On the Nike Women’s Half Marathon result page I’m now listed as a 2:29:12 finish. Time to celebrate – I gained 2 seconds!
But staring at those results a realization sunk in: this was my last race in that age group: “F35-39”. Yep, 40 is coming, and fast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually fine with turning 40. I’m headed into my 40’s with 3 great kids, a career I love, and I feel like I’m getting on track personally with weight loss and fitness.
I’m already mentally crafting my birthday Facebook status:
“Suck it, 40, I’m in the best shape of my life!”
I have a little work to do before I can actually post something like that, but I’m motivated. I am losing weight but mainly I’m getting stronger and more fit. But I still have a ways to go.
Before I had my first kid I lost 43 pounds through a self-created plan that I officially dubbed “Operation: Get Off The Couch“. I’ll definitely write about that another day, but at the start of it I couldn’t even do yoga without stopping for a breather, and at the end of it I ran a marathon. And I ran it well, in 4:17:03. And also at the end of the plan, I was 43 pounds lighter.
However, this realization of the age group change is getting me to think of signing up for a race before my September triathlon so I can sneak in one more running race in a 30’s age group. There’s a 5 miler in my area in a couple weeks that I’ve done before, and I could practically run to the start, so I’m hovering over the registration button…
Do you notice when you move into the higher age group? Does it bring you down or fire you up to meet new challenges in the new age range?
You Signed Up For What?! 
I actually high five myself when I think about it. When I was 17 I ran a 20 minute mile, and at 32 and two babies later I run a 9:50 mile, so the way I think about it is I get more badass the older I get!
That’s awesome. I used to play sports and do other activities in high school (softball, some swimming) but I ate terribly. Now I know so much more about healthy eating so I’m probably MUCH healthier even though I was probably thinner. And I hated running then!
I couldn’t wait to get into the 40s age group–I was desperately hoping it would be less competitive. 🙂 (I love the name of your blog!)
Thanks! I was trying to decide on a blog title, meanwhile I told someone about my Triathlon and they said “you signed up for what?! You’re crazy!” And there I had it…