Wednesday

Half Minus 74

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I signed up to run in the Tinkerbell Half Marathon! Okay, 'run' is a misnomer. I don't run. I walk, and occasionally jog a few steps just for the heck of it. :-) Regardless, on Mother's Day 2015 I will be in Anaheim, California with my daughter, my daughter-in-law, and my granddaughter participating in the Tinkerbell Half Marathon sponsored by RunDisney.

Today I'm wondering what in the world I've gotten myself into. I am out of shape. I am at least 10 pounds heavier than I should be (and that's a generous estimate). My right ankle is held together with pins and screws. I had surgery on my rotator cuff AND bicep tendon in August, and still don't have full range of motion in that shoulder yet.

But training is underway. I'm waaaay behind. For the uninformed, a half marathon is 13.1 miles. The Tinkerbell requires that you maintain a 16 minute mile, and  recommends targeting a 15 minute mile so you can take a potty break or two.  Today I walked/ran 4.65 miles and managed to do it in 14:39 minutes per mile. And folks, that was all I had. I can't even imagine doing today's route times 3.

At the moment I'm sitting in a chair with my feet on a block of ice and an ice pack on my shoulder. I expected the foot discomfort. I did not expect the shoulder pain, but it makes sense. An hour of jarring a sore muscle will eventually start to hurt, right?

I'll post updates here and on my Facebook page periodically. Not because I think this is newsworthy or even particularly interesting to most of you, but because I'm hoping that the public exposure will serve as a sort of accountability. Or, if you prefer, a desire to avoid public shame and disgrace if I drop out.