OK, so it’s almost not Thursday anymore, but I still wanted to participate in Take it and Run Thursday over at the Runners’ Lounge. This week’s theme is the Marathon Explained.

What attracts us to marathons? Why do we run them?

Souvenir bracelet from my first marathon

Well, peer pressure eventually got me to sign up for my first (and so far, only) marathon! But that, of course, is not the only reason.

I liked the challenge. It was something really hard, but something that I could accomplish. With some pain, yes, but I crossed that finish line with a smile on my face.

It took a little while to be ready, but now I am officially signed up for another.

I decided to challenge myself a little more this time. I’ll be running a half marathon the day before!

Yes, I’m registered for the Goofy Challenge in 2010.

Uh, why was that again?

This week’s “Take it and Run Thursday” theme at the Runners’ Lounge is How to Run Your Best Half Marathon in 2009.

I love half marathons.

Unlike 5K/10K races, which I’m pretty much prepared to run at any time, half marathons require some training. The distance is long enough to be be challenging, but the training isn’t too difficult. At least not anymore — ever since I ran a full marathon in 2007, getting ready for a half has been a piece of cake!

However, I’m not usually as prepared for my races as I should be.

I trained for my first half through the winter. The race was in early March, and was almost canceled due to snow. (The trail was cleared by race day and all was good.)

I think snow and ice may have disrupted our training plans. Maybe there were some injuries that held us back. Or maybe it was just poor planning. But we only trained up to nine miles.

That might have been OK if I had run that distance more than once, but I think I probably had only a couple runs at eight or nine. I sure felt my lack of training on race day. By the time I had passed my nine-mile base, everything hurt. But I still made it to the finish, smiling through the pain.

My first half – still smiling!

For the six other half marathons I have completed, most of the time I’ve managed to train up to 10 miles at least once. But I rarely have gotten that far a second time. Sometimes I only got up to eight or nine. I’ve always finished my races feeling OK, but not without pain and soreness!

The only half I’ve come away from feeling great is the one I completed four months after the marathon. I did let my mileage drop a bit between the races, and probably got my usual one or two nine or 10 mile runs prior to race day. But my body still remembered how to run that far!

As I train for the Disney Princesses Half Marathon in March, my eighth, I’m going to be more prepared.

I’m training with a class offered by my local running club. (Conveniently, our club’s half marathon that the majority of my classmates are training for is one week before mine.) We have a training schedule and I’m sticking to it.

Sure, I could make one on my own. But with only a few of my running friends running half marathons as well, I’d have to add extra miles when everybody else was done. And that’s no fun. Especially when we go to breakfast on weekend mornings.

And I probably wouldn’t have given myself enough time to get comfortable with the longer distances.

The class has us running 10 miles for the next two weekends. Followed by two 12-mile weekends. (Well, I can’t make it to class the day of the second 10-miler, but I’ll still be fine.)

Will I have my best half marathon yet? Well, it might not be the fastest. I expect crowds and photo opps may slow me down in Disney.

But (knock on wood) I hope I’ll be feeling great as I cross the finish line!

Today’s “Take It and Run Thursday” theme over at the Runners’ Lounge is 5Ks and 10Ks.

I run a lot of these shorter races. My mileage is usually up to at least six miles at any given time, so they’re always comfortable distances. I can sign up for one spur of the moment and do just fine.

Racing is good because it’ll keep you from getting in a training rut. Even if you’re not increasing mileage for a half marathon or longer race, throwing in some shorter races is a good change of pace. Even in small “fun runs,” there’s still an adrenaline rush when the race begins. You give yourself a little extra push when you know you’re being timed!

While I race year-round, I tend to run quite a few 5Ks in the summer. The RRCA in Maryland sponsors a Women’s Distance Festival each year from May through August. Running clubs in Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia host 5Ks for women only (some offer separate men’s runs). And if you run at least four in a season, you get an award. Past prizes have been things like duffel bags, running hats, and custom pottery.

One of my favorite races from this series is the one hosted by the Reston Runners in Reston, VA. It’s a bit of a drive for us — it’s always a bit weird when the drive takes longer than the run — but that club puts on a great race. It’s a really nice run with inspirational quotes along the course. The men from the club are cheerleaders and stretching coaches dressed in grass skirts and coconut bras. And it doesn’t hurt that there are great premiums. Last year we got a soft lunch cooler, beach towel, running socks and a hat!

If you’re a new runner or interested in starting, I wrote a post last summer for “Take it and Run Thursday” with 5K/10K training tips. Or head on over to the Runners’ Lounge and see what the other runners have to say!

The past few months have been a bit busy, and I haven’t been participating over at The Runners’ Lounge. I hope to be less of a stranger now that holiday concert season is over!

For today’s Take It and Run Thursday, they’re looking for our favorite post from 2008.

I’ve never been good with favorites. I couldn’t choose just one!

My favorite running post: The Reluctant Marathoner

My favorite gadgets: Raising the Dork Level

My favorite accomplishment for 2008: Race Report: Iron Girl Triathlon

And of course, I’m looking forward to a new year with my favorite running community!

This is for Take It and Run Thursday: Six Word Running Memoir at the Runners’ Lounge.

I’ve only been running for about four years. Why did I start?

My good metabolism won’t last forever!

Growing up, I never had to worry much about my weight. In my late 20s I was still doing fine, but I had been warned about post-30 weight gain. I figured I should probably get my butt moving!

During one of my first long races, late August in Maryland, I distinctly remember this thought crossing my mind:

Why am I doing this again?

This one has come back to me quite a few times!

But really, I’m running because I love it, it’s good exercise, and great stress relief.

I also like to challenge myself. Last year was a marathon. This year will be a triathlon (in ~2 weeks. Ahh!)

Where will running take me next?