Journey to 13.1… Mom Life

I’m not sure I realized how crazy I was when I decided to sign up for a half marathon while Baby D was still an infant! In my head, I thought he’d be sleeping through the night, completely cooperative when I needed to run, and most importantly, I never dreamed pushing a jogging stroller would intensify a run like it does. I know. I know. Feel free to laugh hysterically at my naivety. 

Rookie mom mistakes. All rookie mistakes. 


I’ve come to learn that a great night’s sleep for me is 6 – 7 hours with some sporadic middle of the night cries from Baby D. I’ve found that an 11 month old has a personality of his own and sometimes, sitting in the stroller isn’t on his agenda. And more importantly, I’ve gained a new respect for all the parents I’ve passed through the years pushing their toddlers (sometimes in a double stroller)!

While finding the time to run hasn’t been as easy as I hoped it would, I have no doubt that the minor ups and downs I’ve experienced so far in my training will help in the long run. My fitness level continues to improve (we just did a 4 mile stroller run on Sunday) and most importantly, with every day that I push myself a little more to make training work, I get stronger. I feel my mental toughness grow, which I hope will help me during the 13.1 miles in October and for the rest of my life. 

Have you ever pushed yourself to do more than you thought you could? Did it make you stronger? I love to hear about!

Journey to 13.1

I haven’t been blogging as much as would like, but I’m hoping that changes in the coming weeks.  Summer is such a fun time of year, but somehow, all the fun makes things very busy, and blogging has fallen through the cracks.

Another factor that has made my schedule a little fuller than usual is I’ve officially started training for my first half marathon!  


I’m excited, anxious, and apprehensive all at once.  However, it’s a challenge I’ve thought of doing for almost 10 years, and ever since I completed a 10k in 2014, the desire has been even stronger.

I guess I should rewind a bit…back to January of 2014.  I felt like I was in a rut.  Life was great, but I felt like I was stationary.  I wanted a goal; I wanted a challenge; I wanted something to invest myself in.  So I signed up for a Saint Patrick’s Day 5k race.

I never dreamed the 8 weeks leading up to that 5k would change my life.  (No, I’m serious.)  I had been an athlete as a kid and right on up through high school.  Then I remained active – went to the gym, did kickboxing DVDs, jogged occasionally on a beautiful day.  But in those 8 weeks during the winter of 2014, I became a runner.

I learned as a runner, it’s only me and the road ahead.  When I needed a challenge, I was up against myself.  Could I run faster than last week?  Could I top my pace from my last run?  Could I run further than I have before?  The reward was finding I could do something I never thought I could.

After that first 5k on a windy, but sunny morning in March of 2014, I ran several more 5ks during the spring and summer, and trained to run a 10k that October.  Prior to signing up for the 10k (6.2 miles), I had never ran more than 3.5 miles at one time.  And to be honest, I didn’t think I had it in me to run more.  The training was hard, but the joy and triumph I felt as I crossed the finish line after running 6.2 miles was unlike anything I’ve ever felt.   I challenged myself to do something I had never done, and I succeeded.

I know most of you found my blog because of my writing, but I hope you’ll enjoy following along my personal running journey as well.  I hope it inspires you to challenge yourself (even if it’s not running or physical activity of any kind)!  The reward of accomplishing something you thought you couldn’t is amazing and it ripples through to all aspects of your life.

Yesterday, I finished the first two weeks of training, and I’ll be honest – I didn’t get off to the start I would have liked.  However, while I haven’t been able to stick to my training plan every day, I’m happy that my weekly miles are increasing and I’ve completed each week’s long run.  When I get discouraged, I keep my eyes on the road ahead because every day is a part of my journey to 13.1 miles.