100 What by When?

So here’s the deal…I bought myself one of those car magnets that says “Runner Girl”. 

The thing is, I’m not a runner girl.  I’ve run one half marathon and a couple shorter races, but that’s it.  That hardly qualifies me as a runner.  I bought the magnet because I want to be a runner girl.  I don’t necessarily want to be able to bust out 10 miles effortlessly every weekend, but the way I run, I think they call it loafing.

I ran (loafed through) the Wine Country Half Marathon in June.  I vowed I would keep up at least a five mile run throughout the summer.  Yeah, that didn’t happen.  Instead I would run 2 miles maybe three times a week and sometimes if I were feeling extra energetic I’d labor through 3 miles. 

So here I am 3 months away from the Hot Chocolate 15K in DC (wine then chocolate…see how I choose my races?) and it’s time for me to start training again.  I’m pretty much starting from scratch and am trying to figure out how to motivate myself.  Then lo and behold I get this Facebook event invite from a friend titled Halloween Hundred. 

Much to my disappointment it was not an invitation to eat 100 different Halloween candies by October 31st (but if anyone has one of those, please invite me). 

Instead it was a challenge….a challenge to log 100 miles, walking or running, by Halloween.  That’s 62 days away, not that I’m counting.  But this girl loves a challenge so of course I accepted. 

Now I have this magnet on my car.  I drove to the gym today knowing everyone on the road and in the parking lot could see it on my car.  I got on the treadmill and said to myself, “Self, today you will run 3 miles because you have that magnet on your car and you have to prove to yourself and everyone else that you are indeed a runner girl.”    And guess what?  It worked!  I made it through 3 miles, still loafing, but I didn’t die like I thought I would. 

So I’m not a runner girl, but I want to be a runner girl, and the magnet makes me believe I am a runner girl.  What’s that saying, something about believing in yourself?  Yeah, that one.  I proved today that if I just believe in myself, I can make it happen.  Anyone else want to believe in themselves and take on this Halloween Hundred challenge with me (or just a Frightening Fifty)?  After today’s run I have completed 7 miles total since the start of this challenge.  Only 93 more to go….only.

My next magnet?