Begin the beguine

Hi and thanks for stopping by!

I wanted to start this blog so I could share the ups and downs of training with everyone and hopefully give some insight into what it's really like to train for a marathon. (Also, I'm totally nervous and excited and want this journey on record!)

Let me start out by saying that, up until this year, I have never been what you call a "runner." Sure, I like to walk, dance, do the occasional yoga but I've always thought running looked so darn HARD. And ya know what? It is! At least when I first started running it was really hard. There's all that breathing, moving, sweating, more breathing, sweating, panting, sweating, more moving and did I mention sweating? And I'm supposed to do this voluntarily!

After getting a treadmill installed at the house it became kind of a no-brainer that I should at least TRY and jump on it. So I did. And it was just as hard as I thought it would be. So me and the treadmill had a touch-and-go relationship for a couple of months. I told it I needed my space and it understood. About a month and a half ago I decided to fully commit to the treadmill. So much so that I started running everyday, pushing myself just a little more each time I ran. Believe it or not, I actually started looking forward to running. SHOCK. Especially coming from someone like me. (I'm usually that person that looks at runners and thinks, "Why ON EARTH are they putting themselves through that?" Now I know.)

A few weeks went by and I was starting to run everyday. I started to have more energy and was feeling better about myself overall. I actually started to CRAVE it. (Not to mention that a few shed pounds were somewhat of a booster.) I wasn't thinking much of this newfound interest in running until I saw the AIDS marathon pamphlet in a store near where I work. A few months ago I wouldn't have even given it a second glance but this day I did a full-on double-take. AIDS marathon? Wait....running...a lot...for a cause...with other people...fundraising...helping people...training...dedicating myself to something huge...and I was sold.

Every time I think about being part of this event, I get more excited and more inspired. Now when I'm running I start to think about all the ways I can get people involved and I get even more energized. I've been part of exciting and big things before but this one was of my own device. I actually decided to apply myself and am going to follow through. (I put this under the category of things I decided as a "Big Kid.")

Currently I try to run at least four days a week for at least 2 miles. My new small goal is to try and run 3 miles and see how many hours it takes me. :) (Actually, my current time per mile is about 13 minutes. That's with your basic run/walk method. Running at about 5 to 5.2 mph and walking at about a 3.5.)

Official training for the marathon starts in October and continues for 6 months. We are required to run at least three times a week and meet for a longer group run on the weekends in Griffith Park. The actual marathon is March 21, 2010. The trail starts at the Dodger Stadium and ends up in Santa Monica, making for a total of 26 miles. Yeah, you read it right. TWENTY-SIX MILES. That's about NINE times as much as I'm running right now. Soooo, needless to say I've got a lot of training ahead of me. Which goes back to why I started this blog.

I have signed up for something that is going to demand a lot of me and lot of others. I'm running so I can raise money for a cause, I'm running with a purpose. And there's nothing more motivational than knowing that each time I push myself on the track or on the treadmill, I will also be pushing to spark involvement and trigger awareness toward a plague that we are all too familiar with.

Join me as I embark on this adventure. It promises to be exhausting, electrifying, rewarding, stimulating and heart-warming. Thanks, and I'll see you on the track!

-Hartley