Go Big.

Yep, if you're going to go, go big.

It's been a quick eight months since I crashed big.  I felt like I had to do something big to show I was better.  Not just better as in well, but better than before.  One of the guys at work mentioned that he was training for a half marathon.  I happened to have just started running again.

Last year, my resolution was to run a marathon.  Like most resolutions it didn't happen.  Now I had the drive to work for it and a support group to keep on track with training.

I adapted the eight week training program Drew and his wife were following to prep for the run.  A few runs during the week then increasing the distance by a mile and a half each Saturday.  That worked up through week five, 8.3 miles.  Then I got sick with something nasty that killed week six, which should have been 9.5 miles.  No big deal, I used to run that regularly before I wrecked.  Then crappy weather killed the weekday runs of week seven.  So two weeks of not running and I had to do 11 miles, farther than I had ever run.

Shit.

Sometimes you have to do something just to prove to yourself you can do it.  There are lots of things were the outcome depends on whether you believe you can do it or not.  Running is definitely that kind of mind game.  It's probably not rational, but knowing that I could do 11 miles meant that 13 was well within reach.  Still feeling a little crappy, I ran eleven and some change a bit slow and ugly.

Week eight of the program was to get to 12.5 miles, but that went out the window.  I decided on a good solid 8 to get that form back.  With that and knowing I could go the distance, well, believing I could go the distance, I was ready.

So I ran it and it was good.  I met the goals of finishing and running the whole damn thing.  Then I had a beer and it was over.  That's the trouble with hitting your goal, what to do after you get there.

I'm thinking another couple of halfs and then a full, but I have to get this crap taken out of my back first.  The rods are poking me in the shoulders and I'm over it.  There's the next goal, run a full marathon titanium-free.

Keep submitting your work, a lot of it will get rejected by idiots that wouldn't know a good submission if it had a Pulitzer attached to it.  But sometimes you'll get in, like the one I saw in print today.  Pretty cool.