You may remember that post, long ago, when I gave myself a challenge. It was the Lazy Faulk Challenge, and it was this — I was going to run every day for forty days, no matter what. Things were going well until the half marathon. I went out the day after the race, and as I finished hobbling through just one mile, I declared a recovery period. My legs were like jello! How much damage would I have done myself had I continued on?

Okay, so that’s an excuse. But one that surely felt justified at the time and resulted in an off-and-on again running pattern, where I’d run, then rest, run, then rest, etc. Not quite the forty day accomplishment that I had been planning.

I failed to mention my own failure to keep to the Lazy Faulk Challenge because I didn’t want to discourage my father-in-law who has faithfully been hitting the streets in his running shoes EVERY day! He even had a business trip at one point that had him running in twenty degree weather (which is super cold for people from San Antonio!), but he kept to it. Way to go, Coach!

All that said, I’m back to the challenge as of yesterday, only I’m making it a thirty day challenge because after thirty days, we transition into a marathon training schedule. Yes, our SECOND marathon is just eight, short months away. And since our goal is to finish with a better time than our first marathon, we’re taking the extra time to get ourselves better conditioned. I want to get to that wall at mile nineteen and laugh in its face instead of crying and begging the other runners to haul my broken body off the road.

(Oh, and speaking of marathons, that lovely picture is of us at mile 26. We could see the finish line, but clearly, I was still having my doubts that I would actually CROSS it without collapsing. And Wes seemed to be doubting that he’d be able to get there while dragging me behind him. See why we’re going to train a little harder for the next one?)

So… here we go! Again! Keep me honest, people!