It's a New Year...and a New Random Runner

It's 2015!!! It's time to make a fresh start. More importantly it's time to cut down on the randomness. 

2014 was a great year...filled with lots of change. If I had to sum it up into just a few highlights here are my Hits and Misses:

Hits

• Moved halfway across the country from Georgia to Oklahoma. More importantly I did it without losing my mind or drop-kicking one of my kids. 

• Participated in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon Relay. This has been on my bucket list for a while...and now I can finally say I did it!

• Bought these fancy new running shoes. Aren't they pretty?  I call them my purple pavement eaters. 

• Added Texas and Colorado to the list of states where I have run. 

• Joined the Y and tried out spinning and yoga classes. 

• Completed my first ever running streak of 32 days. That's right...I ran at least a mile a day for 32 days in a row. In the middle of summer. In the Oklahoma heat. (Some days I question my sanity) 

Misses

• Fell flat on my butt while running...for the first time. Honestly, I'm amazed this didn't happen before...I'm quite the clutz. After running exactly 0.16 miles on the San Antonio riverwalk I stepped in a whole and twisted my ankle.  

• Broke my toe. I'd love to say I was doing something exciting...but I was just putting away laundry. I've been telling my husband for years that housework can be deadly. I'll spare you the pictures. 

• Logged very few miles in my pretty new purple pavement eaters. Now that I'm working part time it's just harder to fit in a good run. Or a run around the block. Or a brisk walk to the mailbox. 

• Zero blog posts. Wow, that is TERRIBLE!  Another sign that some things need to change around here. 

Now it is 2015. A new year and a new start. A new chance to get back into running. To make sure I don't lose focus I've set a new goal. I signed up to run a half marathon in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. My first half marathon EVER!  What have I gotten myself into?

I'll let you know how training goes...it's going to be an interesting 4 months!

Running with Christmas Vacation

I love my running app.  Not only does it keep up with my miles and pace...but it also posts on Facebook for me when I'm out on a run.  If anyone makes a comment on my run, the app will read them too me.  Often I get comments like, "Run like you stole it."  This week, however, my friends Holly and Tony decided they wanted to entertain me while I ran.

I Love Streaking...

Today is my 9th day of streaking...just not that kind of streaking

So far, I've run 8 of the 9 days.  (Yes, I broke the streak on day 4.  It was a Sunday and I just forgot to run.  When I remembered it was 8 at night and I was in the middle of my second piece of pizza...oops.)  I decided the next day I would start all over and ignore my miss.  I wasn't going to let one little mistake keep me from meeting me goal for the rest of the month.

It's Only a Mile...Or Is It?

The mile.  Ever runner knows the mile.  Some love it, and some hate it.  

During my "career" as a runner the mile has had different meanings to me.  During my first couple of runs I never thought I'd be able to run a mile.  Heck, I could barely run for a minute.  How was I ever going to run long enough to cover a whole mile?  I even drove a mile in my car to check the distance.   It just seemed crazy.

Then one day, it happened.  I actually ran a mile.  After training for what felt like forever (really only about 2 months) I ran a mile.  I was a miracle. Before I knew it I was up to 2 miles and then 3. 

It's amazing how over time you perspective changes. Recently I was on a long run and told myself, "Only one more mile."  Only one...like it's no big deal. Just around the corner (or two or three). I would never have said "Only one more mile" way back at the beginning. 

Starting today I'm going to look at a mile a little differently. From Thanksgiving through New Year's Day I'm committing to run at least one mile each day. That's 35 straight days of running. At least 35 miles. I usually only run every other day...so this will be a challenge. 

This morning I started my "streak" by running 4 miles around the base of Stone Mountain. I can't think of a more beautiful place to run. It was a cold, cold, cold morning...thank goodness is was sunny!  

Now that I've put it in writing for the world to see I can't give up. It's the start of something new...for 35 days at least. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello! I'd like to introduce myself.  My name is the Random Runner.  You may have heard of me...I used to write a blog about my running...or sometimes the lack thereof.

Lately you may have noticed that I haven't been blogging...but you may not know I haven't been running much either. Yep...that's why I'm the random runner.

Miracles Really Do Happen!

Saturday wasn't just a good running day...it was a MIRACULOUS day.  I did something I never thought I'd do...I earned my first running medal.  Now this wasn't a finisher's medal...the type everyone who crosses the finish line gets.  Nope...this was a real honest to goodness medal I earned.  Well...kinda.  Here's my story:

In an effort to get in my October race I needed to run this weekend.  Last weekend we were out of town and I have conflicts the next two weekends...so that meant this was the only weekend available.  The only problem is that there weren't many races to choose from...without driving a couple of hours. I finally found a race that was close to me.  I had trouble finding it, because it wasn't well advertised, but I finally found the Benevolent Charity Fund Stamp Out Poverty 5k.  

Old Runner's Blessing

No...I'm not really old (even though I'm not young either) and I'm only a "random" runner.  But, I had a little time to think during my run yesterday. This is what happens when I run 8 miles and have 90 minutes with nothing to think about.

That's right...I stepped it up yesterday and ran a full 8 miles. Why?  Because I felt good. Because the weather was wonderfully cool. Because I need to work towards my goal of 10 miles. Because I haven't felt the need to take Advil lately. 

Embracing the Randomness

September is over.  It was both a good AND bad month for running. The month started with very little time to run, and ended with me breaking records. Times like this is why I'm the RANDOM runner.

So...here's what I did manage to accomplish in September:

October Marathon Goals

October is here!!!  I'm looking forward to possibly getting a peak at fall...cooler temperatures and lower humidity.  We don't really have fall here in Georgia, but I'll take any relief from the summer heat I can get.

October is also the month of the Joggermom Marathon. (Read more about it here.)  Now that the event is starting I need to decide what my goals will be.  I could just go out and run...but I do that every month.  I've decided to set a few goals to make the month more challenging.

Race for Education

First...I think I may need to change the name of this blog.  What do you think about the "Random Blogger?" I guess I just couldn't call myself the Random Runner if I ran (or blogged) too regularly.

Moving on...
Saturday I ran in the Race for Education...a local race sponsored by Central Georgia Technical College.    You may remember that my goal for the next 12 months is to run at least one race (a 5k or more) each calendar month.  That took care of my September race.  I know what you're thinking...I waited until the VERY LAST weekend of the month to race.  Between soccer, cub scouts and when races were available this was the best race for me.