and so it goes

Well, it's almost been a whole year since I started this experiment, and I ran 7 miles today without getting winded. With the exception of taking a brief summer hiatus after the Boone marathon, I have kept up a 4-day a week running schedule and have continued signing up for about one race a month to keep me motivated. I have a 10-mile trail race this Saturday and, though I have not really been doing much distance training, I feel pretty good about it.

This time last year, running was about the furthest thing from my mind. Today, I think I've advanced beyond poseur-dom and could possibly get away with calling myself a real runner. I no longer feel like a spectator when I read Runner's World and the idea of dropping a couple hundred bucks on a gps watch is seeming more and more sane every day. I have now run in 3 5ks, 3 10ks, 2 half marathons and 1 full. By the actual one year mark (Thanksgiving), I plan to have added this weekend's 10 miler, and another 2 5ks.

Races have to be my favorite part of the whole business. Signing up early and having tangible goals to work toward is exactly what I need to stay focused. Races are the best kind of SMART goals because they carry the possibilities of injury and humiliation if I blow off training. And, even better than setting a new PR, is the opportunity to do it with my new running partner - yes, my hubby has now been running with me for over a month and will run with me in those next 2 5ks.

So, how long is it they say you have to do something before it becomes a true habit? I know it's not quite been a year yet, but I think I can safely say that I have become a habitual runner. Hopefully, I'll look back a year or so from now (as I am hopefully getting ready for the NYC marathon, wink, wink) and recognize the first glimpses of the accomplished, almost middle-aged, overworked grad student athlete I will become.