Hurricane Time!

I have been blogged out lately, but the rains have started and I figure that a hurricane is the perfect excuse and opportunity to catch up on life, right?

My view of the dreary beginnings of the storm--no damage yet!

We are stocked up on water and have enough food to last a few days. We pulled everything inside from off our patio. Now it is just time to wait!

I had orientation for my assistantship yesterday. It is at the Center for Disabilities Studies on campus--more can be learned about it here. Yesterday was mostly a general overview and I know I have a lot more to learn, but I am so excited for the chance I have to work in this area and hopefully help make a difference in people's lives.

Josh and I also just signed up for my first bike race (ride). It is the Amish Country Bike Tour. Josh will be doing the 100m ride and I will be doing the 15m ride. I think I am much more nervous than he is. That may be in part due to the fact that I have not ridden my bike since we have lived here...one our friends has been borrowing it for his main source of transportation, and I have yet to get it back, so I am starting to feel the pressure! We are doing the ride with a couple of friends though, so that will make it easier and less stressful.

We are also still doing well starting our training for the marathon! We probably won't start officially training until October/November, but we are just trying to get into a good routine of running right now. I am happy to say that running with Josh has also made me faster! I used to average about 10min/mile, but since I have started running with him, I average more of 8:30min/mile! We ran 3 miles on Thurs where I actually ran a bit faster than 8min/mile. That's pretty remarkable considering my fastest mile time ever is about 7:20! So I am pleased with the results so far, although I have to admit that I really do not care how fast I ever run. To me, the joy of running is in the exercise itself and the accomplishment you feel while you're doing and after you're done, not in how fast you can do it. Maybe someday I will get so good at running distance that I can work on improving my times, but for now, I am happy to just finish the distance :)

Maybe marathon?

I have always wanted to do a marathon and a I think the time is now! I have two done half marathons and loved them, but when I finished both of them, I took a nice long break from running. My end goal was the half, so I felt like I deserved a break at the end of each one. I have always loved running though, so even when I am not training for anything, I am still running about 10-15 miles/week.

I am thinking that the Rock n' Roll USA marathon in DC on March 17 will be the one. I'm super stoked to have a goal now because it will make it easier to run and have a schedule that I need to follow. I'm also excited because it gives me a legitimate excuse to buy new gear! I really want a running watch--that will be first on the list.

The other good news is that I think Josh is going to do it with me! I don't know if he will be able to spend all that time running and not biking, but we will see.
I am so impatient that I just want to start training now, even though I don't need to seriously start for a couple of months probably.

Visitors will of course be welcomed and appreciated for this big life event!
One of the things that has helped me get motivated for this is The Hungry Runner Girl blog. She has such a great outlook on life, running, and exercise in general. Reading her struggles and triumphs each day has inspired me!
Anyway, it is not set in stone yet, but I really want to! I have to admit that having a supportive husband who wants to join makes a huge difference.