So.... as most of you already know, I've decided to something wild and crazy!!!!...  I registered for the Vancouver, Washington Marathon to take place on June 17, 2012.  SHA-ZAAM!!! I'm super excited about it and am really looking forward to starting training :)

Most Marathon training programs are about 18 weeks, but I've decided to do Hal Higdon's Novice Supreme training which is 30 weeks: http://www.halhigdon.com/beginrunner/novicesupreme.htm.  Why you ask?  Mostly because I'm terrified of getting injured!!!  You see, my husband qualifies for sabbatical (8 weeks of paid vacation!!!!) that same June, so the week after the Marathon, I need to be able to get on an airplane so I can hang out on a sunny beach without pain.  From what I've read, the more progressive your training program is, the less likelihood of injury.  

However.... there are several issues that will be slowing me down on my run to the finish line:

KIDS
I have two adorable little munchkins who will be accompanying me on many of my training runs.  I'll be running on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.  My mother will watch the kids on Wednesdays and my husband will watch the kids on Saturdays (He'll also be watching Premiership Soccer), so hopefully I'll only have Lilah with me on Tuesdays (Ari is in Preschool) and I'll have both kids running with me on Thursdays.  Following?

Sounds like I have it all figured out - right?  Well.... as you might imagine, attempting to jog with kids is kind of like Russian Roulette: you never know when someone will be hungry, thirsty, have to go potty, want his bagel, want her puffs, or just decide they're done and start screaming bloody murder.  It can make trying to stick to a running schedule pretty difficult. 

The other problem with running with kids is the extra work involved.  My single jogger is 28 lbs, my double jogger is 38 lbs, my daughter is 23 lbs, my son is 34 lbs.  If I run with just Lilah, I'm pushing an extra 51 lbs and if I'm running with both kids it's an extra 95 pounds!!  It's really tough to push that much weight and I know I may not be able run the whole distance I'm supposed to :(

WEIGHT
I've managed to gain back all the weight I lost over the summer :(  I'm still 13 pounds over my Lilah pre-baby weight and 23 pounds over my wedding weight.  All the extra weight still stress my joints as I run thus increasing my susceptibility to injury.  I'm hoping to lose about 1 pound per week (totally reasonable!!!) to get to my goal weight by the end of my training.  I've started doing Weight Watchers on my own again two weeks ago (lost 3 pounds) and have been doing really well through the week, but I completely fall apart over the weekend. Part of the reason I'm starting my blog early is to give myself a kick-start over the weekend on my diet. I'm hoping by the end of the training, I'll be down to my goal weight :) 

WEATHER
I'm going to have to train during the winter, which in Oregon means lots and lots of rain. It's going to give training with the kids a whole new level of craziness!! 

Aiit.... here it is.  I'm getting tired now as you can tell from the paragraphs getting smaller and smaller :) I'll be posting daily to keep myself honest.... so get ready for 214 posts coming your way!  BAAM!