major distance accomplishment.

So. January has been quite a whirlwind already. By already, I mean that there are two days left of the month and it has been a ton of craziness multiplied by more insanity. Wow. I jumped into 2012 headfirst, certainly. (well, considering it's supposed to be the last year that the world is still rounding the sun... haha.)

Anyways, major announcement coming! Stay tuned throughout this post. It could be lengthy and boring, but it will be worth it. (I hope.)

When I started running in 2009, I was fighting an uphill battle. I was obese, I had intense stress due to school, 3 jobs, and I had epilepsy that was yet to be diagnosed. Things were pretty overwhelming. Running was just part of my routine exercise that I was attempting to lose my weight. Somehow, it became the major focus of my exercise, while everything else sort of fell toward the wayside. However, I was slower than molasses and had several other focuses than my running. Eventually, my epilepsy was diagnosed, I couldn't drive for three months, and life became a little more of a handful than I anticipated.

I ran my first and second half marathons in 2009. I learned a lot about myself. I lost a lot of weight and gained a little bit of confidence. I attempted my first 1000 mile year starting in November 2009, but that didn't quite pan out. I never quite got all of my miles in that I needed to get in. That isn't to say that I tried though, because I sure as hell did. I just never really was able to get myself out there as much as I should have. Too many excuses.

In the first week of 2011, I ran my first full marathon and my first Goofy Challenge. That was crazy. I rededicated myself to running 1000 miles in a year. Then I fell and sprained my ankle in February, two weeks before a half marathon. Naturally, I did the race that I had signed up for. Then, I went on crutches and became way too frustrated with all of my running. 2011's mileage was out of the bag by the end of the second month. I was pissed, frustrated, disappointed. I participated in a few more races, but I really didn't have my heart in it. (I did set a new PR in November. That was awesome.)

So, 2012 is a new year. I am beyond dedicated to my 1000 miles this year. I have so many running goals that I want to accomplish. I have so much I want to do with my life.. beyond just running. Running is just a piece of who I am... it's something that I want to be good at. It's something that I know that I can work toward and work on in order to become accomplished. That's the goal.

Anyways, so my announcement.

January 2012 has become my first month to officially accomplish 100 miles. ONE HUNDRED MILES. In a MONTH. That's ridiculous. I feel like this was something that I have been working toward for a long time. I'm glad that I have gotten to this point. I have many more months ahead. I'm currently frustrated as hell with my pacing, but at least I can work toward the endurance that I want. It's a start.

Goal: 101.91 miles/29 days
To go: 898.09 miles/337 days