Fear the Crab

Maile signed us up for the Great Aloha Run, scheduled for Presidents’ Day. I have never run any type of long-distance race, so I classify the GAR almost the same as a marathon. A marathon of 8 miles, yes, so while it’s not quite at the level of a Honolulu Marathon, I think ten steps into either would leave me collapsed on the pavement wishing for unconsciousness.

The sponsors of the GAR hold free training sessions every Sunday starting this week, where I am supposed to learn how to prepare for running and condition myself to maintain the course. Each session has a run of distances from 1-2 miles in the early weeks, gradually increasing to the full 8 right before the GAR itself. If I can dedicate myself to showing up every Sunday morning, I’m pretty certain I’ll handle the event.

Of course, on Monday I had just returned to a routine of weights and exercise, and a set of squats for the first time in months has left my legs in a state of perpetual burn and stiffness. This is a classic case of delayed onset muscle soreness that hopefully will go away as I keep up the pace.

Yesterday I went to the local high school and ran (technically jogged) 4 laps around the track, which I am led to believe is one mile. I was winded, but I wasn’t fully exhausted, so I gained some confidence that I can really do this.

Then maybe I can consider the Honolulu Marathon.