Running into myself

So let me start by stating my goal: to run a half marathon in all 50 states in less than 15 years. Although I'm starting this near the end of 2011, I actually started the running in 2010 and got two states out of the way (Illinois and Indiana); so I'm counting them.

I'm not sure why I'm making a blog about this endeavor. I don't know if I'm doing it for myself or for others. I'm not posting the link to this blog on my facebook or giving it to my friends. So I guess, in that respect it is more for me, and possibly a random stumbler. I guess I just want to set a really big goal and see what happened.

I ran the Chicago marathon two weeks ago and it was pretty awful. It was probably the most pain I've forced myself to ever run through. It took me more than 40 minutes longer than my goal time, but I finished. I haven't decided yet if I'm proud of finishing, because I kind of knew I would. I had/have tendinitis in both my knees and a pulled hip flexor. I was in relatively severe pain for most of the race. If you can even call it a race at the pace I was running. HAHA. Either way, its over, and it made me realize how much I really like HALF marathons... thus the newly formed goal. I probably won't be running again for another month at least, but I do want to complete one more half before the end of 2011.

I am relatively new to the sport- I started distance running (more than 3 miles 4 times a week) in 2009 after I graduated from college. I've never really felt like an athlete, and there are days when I still don't. I run because of the all the beer I drink, and because I'm too broke to have a gym membership, and because it has literally made me happy. I don't enjoy running while I'm running of course, unless its some brilliant day when I'm feeling very prefonatine, but I've become a happier person because of it. I'm emotionally well-adjusted, which is something I've really never been able to say before. This is one of my big motivators for continuing to run. I think I sound like a human cliche; hopefully this will dissipate with time.

The biggest challenge of this goal will be coming up with the money to run all the races. Maybe I should be doing this for some sort of charity, but right now Its just for my own personal edification.