Several days ago, I ran my first quarter marathon. I was going to run the half, but I’ve never run in an organized long distance race, so I figured I would start out small.

Last year (and at the beginning of this year), I used to run all the time. I didn’t run particularly long distances all at once, but I ran most days and totaled roughly 8-12 miles per week. The longest I ran without stopping was four miles and that was only once. However, I figured I would build up to running 7-8 miles per day and thus be more than ready for the quarter marathon.

Then I got married.

Every newlywed has different experiences, but for me personally it has been so difficult to get back into my exercise-every-day groove since I’ve tied the knot. I like to exercise first thing in the morning and that used to be so easy for me to get up super early and head to the gym. Now? Now, my alarm goes off in the morning and I have to decide if I’m going to get out of bed or snuggle closer to my sleeping husband. My husband wins every single time. So, in the three months between my wedding and the quarter marathon, I think I ran twelve miles total.

Still, I had signed up for the quarter marathon and, more importantly, paid to run it so there was no backing out. Continue reading →