The heat is on...

Literally, and figuratively. This week Saturday is the twelve week mark from our half marathon. This means to me that I really need to kick it into gear and get to following the training plan that I have scribbled all over my calendar. Twelve weeks to train myself and increase my stamina to be able to complete 13.1 miles. Right now, my longest outing is 3 miles. Lame. And to top it all off, I've strategically planned my training in the middle of the hottest quarter in Sacramento. At least the actual event in October will seem like a piece of cake temperature-wise.

I went out yesterday at around noon for a quick 2 mile jaunt. It had been over two weeks since I had last ran, so I was a little stiff starting out, but that passed pretty quickly. For my birthday last year, my lovely in-laws gave me a pair of running pants, jacket, and training tank. The jacket is completely out of the question at this point, but I ventured out in the pants and tank. Unfortunately for me, my two mile loop is on the road with not a tree in sight. And the running 'fit is black. I was burning up by the end of the first mile. I was really wishing that I had bought those capris that I had my eye on at Sports Authority a few days ago. I was completely dry-mouthed and could feel the steam coming off of my head. For a split second, I considered losing the tank and running in just my sports bra...for a split second only. I'm certainly not that brave yet. And plus, my tummy has not seen the light of day in approximately six years since my lovely son was born. I would certainly cause an accident with the sunlight reflecting off of the sheer whiteness of it all.

I am happy that I finished the full two miles but was completely wiped out at the end. The combination of the dry heat, the dry mouth, and altogether too much clothing left me dripping wet and tomato-faced by the time I walked in the door. I read an article a few weeks ago that recommended driving your path and leaving partially frozen bottles of water hidden along the way so that you can stop and hydrate. It seems ridiculous for such a short run, but it really would've been helpful yesterday. Maybe next time I'll suck it up and hop into the Eppie's for a minute and see if they would be willing to give me a glass of water.

I'm pretty upset with myself that I haven't been following the training plan thus far. I really wanted to get a head start and be ready well in advance. But nope! I like to wait until the absolute last minute to do stuff. So here goes. Hopefully you will start to see my mileage increase consistently over the next twelve weeks.