Running the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon – for a good cause & other reasons…

I’m into my third week of training for my first half marathon and loving it. The run is on 10 May 2014 in Santa Barbara’s Wine Country. I will have turned forty the month before, making it a great event to really kick start this next decade of my life.

I plan on making my forties full of action, to keep pace with my three active daughters, and to rediscover a slice of the ‘old me’ that was always running off exploring in my twenties (before I got busy with making babies in my thirties!).

I am running for a great cause – ‘Running for Elijah‘ – (certainly helps to keep me motivated and stick with the training!); whilst staving off a mid-life crisis (although it could be argued – by some of my friends – that running a half marathon is a mid-life crisis in itself!) and dependence on wine & chocolate… (of course those still figure in my life – I’m just trying to make them minor blips – not full feature spreads!).

I’m also running for my daughters, as there is no better way to teach than to lead by example. They are all active individuals already, but seeing their parents continue to be active throughout life will help to set in place that lifestyle for them too. We all motivate and spur each other on, in our own ways, and I’m so grateful that they realise how important exercise is for us all (thank you my girls – Mamma is a much happier Mamma when she can run!).

I’m also so thankful to my hubbie for making the extra effort to be there to look after his gorgeous daughters, whilst I go out running. Just tonight, we met him down the beach, near where he works, so I could run whilst they played around at the park.

I’m following a great training schedule, that’s building my strength and endurance gradually, without me risking an injury early on. I am so tempted, every day I go running, to run more and more, to keep going until I can’t move my legs anymore; but, the training schedule holds me back and keeps me from doing that. It’s exciting to build up to race day and I’m enjoying not just the focus of having a ‘race day’, but making running and exercise a priority for me.

I’m also loving the scenery and opportunity to explore parts of Santa Barbara, whilst I run. I’m grateful for the time to pause and take in the landscape around me.