Running into 2013

2012 was notable for a few things, but the biggest was without question my “return” to running and getting back into shape after years of drifting into CBS sitcom territory—hot wife, fat husband. Starting last February, when I signed up for my first Tough Mudder, I made a quiet commitment to develop a regular exercise routine and lose some weight, and used the “fear” of Mudder to inspire me.

Getting up at 5:30am to go running or do a cardio DVD slowly became, not just routine, but something I liked doing, and after completing that first Mudder in April, I really hit my stride, signing up for another in October, and adding a Warrior Dash event to the mix, too.

Along the way, I ran over 500 miles total—including a month of runs in New Orleans; le sigh…—lost 30 pounds, and my pace and distances steadily improved to where a 5K is now my minimum run. I even started investing in real gear (including a subscription to Runner’s World Magazine), and that has arguably made a big difference as this is the longest I’ve worked out steadily without any injury of note (knock wood). And, thanks to Under Armour, the cold weather hasn’t even deterred me!

I’ve also been using Endomondo since May to track my runs (and Noom before that), and that’s been a great motivator, too—monitoring my progress and personal bests, keeping the data geek in me engaged.

I’ve decided my primary goal for 2013 is to run a Pikermi (aka, a half-marathon, but 13.1 miles shouldn’t be called “half” of anything!), which feels like a bigger challenge than Tough Mudder, even though the distance is only slightly longer. In Mudder, there’s an ebb and flow thanks to the various obstacles, while a straight-up Pikermi calls for a steady pace throughout and, I imagine, requires just as much mental fortitude as an Arctic Enema!

To-date, my longest non-obstacle run was 9.37 miles back in September, so I have some training to do to stretch myself out for 13.1 miles.

I’m still putting together my schedule for the year, but these are the major runs I’m tentatively planning to do, culminating in my first Pikermi:

• Lost Brook Trail Race (April 6): 10-mile trail run
• Tough Mudder Philadelphia (June 1): 10-12-mile obstacle/mud run
• Runner’s World Half-Marathon (October 20): 13.1 miles

I’d love to squeeze a fun 5k or 10k in during the summer, too, but I haven’t found any yet, and we still haven’t decided if our summer plans will include New Orleans again.

Written by Guy LeCharles Gonzalez

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez is the Chief Content Officer for LibraryPass, and former publisher & marketing director for Writer’s Digest. Previously, he was also project lead for the Panorama Project; director, content strategy & audience development for Library Journal & School Library Journal; and founding director of programming & business development for the original Digital Book World.