Zombie Plan

I ran tonight. Twice as far as last night, which really isn't saying that much, but still, it's TWICE AS FAR. And really, running any distance is a huge accomplishment for my ginormous butt.

For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can do this.

I guess I should backtrack a little. It all began when I went to see "Zombieland" with Philip and Roland. I always felt like I had a pretty good chance of surviving a zombie apocalypse. But that was BEFORE. Before the destroyed ankle, before the reconstructed ACL, before the pregnancy.

The #1 rule for surviving a zombie apocalypse is CARDIO. And frankly, after a few years of injury and consequent inactivity, my cardio is crap. So I revamped my Zombie Plan, and set some goals.

When I was training for the 2000 Olympic trials, I used to run about 25 miles a week. It was a nice, comfortable mileage that was merely a supplement to my taekwondo training. For kicks I ran some road races, including the Gate River Run. I'd always wanted to run a marathon, but was advised against it by a doctor and more seasoned runner who said it would affect my kicking speed.

As I'm no longer competing in taekwondo, a marathon seemed like a fun goal. A half marathon seemed like a more plausible one. So in January, I registered for the 2011 Disney Half-Marathon.

The announcer at the Gate River Run this year said you can train for a half-marathon in six months. I figured I'd need it. It's been two years since I tore my ACL, and the strength of my left leg is still considerably less than that of my right. My "running" is really more of a hobble. Not wanting to re-injure my knee, I've been putting off running. And putting it off... and putting it off...

My friend Carolyn, a runner who had ACL surgery shortly after mine, has kept after me ever since I made this commitment. I need to just do it, she'd tell me. Running is the only thing that's going to build strength in my knee. Easy enough for her to say, since she was already in fantastic shape when she injured her knee, and she weighs, like, half of what I weigh. But still... she's right.

So last night I ran. It wasn't very far, and it was pretty pathetic, but it was a legitimate jog.

Tonight, I wore my brace and doubled my distance. And you know what? It wasn't too bad.

I will (once again) be revamping my workout schedule, and increasing my distance weekly.

I can do this.