Time to lace up the new shoes

I'm not sure what I was thinking. I joined a team for the Reno Tahoe Odyssey and now I've got a 176 mile relay race in my not so distant future. Don't get me wrong, I think it's going to be great to be part of a 12-person team. I'm just a bit nervous about my performance. It's been nearly 2 decades since I've run competitively.

I'm not going to lie. When I was in high school I was the star on our cross-country and track teams. I even made it to college (the first time around) on a track scholarship. I was blessed with a natural ability and I ran my legs off; to the point where I didn't care if I ever ran again. And so I didn't for a very long time. Sure I dabbled in jogging once or twice but my pack-a-day smoking habit always seemed to get in the way. Until last week....

Last week I looked at the calendar and realized that I had 12 weeks to get myself into decent enough shape so that I wouldn't end up dragging myself along the course by my nostrils. Getting into shape meant running, and I had to start somewhere. With a newly purchased pair of Nike Air Pegasus (my preferred running shoe) tied firmly in place I was unstoppable. Hardly.

I didn't beat any record on my first go out...I ran a mile in 9:32. My high school self would've laughed her ass off at me with a time like that. I was just happy to finish the run while maintaining the entire contents of my stomach. Today, I am happy to report that I finished my 4th run! It's baby steps, I know, but for me it's small victories, like not wanting to run but doing it any way. Today was my last mile run-next time, I kick it up to 2 miles and run 5 days/week instead of 4. Again, baby steps. And in case you're wondering, I haven't quit smoking altogether (yet!) but I am certainly smoking much less now. That is another project in and of itself.