Run, Forrest, Run!

Remember that epic scene when Forrest Gump starts running to escape the bullies, his splints break off and then he just proceeds to run everywhere? And then later on, his run across America-

(notice the epic Nike product placement? ha--funny what details you catch onto later in life)

The freedom of running just to run. Unfortunately, I'm not as self-motivated to run with as much gumption just for the heck of it. But I do love how it clears your head and the awesome endorphin kick after. So in order to make myself actually stick to running and make it more of a regular part of my life, I signed up for a half marathon.

April 19 is the day of the full on 21.1 K. A little less than 12 weeks to go! My goal is mainly to finish without being picked up by the sweeper bus before the 2.5 hour limit.

Now, I've never been a runner. In fact, my athletic prowess was quite limited from childhood. P.E. was indeed my worst subject at one point--the only B tainting my nerdy middle school report card. It was such a glorious moment when we no longer had to take P.E. after 10th grade (at which point I gained like 20 pounds that I later shed during the grueling and physically intensive, letter-jacket worthy sport---marching band....oyyyy :-P)

Anywho, it's a challenge I'm looking forward to. The hardest part right now is the cold weather. With temperatures in the 30s (F), running outside is quite daunting. I started off the week with a nice 5k on the treadmill, thinking I may continue on that route until it warms up a bit. But then I read the  winter running post on Garance Doré's blog and figured I could give it a shot. 

So last night night I did a little loop along the Duna. Was I wheezy, teary-eyed and seriously contemplating what I would do without my hands once they would inevitably have to be sawed off due to frostbite? Yes. But only for the first few minutes. After the first mile, my body warmed up and I began to focus less on the cold and more on the gorgeous surroundings. A little glimpse--

Hungarian Parliament building

Széchenyi Lánchíd

Last leg of the run

Nice finish back at CEU

Verdict: Outside running for the win. I think the cold actually motivated me to go faster and it was always nice to pass the other handful of runners with a smiling nod acknowledging--"yup, it's cold as balls, but you got it dude!" So here's to running to beat the cold (and the sweeper bus ha).