My relationship with running has had its ups and downs over the years. I had a brief stint with both cross country and track back in the day. Then I quit running completely until around sophomore year of college, when I had gained too much weight for my liking and wanted to shed some poundage. (Running was sadly unsuccessful in this venture, as the weight gain was due to the dual horrors of constant all-you-can-eat dormitory food and the Pill. Neither of which I have to combat anymore, luckily!)

Before my wedding, I ran to get in shape, and it worked wonders. I lost seven pounds and many inches in just four weeks, and I also felt amazing — and this was while I was still eating dairy and lots of processed food! I ran mostly on the treadmill after work, but at least I was running.

Until I stopped. And I can’t explain why. I guess the wedding was over. The honeymoon on the beach was over. Life got busy. I don’t know.

This past November, Ben and I started running together again, pretty casually. I don’t know what prompted it, but regardless, we started running every so often, and somehow, that led me to want to run more, and then more! I guess exercise will do that to you. And then, somehow, my mind tricked me into signing up for a 5k, an 8k, a 10k, and even a half-marathon all before the end of July! Truthfully, a half-marathon is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while, so I’m glad I went on that race-signing-up bender before I could change my mind — $85 later, you better believe that I’m committed to that race!

Anyway. After signing up for all these races, I figured I better get serious about training, so I’ve been on a running schedule since January. I have made every single workout except for this past Saturday’s, which I am making up for today (and I am very excited about it!). I’m pretty pumped that I have stuck to a schedule thus far, and I have definitely seen benefits in my body, which is fantastic! The training program I’m using is Hal Higdon’s Novice 5K… I’ve worked out my schedule using his 8k, 10k, and half-marathon programs as well, and this should all line up pretty perfectly (barring all injuries, of course). So I’m pretty much psyched.

Here are the races I’m doing:

Warm Your Heart 5k (in just two weeks!)

Shamrock Shuffle 8k (the biggest race in Chi city)

Arbor Day 10k (love those trees :))

Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon (eep!)

We’ll see where my running goes from there, but I am super excited to complete all of these races and mostly just to get back in good shape. :) Stay tuned for updates!