“I have an idea” I say. My husband Tim looks up from his laptop with concern. “I want to do 52 half marathons for my 52nd birthday. One every weekend.” “Hmmm” says Tim. Just last week we both had to walk during the local 5K. He is still listening so I start in on my sales pitch that goes something like “It would be an interesting way to lose some weight and get in shape while seeing a lot of Oregon.”
Why run (or walk as the case may be) a half marathon a week for a year? At the end of 2012 we moved to Elkton Oregon from Tucson so Tim could spend more time with his mother. In Tucson I had a job I loved and good friends. Elkton is cold and rainy. I have no close friends. I’m bored out of my mind. I read a lot. I eat too much and I drink too much of the local wine. Then in the middle of 2013 my mother died at only 69 years of age. I felt even more lonely and depressed. I tried to do some running in Elkton but the rain combined with my asthma, allergies, extra weight, and general lack of motivation made it easy for me to just give up.
So why a half marathon a week for a year? Because I hate the way I look and feel. I want my life back and I need to do something more dramatic then plan another diet that lasts until the weekend.
Welcome to my blog. I plan to write a race report once a week and document the journey with pictures. We have already signed up for 10 races, so no backing out. If you ever have an absurd idea I recommend taking an immediate action that costs a lot of money so you can’t back out when you come to your senses. I Tell myself the fact that I can’t really run much more then a mile at a stretch just means I will do a lot of walking in the first races. I tell myself that by starting in the worse shape of my life my progress will seem all the more impressive. I’m ready to begin.
Special thanks to my husband Tim for the most interesting birthday present ever. I’m glad he has decided to join me on this adventure.
Please feel free to leave comments or ask questions.
Just reread your initial entry into your blog. I think you should read this once in a while to reconnect with your wonderful motivation and how far you’ve come, Sharon! You should be so proud of yourself!
Hi Sharon and Tim,
Marilyn sent me your blog site and I really enjoyed reading about your races. I like the way you write. I’ll have to thank Desert Marilyn for sending it. Thanks to you for writing about your races and all the “fun” stuff that goes with them.
Elise
Good for you, Sharon..I am so very proud of you.. I am just amazed at the punishment your body
receives while running..No wonder I am a walker(and a slow one too)
You and Tim look so great..I wish I could be there in person to cheer you on.
Since I can’t be I will do it from here.. YEAH FOR SHARON
YAY for ShooShoo – now that she’s on the blog!!!
Hi ShooShoo Thanks for reading. I’m sorry you had trouble leaving a comment. You are not the only one. We are trying to figure out what is going wrong and how to fix it. I’m so glad you didn’t just give up because I love hearing from you. I miss you but luckily Marilyn keeps me updated.
You go girl! I decided to do what desertmarilyn did….I am paying to lose weight. GRRR. Good side of it I’ve lost 10 lbs. bad side is I have 10 to go. AND I can’t or won’t live like this forever. I believe the way your doing it will last longer. So I will be watching and getting, hopefully, inspiration from you that I too could do that. At the vet least start running again!
*get
Hi Shelby! Good luck, it is so hard to lose weight. Thanks for reading.
Why does my profile pic look like a germ from elementary school science films!!???!
It assigns a random avatar to every user when you register. If you want to change it you can.
After you log in go to the upper right corner, when you mouse over the “Howdy” message it should give you a pop up. Select “Edit My Profile”. This should bring up the profile edit page. At the bottom of that there is a place to upload your own image if you would like to.
I was joking!!!
Great job on race number one. Only 51 to go : )
Sharon, I’ll be checking into your blog frequently to see how you’re doing. I’m on the same page with the weight, am now in a lifestyle group, meet weekly. We’ll see how it goes. Enjoy writing again, I’m happy to see you doing this, along with all your other good habits. You inspire me – still – and always!
Marilyn, thanks for commenting on my new blog. Please reread my first post. It was so polite of you not to mention any of my typos. As one of my most grammar savvy friends I would appreciate it if you pointed out anything that Grammar Girl would not approve of. Thanks
I figured you’d figure out the typos on your own!! Besides, it’s more like “real talking” if there are typos. I checked into your blog this morning, hoping to find a new entry for yesterday’s race….or is it today?
We’ve had some lovely rain here, but now, hot and humid. Can you believe school starts tomorrow?
Take good care of yourselves, and know you are loved!
You go girl!!! You can do it. I couldn’t but you can.
Hi Joanne. Thanks for the birthday call. I just finished writing my first race report. It should be up latter tonight. Please reread my first post as I realized that I forgot to proofread it and it should make more sense now. Thanks for commenting.