What Are The Chances?

I started running in January. I'm training for a half marathon, and by
training I mean that I still haven't completely given up on the idea.

My goal, the Wine Country Half Marathon is on May 8th and I have a training schedule courtesy of Nancy who led me to Jeff Galloway's website. I run for 20 minutes on a Monday, 30 minutes on a Wednesday , and then my 'big run' on a Saturday.

On Monday or Wednesday I have two choices, I either fight for a sweaty gym treadmill during peak post-work hours or I get up at some godawful time while the rest of the world sleeps and I run round the barrio where I live. I reckon the gangstas are all tucked up in bed at that time. Except this is California, and while we're sleeping the rest of the world is working away, which makes us feel like we're behind, so we all wake up and head off to work between 5am and 6am which is crazy. You would be amazed at how many downtown offices have people at their desks before your average Yorkshireman has even hit snooze for the first time. You should see us partying at night though! 9pm and the West Coast is done. Fast asleep. Snoring through our pinot noir stained teeth. It's not the Hollywood lifestyle you would imagine.

Monday mornings I am a streak of pasty whiteness gasping for breath like a dying cod as I plod around the local pavements. Take for example this Monday as I lay in bed doing a mental 'if I run now it's over with, compared to having to go the gym tonight, but on the other hand it feels a bit chilly, and I would really like to just lie here in my giant fluffy bed and not drag my carcass around the neighborhood.' Guilt ridden I scraped my hair into a ponytail, put a sports bra under my nightshirt (truly), pulled on my joggers and off I went. In to the largest collection of workmen every congregated. Apparently a tree had fallen down in the night blocking the entrance to the high school. 30 Caltrans workers checking out your pyjamas is an excellent incentive to run faster I find.

I've been running for nearly two months now and I'm up to being able to run 8 miles without needing CPR. I'm definitely noticing a difference with all this exercise - namely I'm hungry all the time and I've gained 4 pounds. I know it's muscle, but still, harrumph.

I do know that I'm getting fitter obviously, and I'm clearly reshaping the post-birth flab landscape - I have a waist now which is somewhat of a revelation for my usual 'drawn using only a ruler' figure (no curves...). Also my original jogging trousers had to be retired after they failed to stay up during one of my final runs in January. Clearly I was making progress, and progress needs to be rewarded so after the first month of sticking to my schedule I took myself off to 'Lucy' and spent a small fortune on proper running clothes that would gain acceptance at the swankiest gym.

After 6 weeks I decided that this wasn't just a passing fad, and that I may just be able to achieve my goal so I sat down to sign up for the race. The reason I'd put it off before was the cost - $100. Now what about a half marathon could possibly cost $100? You have to be committed at a price like that, I don't care if the 'complimentary' race t-shirt is 'moisture wicking'.

So after much inner-wrangling I decided to sign up. My logic said that I'd stuck it out this far, and quite frankly if you could pay someone $100 to make you fitter, happier and left with a tremendous sense of accomplishment in 2 months time, then it seems like a no-brainer. I pulled up the website to sign up.

Sold out.

Gutted.

I put myself on the waiting list, and apparently I have a 15% chance of getting a spot. Now, I have been signing up for the HGTV Dream Home every day for the last six weeks, and while I'm convinced that my one in a million chance of victory is a sure thing as far as that's concerned, the approximately 1 in 6 chance I have of getting in to this race is making me think I haven't got a hope. Mental. I know there are other races, Bay to Breakers in San Francisco springs to mind, but it's not the same.

The drawing for the remaining spots is March 15th. Keep your fingers crossed for me.