A Smidjin at a time

What happens when winter interferes with all your not so carefully crafted training plans and your back has a massive melt down and you find yourself checking in at a race not sure if you will even have the strength to make it to the starting line? Well, you either walk back to the car empty handed and cry or you suck it up, lower your expectations a little and get it done. So that is what I found myself doing yesterday morning. I had been looking forward to this race since before I even finished the half marathon. I really wanted to do a race on my birthday weekend. It was to be a celebration of all I had accomplished in my 32nd year and a way to set the tone for all I hoped to do with year 33. There was so much I wanted out of the Winter 5k. I wanted my sub 16 min/mile back, I haven’t seen it since September after all.  I wanted to actually run part of it, not just 100 feet here or there but enough to actually say “I ran it”. I wanted to feel strong. However weeks of snow and i

I really did it!  Months and Months of training and prepping and crying and physical therapy and doubt came down to this morning. It had been six and a half years since my last half marathon and the course was so very different I had no idea what really to expect. When I first signed up for the Holiday Half I had a time goal in my head, one that was big but one that based on recent 5k results I knew would be very doable if I just stayed consistent. Well then the training started, and then the back pain started, and then it started getting cold, and then the shin splints started. And even a week ago, I was in serious doubt of my ability to actually do the half marathon.  Then this morning came. We got to the starting area, and though it was cold and windy and rainy I was feeling good. I was able to get my legs stretched out a bit before starting. I managed to find 3 out of 5 friends who I knew were up there doing the race too. And then, the gun went off and the snow