Rewarding Myself

Milking It

So, it's coming up on the week anniversary of my big half marathon accomplishment...

ok, I know that's ridiculous.  I am aware that marking an anniversary of a race is nutty, but I'm starting to realize that it's not a far stretch from how much I've been milking this whole 13.1 deal.

In all fairness, this was some kind of miracle accomplishment for me.  I mean, I've been on the treadmill for months, only leaving it once for an outdoor run in Chicago.  Hours of Weeds and Mad Men have been run through the Netflix account, (I'm not THAT far into Mad Men yet, though, so don't spoil anything for me), but I hadn't actually hit the pavement much at all.  Who knew how I would do?   Prior to this race, my biggest accomplishment (in 4 years) was the 5 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

So, going from a five mile race to a 13.1 is pretty cool, in and of itself.  But then to think I had only trained to walk-run it... but I ran it all?  I mean, slow or not, that's pretty sweet.  Ok, I know no one is gonna make a movie out of it or anything, but I have sure enjoyed the thrill of it.

Bumper sticker, Facebook posts, tweets, and of course blog posts... even I can now admit that maybe it's time to start moving on.

(reluctantly) 


So Now What?

I have this odd conundrum.  I had planned to run my first half in fall.  I was going to walk-run this one, do my Bellin Run (10k) in June, throw in some other 5ks or so in the meantime, and work toward my September half.

So what do I do now that I jumped the gun?  Sure, I'm still gonna run the Fox Cities Half www.foxcitiesmarathon.org, and you bet your butt I'm aiming for a much better time... but what do I do in the meantime??

I'm the kind of gal that needs a carrot.  Constantly.  It's the biggest reason I race.  I will stay more disciplined if I have a race that I'm working toward.

So, tonight I officially registered for the Bellin Run.  www.bellinrun.com
And now I begin the search for whatever else might motivate me between now and June, and then June to September.  Of course, I'm after the cool medals and fun swag, too.  A great race t-shirt goes a long way with me. :) (thank you, www.tyranena.com/beerrun/ )


But One More Treat

I finally ordered myself a new running skirt.  I've had the same lovely skirt since I started back up running last May.  I have since lost 30 pounds, and am on my second pair of running shoes.  Yet, I have still been wearing the same running skirt.  For every single run.   It's held up beautifully, but seriously.  Can you fathom how often I'm washing my running gear?  UGH!

So, I figured I'd milk the half marathon accomplishment one more time, and treat myself to what I've been dreaming of for months: a new running skirt.

I took advantage of the free shipping from www.runningskirts.com and dared to buy a different brand.  Fingers crossed that I love it, or I'll kick myself for not being loyal to www.sparkleskirts.com.  It's just such an investment.  I had to grab onto the lower price and free shipping.  I'm hoping at the very least, I'm doing a little bit less laundry.


Rest Is Over

Tomorrow, I pledge to end my big period of rest, and get back running.  Between returning from the trip and the overwhelming events the Munchkins have had this week, I haven't been able to get to the BF's to use the treadmill.  No more excuses!  Tomorrow I don the tights and layers of ugly winter gear, and go for a morning run!  Outside!  (with my skirt, of course)

brrrr....




Thanks for reading!