For those of you who aren’t close, personal friends, I’m going to let you in on a lil’ secret. I’m finally running my first official half-marathon. Official? I’ve managed to run 13 miles once in my life, back in my varsity cross country heyday when 4-6 miles was the (almost) daily norm. I trained for a solid six years of my life and ran competitively almost that entire time. When I was a teenager, I dreamed of running a half marathon, even possibly doing a triathalon. The triathalon idea was a result of working at the local pool as a lifeguard. My two modes of transportation to begin with were jogging or cycling there. On down time, I got to swim for free, developing stronger swimming skills.

Cut 13 years later (wait, I just got that, YIKES!), and I’m finally doing something I wanted to do all those years ago when I had the body & stamina (but no emotional drive) to do so. I was approximately 50-60 pounds lighter than I am now and was exercising somehow six days a week. I will admit, my training for this half marathon started with a bang, then slowly dwindled…

Today, my passion to get in shape and finish something I started was reignited. I made my way to a famous “landmark” & frequented recreational trail, known fondly to Peninsula denizens as The Dish. This huge chunk of land is used for research by Stanford University (and other scientific orgs., I believe), as it is home to a rather sizeable radiotelescope dish (hence, the name) and a few smaller ones. The acreage also serves as an environmental restoration and habitat conservation area, allowing Stanford biology students to learn. What the rest of use use it for is to get a healthy dose of vitamin D & some milage under our belts. The complete “trail” is approximately 3.5-4 miles, but where I park, at least half to three-quarters of a mile is added on. I think I covered about 4.5-ish miles while at The Dish today. I jogged some flat and downhill bits, walked most of it, and when no one was near, I even walked backwards up some of the hills. I hadn’t planned on doing the entire thing, just up & over, then back. I got two thirds of the way around and decided to keep going, and I am so happy I did.

I’ve been so used to training on a treadmill. Treadmills give the ultimate control and I can force myself to run at a certain pace. Running outside without stats blinking in front of me is so much harder to control when I am training. But, I’ve decided that once a week, I am going to make myself train outside, whether it be at a track or to the library & back or at The Dish. All I need to do now is invest in some high quality running socks that don’t scrunch or chafe or wear thin. My shoes are top notch. Now I need socks to match. Our feet are extremely important, especially when they are pounding away on cement. So, if any of you have suggestions for some great quality running socks, I welcome them!

If you can’t guess, my favorite for today is The Dish. If you live in the Bay Area, I do suggest you utilize this area while the open hours are still extended! Once Autumn & Winter come, the access is limited to reflect the amount of daylight hours. Plan accordingly!