It's been a while since I've put in this kind of mileage. I'm Lisa Bialecki Young and my last marathon was Chicago in 2004. In January 2006, our son was born. I ran a few half marathons and then our daughter was born in November 2008. Training has been a bit more difficult to schedule since baby Violet joined the family. Still, I've finished a few half marathons and actually got a PR in the Wisconsin half this May.
Maybe it was the brat and the beer waiting for me at the end, but overall, it was a great race. Sadly, because of bad training and eating the following month, I finished with my worst time at the Northshore Half. (I blame a weekend away & a Keritin treatment for it all.)
Now I'm well into Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training program. I finished 6 miles this morning and opted to make my route a little more difficult by picking some uphill roads. (I admit to going the other way -- downhill -- most of the time.) Saturday is a 13 mile run with my CARA Northshore running mates.
I'm running a marathon this year for a few reasons. The first is that my 40th birthday is in January and I'm starting to feel just a little older than 26. I also want to prove to myself that I can finish a marathon after having kids. Most importantly, I'm raising money for Prentice Women's Hospital in memory of my mom who lost her fight with Ovarian Cancer two years ago. (If you are interested in donating to a charity this year, please consider Prentice. You can learn more at LisaRuns.com. Thank you.)
Over the course of my training this summer, I'll share my struggles, successes and some of the things I've learned along the way.
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