Editor’s note: Post journalist Ashley Mahoney is training for her first marathon on November 14 as part of The Charlotte Post Foundation’s Black Lives Matter Charlotte initiative. In the weeks leading up to race day, we’ll chronicle her training.

September 22 
Distance: 3.01 miles. Time: 28 minutes, 33 seconds. Pace: 9 minutes 29 seconds.

Blue Shoes: 77.3 miles. Pink Shoes: 25.04 miles. 

3.1 points from today’s run:

• Change is good
• Temptation happens
• Not everyone has your best interest at heart. Walk away from those people and stay far away from them.

Especially the manipulative ones who use excuses to avoid accountability but still have the audacity to say they’ve tried to be a good friend. It’s pure crap. Sprint like a bat out of hell in the opposite direction and do not look back.  

3.1 post-run points:

• Epson salt baths are AWESOME!  

• Foam rollers are beautiful!

• Rest rejuvenates the body and spirit.    

 
September 23 
“The finish line is just the beginning.” –Unknown

Distance: 6.01 miles. Time: 55:39. Pace: 9:15.

Blue shoes: 83.31 miles. Pink shoes:  25.04 miles. First day of fall! Yay! Take this intolerable southern humidity with you.  

Hills don’t really exist in Charlotte, but Charlotte does have stairs – plenty of them. Stairs from the train. Along Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Surrounding stadiums. Yay for stairs! Haven’t you heard? Stairs are the new hills.  Tired. So tired. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.  

September 24 
Distance: 3.01 miles. Time: 27:57. Pace: 9:17. Blue shoes: 83.31 miles. Pink shoes: 28.05 miles.

   
Rain runs.  

A place to run hills (other than the stairs) since Charlotte doesn’t have real hills. (Don’t even bother with the pretence of saying it does. It doesn’t. Case closed). The wooded path will have to do. It has a semi-decent incline.  

Gosh I miss those Welsh running routes—through Roman Camp, on the Pier, over the Menai Bridge to Anglesey. Can we bring Snowdonia to Charlotte…or something like that? Now? How about yesterday?  

September 26
Rain. Lots of rain. I look like a drowned rat. My hands feel tingly, not numb like they did a few weeks ago, but like they’ve been electrocuted.

I need to buy milk, bananas, hair ties  and do laundry, and create a clone of myself to do all of these things while I get a massage and buy a foam roller. Maybe I should make a list. Eh, if I can run 14.2 miles in a blizzard up a mountain, then I can totally do all of this.  

Distance: 12.01 miles. Time: 2 hours, 1 second. Pace: 10 minutes.  Blue shoes: 95.32 miles. Pink shoes: 28.05 miles.   

September 27
Cross train: yoga.

Things accomplished from yesterday’s list—zero.  Moved to “accomplish tomorrow after work” list. Wait, no! I did get in a bit of laundry before covering the Charlotte 49ers game last night. When you run low on sports bras—and trust me, I have plenty—it’s time to do laundry.  

Things accomplished prior to covering the Panthers game—zero.  Things accomplished prior to getting home from the Panthers game—yoga. The end.    

September 28
Seven weeks in. I have definition on my legs now that I didn’t even know could exist. It’s kind of awesome.  

I need a clone and coffee. Maybe just the clone…I’ve had too much coffee already. Lorelai Gilmore would not approve of my turning down the prospect of consuming more coffee (if you don’t get that reference then there’s little to no hope for you).  

Happy Monday. I need an ice bath and hair ties. I HAVE TO buy hair ties.   

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