Why 145? It feels like an arbitrary number, and in many ways kinda is.

My last three half marathons were 1:50:XX.

The first two were part of my most successful marathon training cycle yet.

The last one was a half I didn’t really train for.

So to set a goal of break 1:50 seemed silly. I’m 12 seconds away from that goal. 1:45 is far enough away it’s scary, but is also doable. It’s 4:58 pace over 21.1k, and running sub 5:00 kms for that long scares me. But it feels doable, if I do the work.

I currently weigh 165 pounds. Which means I need to lose 20 pounds. This is a lot , I know, and I’m the first to admit that 145 might be extreme. But I want to get fitter (and faster) and looking at my eating habits seems to be the easiest way to get healthier and be more conscious about my health. Plus my sister, at her fittest, was around 145. Sibling rivalry gets us every time.

Really, this isn’t about the numbers. It’s about pushing myself, about thinking about my health, about seeing what I can do.

But numbers make great goals. And I’m ready to chase them down.