# 13

Well, I went ahead and did it. As of today, I'm officially registered for the 2012 Grandma's Marathon on June 16!

I picked this one for a lot of reasons. Ever since my first marathon in 2000, I've heard good things about it. People say the point-to-point course is beginner-friendly and that the race is well organized. It's in mid-June, which gives me enough time to train, but doesn't force me to start training until winter begins to fade. Also, it's scenic and pretty and close enough to home that the travel won't be too difficult. And, both of Baby's grandmas are on board with helping me train by taking on extra baby duty while I'm logging the miles (ie. Grandmas for Grandmas ;)). So in a way, this is the perfect marathon choice for me.

I've been thinking about my "comeback" marathon for some time now. Back in July, I discussed a few possibilities when my self-confidence was falsely amplified by the fact that I had just completed my first post-baby six miler. It was a start, but, obviously, I was far from being marathon ready. Six months later, I'm putting my money where my mouth is, despite the fact that it's been difficult to get here. It's been a struggle to build a base, but with weekly mileage nearing 30, I'm feeling a little better about taking on this challenge. 

Before I registered this weekend, I wanted to make sure I had a double-digit run under my belt - I haven't done a tenner since well before Baby was born. And it seemed like a good distance to measure my current fitness level. Ten miles puts me close to half-marathon shape, and feeling like I could realistically do a half hasn't happened in quite some time. So yesterday morning, I set out on my quest for ten. Unfortunately, I had a miserable sleepless night on Friday, which had nothing to do with Baby. She slept her twelve hour night; I slept about three. I'm wondering now if it had something to do with being nervous to run, but these days, running worries typically pale in comparison to those having anything to do with raising a child. And sometimes my nights are just like that; I toss and turn while Baby sleeps peacefully. Oh well. This is probably a forecast of what's to come - I'll likely be training on fumes. But despite feeling lethargic, the run itself went pretty well. It was cold and sunny, but windy; gusty winds that hit you no matter which direction you headed. So I changed directions frequently and did some out and backs along the lake. I ran steady and strong, holding about 9:20 pace, and rejoiced when it was over (Total time - 1hr33)

Though I only ran three days this week, each run counted for something. Tuesday's seven miler was a regular run - just something to get in the miles. Thursday's five miler was a tempo run (or speed work). And Saturday's run was the "long run." That may have to be my training strategy for Grandmas; three runs a week that incorporate those basics and increase in distance as the weeks progress. We will see, but one thing's for sure, I'm not planning to start real training until March 1. But it's awwwn.. number 13 here I come!