston this year fast. And running her last half marathon at a 7:04 pace fast. Surely my sugar induced holiday hangover was not going to be able to hang with this girl.

But alas, I'm the one that got to run with her. And although it was kind of awful (I had to ask for a walk break once and thought I might throw up...but did a good job hiding my discomfort...I think), it was exactly what I needed. And she was wonderful company, since she wasn't even slightly winded and could hold up her end of the conversation. (Thank you, Katie!!!)

And, the best part of that run, was the fact that it made me realize that it's time to get moving. The holidays are over, and it's 2015. The year that I'm going to be a fast runner! And that run did not feel like I was anywhere near reaching my goals. So, as soon as I got home, I drew out a calendar (literally drew it because I didn't have one and my printer is broke), looked up a few different marathon training plans, found a couple I liked and kind of meshed them together to create my own, and then wrote it out for the next 20 weeks.

Obviously, writing out my training plan doesn't make me faster. But, it makes me feel more confident in reaching my goal. I now have a plan. And it's written down. I know what to do, and the time to do it is now.

2015, watch out. I own you.

Sparkle.Pounce.Get Moving.