Looking back over my list of goals for the year, the item that I labeled easiest to accomplish is actually the thing I have made the least amount of progress on- running a half marathon.

Running is inherently evil. It’s hard on the body, a slow way to get around (if you are me) and super irritating to do in the rain, or cold, or wind, or scorching sun. Additionally, I run weird. If I run for more than a few minutes I get a bruise on the inside of my left ankle. I do not believe this indicates optimal form. But I am pretty good about working out, generally speaking, so training for a longer race seemed like a perfectly attainable goal. For whatever reason (chronic fatigue? pesky cold? deep-seated laziness?) I have not been good about consistently running. I have also not been good about biking or swimming, which should make my annual triathlon super fun.

But back to the running. I was having breakfast with my mom over the weekend and I casually mentioned that I was thinking of doing a half marathon. Her response, to my horror, was: “I was thinking of doing one too”. So now I HAVE to do it. My mom is 65-years-old. I cannot be outdone by her. She is strong, determined, and in good shape, but still it would be humiliating to fail at this while she succeeds.

This wouldn’t be the first time I have done something just to keep up with my mom. She is the reason I did my first sprint triathlon. She decided it would be fun and took the liberty of signing us up for a race. When I pointed out that I didn’t know how to swim, she defensively told me about all the money she and my dad wasted on swimming lessons when I was little, and how it wasn’t her fault that some kids just aren’t natural in the water. Then she told me I had 12 weeks to figure it out before race day. So I did.

And now, I must run. Not because I want to. Not even because I announced it on this silly blog and feel compelled to keep my fake internet promise. But because if there is even the tiniest chance that my mom will follow through and complete a half marathon, I want to be there by her side when she crosses the finish line. (Ok, technically, I want to be 2 steps ahead of her).

Tags: half marathon, training