A New Goal

If you didn't already know, Brian is home from Iraq!! It is very comforting to know that he is not only in the same time zone but just a mere 40 minutes away. The past 13 months went by faster than I could have imagined... most of the time. Of course there were moments when it felt like he'd been gone forever, or that there was still an eternity left to the deployment. But that's all behind us now and, if I do say so myself, I think I held up outstandingly well. He's doing great and is happy to be back and driving his new 2011 Mustang convertible.

As Brian was approaching his departure date, and I could no longer send packages because they'd arrive after he left, I began to wonder: what am I going to do with all this time that I used to spend baking and writing to Brian? Well, of course the simple answer now is to actually spend that time with Brian. And believe me, we will be spending a good deal of time together! But you know me, I'm a goal oriented person. And having just accomplished a fairly impressive goal (namely, sending 43 care packaged over the course of a year) I was feeling the need to set my sights on something new.

Just as I was pondering what I should strive for next, an email popped up in my inbox announcing that registration for the 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure has started. Now, I've participated in several 5K races before, but I've always done a mix of walking and jogging. An interesting idea occurred to me: If I started now, I would have five and a half months to train. And if I were really dedicated, motivated and focused, then I could set my goal to run the whole 5K.

So that's what I'm going to do! Starting on Monday, November 1, I will begin a training plan that will end with me running for a full 3.1 miles. I am really excited about this, and will be logging lots of miles on my treadmill over the winter. Dad even said that he'd participate in the race with me, so we'll be training buddies. And I'm telling YOU this so that you can help me stay focused and on track. I am not a great runner, so I'm sure there will be times that I could use a pep-talk, or just some loving folks to help me be accountable to myself. Thanks in advance!