July 15th, exactly 14 days from today, will mark my one year anniversary of being smoke-free. (woot woot)

To celebrate my improved lung capacity, I’ve decided to run the 2006 Houston Marathon on January 15, 2006. For a while, I had decided to aim for the Half Marathon…..but I figure, why not shoot for the whole thing?

This past January, I volunteered at the 21-mile waterstop to pass out water and Gatorade to the Marathon runners. It was quite an inspiration seeing thousands of people of all ages, shapes and fitness levels running the entire 26.2 mile course. I realized not everyone has to be like Paula Radcliffe in order to run a Marathon (thank god).

So, I’ve joined HoustonFit - a 27 week running clinic that focuses on Marathon training…..renewed my membership with HARRA…..and will start pilates (and maybe yoga) classes at Luke’s Locker. Aside from the 6am (ouch!) group runs scheduled for every Saturday morning until the Marathon, I’m really looking forward to the training and meeting other running peeps.