Happy Anniversary to Me!!

This is my one year running anniversary! It is so hard to believe that a year ago today I could only run about a quarter of a mile before I stopped to walk. I started keeping a running journal exactly a year ago, and it was mainly to keep me on track with training for a half marathon that I (probably) prematurely signed up for. So what has happened in the last year?

First Race
I ran my first ever organized race. I realized about a month before my first half marathon, that I should probably see what it is like running in an organized race. I signed up for a 5k in the small town I live in. My boyfriend (recently turned fiance) ran the race with me. I was well into my training, but it was not at all apparent. I had to walk a couple times during the race, and in the last mile, we got passed by some old people who were powerwalking. Also, and he likes to pretend I am evil, I sped up at the end to beat my boyfriend, and passed a 6 or 7 year old girl in the process...right before the finish line.

Half the Glory
I ran my first half marathon at the Kansas City Marathon and Half. I was not really at all prepared by the small town 5k filled with powerwalkers. I prepped for this race by starting from the couch. It was less than six months from the day I started "running" till I ran my first half. I got scared by an issue of Runner's World that was all about running your first half marathon because it said that you know you are ready to try a half if you have been running for a few years. I had barely been "running" a few months when I read that. It was long and hard, but I finished. You can read more about that in "The Background Story," if you have not already.

I will be running my second half marathon in just 10 days! I will be running with my brother and his wife, both of whom ran the first half with me as well. Go us! This will also be their second half marathon. And my sister who started us all on running will be back to run her third half marathon that day!

Research
I am a big fan of reading, so naturally, one of my first moves was to subscribe to Runner's World. I absolutely love the articles. So many of them are things I can relate to even in my short time as a runner. I love it! I also read Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running, Run for Life: The Anti-Aging, Anti-Injury, Super-Fitness Plan to Keep You Running to 100, and Faster Better Stronger. I loved all these books, and I am sure that I will be doing some running book reviews on here in the near future when I start my summer reading and summer running!

Journal
I didn't always write down my mileage, and there were times when the miles were few and FAR between. I also know that not all those miles were pretty, but in just one year...my first year...I have logged 271 miles! I am very proud of myself for setting out to get healthier, to get inspired, and to meet goals, which I feel like I have done!