Indy Mini Marathon

I haven't posted on here in a long while, so my apologies. Daily updates coming soon as I've realized I've definitely been bitten by the competition bug. Seeing how this is my training log, I need to make better use of it to track miles and day to day changes in my training.


All of my hard work and training really paid off. On May 2, 2009 I completed my first half-marathon, the Indianapolis One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon, and it exceeded my expectations. I had a blast. My fiance, pictured above, also ran the race with me along with a handful of training partners we've hooked up with through our gym.

I completed the 13.1 mile course in 2:02.16, not bad for a first-timer and running neophyte. I will definitely be running the race again next year. As of now, debating whether to sign up for another mini August 2nd in Chicago.

I went on my first post-race run yesterday with my dog Lucy. I hadn't taken a day off working out since before the race to needless to say my body was pretty tired. Lucy was ready to keep going but my legs told me I needed a break after 2.5 miles. I figure I'll start slow and get back into it. Hope to do 5 on Thursday and gear up for 8 on Sunday with the gang.

I saw the sign...

and it opened up my eyes.

Cheesy, I know. So, Internet, I've been toying with the idea of doing a race that will challenge my body in ways it hasn't been challenged since the last time I swam the mile in a meet. God, I almost get queasy just thinking about it, in a good way. In December (or was it November? -- oh well, doesn't matter which) I ran my first 5k. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it was the first time I'd ever competed in a land race; previous experiences only occurred in water, unless we count Jr. Lifeguards when I was like 11, but we won't go there.

Anyway, where was I? Right, racing. That's the whole underlying point of this blog, isn't it? The two front-running options are either a sprint triathlon, a regular triathlon or a mini-marathon. The problem I'm finding with the triathlon option, although I would love to have a swim involved (feel like I'd at least have some kind of an edge) is that I would need to invest in a bike, and frankly I don't have $300 to throw down on a road bike, let alone the $700-900 I would need for a halfway decent one, not to mention shoes and clips on top of that.

So that leaves me with the mini. I looked up some dates of races nearby in order to register for a mini that would give me enough time to legitimately train and be in shape. I first looked into the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon which is in Indianapolis, just a hop, skip and a jump away. The race is May 2nd, which would give me plenty of time to shape up and get my joints prepared for the beat down. Except...registration is already full! Four freakin' months away and it's already full. The only other realistic option is the Chicago mini, which is substantially later in the year.

I'd pretty much given up on my goal to do a mini, at least for now. Let's face it, I don't run that well so running 13.1 miles, while admirable, wouldn't be all THAT fun.

I'm getting to the point of this post here in a second, I promise.

So basically, I went to RPM last night and Kristy, the instructor who just happens to be training for the 500 Festival mini and runs at about the same pace as I do (I stole a glimpse at her treadmill speed the other morning) remembered a conversation we had about the race. It just so happens that one of the women that she knows that was already signed up for the race injured her ankle in a race in December. Apparently she took a bad spill on a patch of ice during the race. Anyway, she's not going to be fully healed by the time the mini rolls around and is looking for someone to buy her registration ticket.

Seems like this particular chain of events is trying to tell me something, don't you think? What do you say Internet? Any encouraging words out there? As of now, I'm thinking about saying yes and buckling down on a running schedule...