Take Me Home Country Roads

It's official. I have actually signed up and paid for the half marathon that I'll be running on Nov. 6. I know I'd already posted on here that I was going to do it and, of course, crowed to all of my family and friends about my upcoming adventure, but I've done that before and learned that it's completely possible to do so and still back out. But now my broke self has actually laid down money, so I have to do it (too bad that doesn't work with gym memberships and purchased home gym equipment. Ahem).

Anyway, training officially started on Monday (courtesy of the Runner's World Smart Coach) with an easy 2-miler. It would have been easier if I hadn't helped polish off a bucket of sangria and some rum punch the night before, but I made myself do it anyway because it doesn't bode well when one skips her first day to lay about on the couch bemoaning her headache. Yesterday was cross-training, and today was the real test. It's been a long time since I've run over 5 miles, and certainly a long time since I've done it at the crack of dawn, but I dragged myself out of bed this morning before the sun was up and slogged through it. Oof. I may run regularly, and I may be in decent shape, but that hurt y'all. I chose a pretty farm road loop near my parents' house in Lancaster, which was, um, fragrant. If you've ever driven through Amish country you have an idea of what I mean, but nothing compares to an early morning run right beside the fields when you're breathing hard. Holy cow dung, but maybe it spurred me to go a little faster and I finished in the allotted time. Unfortunately I also broke the screen on my iPod by sweating all over it, but I can still sort of see a millimeter or so around the edges and it still makes sound, so all is not lost. As long as it still plays for my 6-miler on Saturday morning I can work around the broken screen.

So, just a few minutes before I started writing this, I attempted to actually drive the route to get a better feel for it. And...then I got lost. I started at the appointed address and went on my way only to come to a one-lane bridge that's closed for repairs. Okay, turn around. I went the other way, promptly misreading my now backward directions and ending up where I started, at which point I gave up to come home to drink wine. On the plus side, the road that I was mistakenly driving on has far too many hills, so I'm glad I was a little off. Anyway, wish me luck and I'll keep you updated with my attempts to keep breathing while running further and further from my beloved couch.