As many of you know, I'm an ambassador for our local race, the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon. I would like to think the reason I was chosen was because I speak so openly about training. I started running "late in life" & was too embarrassed to run with other people. Because of this disposition, I made EVERY mistake in "the book!" I endured MANY injuries and learned "the hard way." Through trial & error I finally figured out nutrition as well as what shoes & gear work well for me.  

Through Jim's illness, running kept me emotionally stable to make life & death decisions. People have rallied around his improvements. While Jim rebounds, exercise has been instrumental to recovery. -He refused a rehabilitation center when he left the hospital. He wanted to rest at HOME & knew enough about exercise to take matters into his own hands. In addition to strength training, Jim added running. 

Rewind to me being an ambassador for our marathon: a "perk" of being an ambassador, is giving away two free race registrations to promote attention to the race. I entered Jim into "my" raffle. While the raffle is completely computerized (so we don't get accused of showing favoritism) I was hoping (& not hoping) Jim would NOT win my raffle. He didn't. I missed entering him in week 2, of a fellow ambassador's raffle. I entered him in week 3----> AND HE WON!!! He won a choice of a 5K registration, a 1/2 marathon or a marathon registration. He is well past the 3 mile ability so I proposed the 1/2 marathon. He said he "couldn't." I told him he was getting ready to run 6 miles. He COULD be ready by April. He was silent for a day but the idea quickly took root because he brought it up the next day & has been telling people his goal. 

TODAY was the day he started "upping" his mileage. He had refused to move past 5 miles until he was "ready."  In my opinion: he has been ready for sometime. I brought my Orange Mud hydraquiver with Tailwind Nutrition so he could start practicing with nutrition. He sipped every couple of miles & crushed a 6 miler. Jim is diabetic, now. I didn't know how he would respond to nutrition choices. I have had success with Tailwind, so I went straight to that for him. --SUCCESS-- 

Together we listened to music, slipped on ice, saw deer, heard a buck (!!!) & saw a young man on the trail as we were finishing our last mile. "What is he doing?" I thought. As we got closer, I realized he was taking photos of us. We waved as we passed & I left a card in his door, in the parking lot with our email. Maybe we'll see those pictures, later. :) 

So, now begins Jim's 1/2 marathon training. Everything "before" today was a base. Today, we started "building"... & it was good... & I was happy...