Welcome to the very first post on this blog! I’m so glad you’re here — and I decided to kick things off with something real rather than a polished “hello and welcome” post. So, here goes…
I Haven’t Run a Half Marathon in 14 Years — And I Just Signed Up for One Anyway
Okay, let’s just get this out there: I signed up for a half marathon happening this January, and I have absolutely no business doing that based on my current fitness level. But here we are.
I ran my last half marathon 14 years ago — right on the cusp of turning 40. I’d decided that was something I needed to do before I hit that birthday, and I did it. Checked the box, felt proud, moved on with life.
And then life did what life does. We moved to Munich, we built a whole new normal, and running quietly slipped off the list of things I made time for.
Here’s the part I don’t share very often. When we first got to Munich, I actually tried to keep running consistently, even while figuring out an entirely new country and a completely different life. And then about six months in, I got hit with double pneumonia and pleurisy — bad enough that it genuinely compromised my lungs. It wasn’t a “took a week off and bounced back” kind of sick. It knocked the wind out of me, literally, and running just… stopped being part of my life after that. Not a decision. Just a slow fade, the way things do when your body tells you no and your life gets busy enough that you let it.
Fast forward to a few months ago. I started thinking about how I’ve always wanted to do another half marathon someday — and then it hit me: every single day I wait, I’m one day older. There was never going to be a perfect moment where I suddenly felt ready. So I stopped waiting for one.
Why this particular half? It’s the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon — live bands playing along the entire course. I figured if I’m going to rebuild my endurance from scratch, I might as well do it with music pulling me forward instead of just my own willpower. I’m hoping it keeps me moving on the days I really don’t want to.
So this isn’t a “getting back into shape” story. It’s a “rebuilding something I lost, from a body that once genuinely struggled to breathe” story. And that’s a very different starting line than the one I stood at 14 years ago.
This time, I’m not trying to pick up where I left off — that version of me doesn’t exist anymore, and honestly, chasing her would probably just get me hurt or discouraged. Instead, I’m using a run/walk method to build back up. It’s humbling. Some days it’s more walk than run, and I’ve had to make peace with that instead of fighting it. But it’s working, and more importantly, it’s sustainable — which is the whole point when you’re rebuilding from zero instead of maintaining a base you never lost.
If I’m honest, signing up before I felt “ready” was very on-brand for me — done is better than perfect, right? I could have waited until I felt prepared. I probably would have waited forever. Instead I registered, and now January is simply going to happen whether my lungs and I feel fully ready or not.
I’ll be sharing bits of this training along the way — the good runs, the days that are mostly walking, and probably a few honest complaints in between. And if anyone else is sitting on the sidelines of something because you’re starting from way behind where you used to be, or because your body has been through something that makes “just get back out there” feel more complicated than it sounds — I see you, and I’d genuinely love to share the run/walk training plan I’m using. Just reach out and I’ll send it your way.
And hey — since this is post number one, if today’s honesty felt like your kind of thing, I’d love to have you stick around. New posts drop every Monday, and you can subscribe below so you never miss one.
Here’s to showing up anyway,
Tracey