The La Jolla Half

What do all medical students have in common? We're over achievers. Its a fact. I also happen to enjoy competition. I compete mostly with myself and the unattainable standards I set for myself. Just going to medical school isn't enough. I've been here for less than 6 months and have since joined a yoga studio (which I go to about 4 times a week), taken on a manager position of a speciality clinic we run for the uninsured, volunteered my time to mentoring and pre-med associations, and maintained some semblance of a social life. Oh and, of course, I study every day. But this wasn't enough (I'm not sure why). So, when challenged, I accepted.

I am going to run the La Jolla Half Marathon.

This is nuts.

Let me give you some background. Around 1st grade my mom signed me up for soccer. We lost every game and I never scored a goal. Around 5th grade my dad signed me up for Jr Golf. I can't even speak about how traumatizing it was. I never played organized sports again. I danced (jazz, tap, ballet, and Tahitian) for over 10 years, but I had no endurance or natural athletic ability. In high school, as appearance begins to matter more and more, I joined a gym and would go occasionally. I got more serious in college about working out, but would usually get really fit for several months and then bum around for a couple months before starting from scratch (not a program I'd recommend).

The most I've ever run is 5 miles. And, honestly, I probably didn't run the entire 5 miles, either. I haven't run since October 2009. But I've been active, I'm in good shape, and my first 2 runs have been enjoyable. I've had low self esteem my entire life, despite my achievements. This challenge seems insurmountable, but if I accomplish it, it will truly be something great for me.

I'd like to share my training here to maintain some accountability. I also want to show that being busy is not an excuse. I'm busy all day, but I plop down in front of the TV or in bed with a book every night. That is the time I plan to use for my training.

I have 80 days. I found a training schedule that is moderate (running 3 days/week with some cross training most other days). Today, per my schedule, I ran for 35 minutes at a moderate pace. I felt good, but the last 5 minutes were a little bit of a struggle to maintain the run.

Wish me luck!