To that end, I pledge to run the route (or some portion of it) every other day until the race! Now if you've been reading this series, you know that I make promises to myself and to you on a regular basis, and I break those promises on a regular basis. But I have a team of people that I'm running with for the Peachtree (Hello Hot Tamales), and I'm going to be ready!
The first year I participated, my parents were so incredulous about my plans that they actually flew down from Connecticut to watch me run. When they bought their tickets, I knew I had to follow through, and I knew I couldn't embarrass myself. I really trained - I had never run more than a lap, and I had no idea how it felt to run 6.2 miles. I did a running clinic, I followed the training schedule pretty closely, and I ran the route every Saturday for about 6 weeks. On July 4th, 2005, I ran, walked a little, and I finished the race. I even stopped to pose for a few photos with them right after the 5-mile marker.
I made one of the best decisions of my life the day that I signed up for the Peachtree. And because I signed up, my parents started running too. The next year and every year until my Mom was too ill to visit, we ran the Peachtree. After the first year, we didn't always start or finish as a family...but I appreciated our time together on the days leading up to the race, the time we spent talking about our preparation (or lack thereof) for the year, hunting for sneakers and outfits, but most of all I truly enjoyed spending that time with them every year.
This will be the third year since we've run it together, and I miss my Mom and our tradition so much that I am crying as I write this, but I'm glad that I have the memories. I didn't run the year that she passed, and my Dad hasn't ever done the race without her; in fact, he won't even come down for the 4th anymore. I hope that one day we can renew the family tradition - maybe with my brothers, sister, and my nieces and nephew.
I was supposed to write about training...anyway choose your activity, find a training program, or a group to train with, and make it a tradition. I would expect that participating in an annual event would help improve the consistency of your training throughout the year and a desire to surpass past personal bests.
I'm going to add the photo of my first Family Peachtree when I get home... after I run.
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MondayGoal: I had none.
Nutrition: I don't think I ate.
Hair: A very neat bun - I had an important meeting.
Outcome: My hair looked good. I think I did 100 jumping jacks in the morning, but that was not enough to constitute a workout.
TuesdayGoal: Survive the day.
Nutrition: Bagel sandwich with eggs, spinach, and mushrooms. Garden salad with grilled chicken. Grapefruit.
Hair: A less neat version of that bun (I slept with it without protection)
Outcome: I survived - barely. And I slept really well last night.
WednesdayGoal: Boxing
New Goal: Running!!!!!!Nutrition: No breakfast, and I finally had a Ms. Anne's Snack Shack burger. I had to eat it for lunch and dinner, but it was delicious. I will probably have a hard time running on a beef filled belly, but I'll have to see.
Hair: Bun - it's been rehabbed.
Outcome: I did it, I ran! My pace was a little slower than I would have liked, but I did just under 6.5 miles last night when I started the day planning to go to boxing instead.
ThursdayGoal: Zumba
New Goal: Something
Nutrition: Another day... I skipped breakfast, had a small turkey wrap and Sun Chips for lunch. It was the Pad Thai for dinner that may have been my downfall.
Hair: I am sticking with the bun until I come up with something better.
Outcome: I went home and fell asleep, but I did wake up early enough to do some ab work, jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, jump-ups and doing a little shadow boxing before midnight.
FridayGoal: Running!
Nutrition: I had a lot of calories for breakfast, but it did help me eat smaller portions throughout the day.
Hair: Giant puff.
Outcome: I ran 6.3 miles then walked about .7 miles. Yay!
SaturdayGoal: Yoga, & boxing but I'm signed up for a 5k for Saturday night....
Nutrition: Nothing that I ate today was good for me - except for that grapefruit.
Hair: Puff!
Outcome: I ended up going to boxing, and wondering how and why I even claimed I was doing anything else. I have WORK to do!
Sunday
Goal: Anything - whichever thing I didn't do the day before.
Nutrition:
Hair:
Outcome:
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