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Prologue

After my second child was born, I attended my first 6-week doctor checkup. I was feeling in general good health and, knowing I had done this before (child #1 was 4-years-old), a certain confidence was shining from within me. I waltzed into the office, proud to show off my new baby and his big sister.

The same routine went on as it had over the past nine months:

I was shown to my room and was asked to disrobe.

The medical assistant entered the room.

The first thing she did was ask a bunch of questions. (I glowingly described my birth story and how my new family life has been, being sure to brag about how great my husband was.)

Second, she took my blood pressure.

But my internal dialogue didn’t want to cooperate with my external attitude of veteran motherhood.

175/110. Scary.

The assistant shuffled out and immediately the doctor came in. The doctor gently but honestly broke it down for me: I had to lose the baby weight, I had to eat heatlhfully, I had to exercise, I had to take medication—or else my heart was going to be overworked and I would be at risk for heart attack, stroke, heart disease… I drifted off into deep thought. I was 31-years-old!

That day, I went on my first “run”. Yeah, not quite a RUN run, but a walk for 10 minutes, run until my lungs felt like they would explode (1/2 a block) and then repeat for 30 minutes.

And I haven’t stopped.

Over time, my life–my health, my stamina, my distance, my attitude, my schedule, my family, my vacations–have all improved. I am proud to say that I have even motivated some family, friends, and colleagues to begin–and stick to–their routine.

That first full year after being diagnosed with high-blood pressure, my friend Jason and I challenged each other to a 1,000-mile year. We accomplished that.

The second full year of running, we challenged each other to a half marathon. What follows is the 12-week plan that helped us acheive that goal: 13.1: Runner’s Challenge.

Succesful Usage Guidelines

Use this guideline to establish your Runner’s Challenge to motivate your crew and to email friends, family and colleagues. Any inspiration you can lend–even if you get ONE person to ramp up their training–would be a success!

“It’s not about what you’ve done;

it’s about what you’re doing.”

—Calvin Harris

This challenge was designed so that you could independently commit to a routine with a group of people; it’s not about raising money or participating in a public event.

If you feel the need to support any number of worthy organizations, may I suggest The Walk to End Alzheimer’s for fundraising and a pre-established community of support that works toward eliminating Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research by these independent 501c3 nonprofit entities. In honor of Joseph P. Henley.