Miles. Not beers.  The beers come easy. Not the miles. There’s gifted athletes and then there’s me. Much more content drinking and writing about beer than pounding out the miles on the pavement. Still, from somewhere unknown comes a primeval need to compete.  Not against others. Against me. For me, actually.

I’ve written before about my choice to get off the couch and start exercising, somehow finding a joy in running for the first time. Ever. The Missoula Half Marathon proved to be as much excitement as challenge. Along the way, I discovered beer runners – runners who appreciate both a healthy lifestyle and craft beer.  Run Wild Missoula, our local running club extraordinaire, now hosts a monthly beer run.  Turns out, running and beer do mix.  Though perhaps not at the same time.

My goal for 2011?  To run the Missoula Marathon on July 10, 2011.  All 26.2 miles of it. My longest run to date is 14.2 miles. November and December did nothing to further the cause, but now that January is here, the excitement of the challenge is fresh and inspiring.  Or is that fear? Either way, I’ve spent January getting my legs back under me.  Come March 6, 2011, I’ll be among the hundreds taking part on the first day of Run Wild Missoula’s training group.

I’m neither fast nor slow and am comfortable with my spot in the middle of the pack.  Lower than the middle of the pack for my age group, actually, but hey, I’m out there. I’ve set up a page in this blog to compile my challenges and successes. This year I’m hoping to avoid both getting hit by a car and catching pneumonia.  Neither do much for your training regimen.

Want to join in the fun? Taking part in the training group? Fellow beer runners?  Send me a note at growlerfills @ gmail . com.