Welcome and salutations. I like to write, and my favorite subject to write about is myself, particularly when I do weird things. In my opinion, running is a weird thing to do voluntarily. Running is meant as the "flight" component of "fight or flight response". Am I in danger of being eaten by a lion or hyena? I think not. So how is it that 9 days from now, I will be running my second 1/2 marathon?
Brainwashing.
My brother started running in 2006 and quickly became addicted, crossing finish lines and collecting medals. And oh yeah, he lost a ton of weight. Its that last bit there that is the reason I started running. My doctor is also my mother's doctor, so she had seen my future, and didn't like what she saw. As if I was unaware of my overweightness, she showed me my BMI. 120 lbs is 20 lbs overweight if you are 4'9, for those who might be curious.
When I returned to Worcester in the fall of 2007, my brother dragged me to the gym and made me sign up. He then put me on a couch to 5k plan. And do you know what happened? I actually ran a 5k. On May 4th 2008 I ran the inaugural Cox Providence Rhode Race in 34:13! It was the coldest, rainiest day in months, but these races are rain or shine, or in some cases, snow. I was pleased to finish, and not come in last!
I kind of fell off of the running wagon for a few months after that, and at my next race, the 2nd Annual Canal Digger 5k, in September 2008, I thought I was going to drop dead before getting to the finish line. As it turns out, practice really does make perfect. I finished 10th from the end. It was very sad. I wasn't last, but I was too close to last for comfort. I started running more often, so that wouldn't happen anymore!
I kept at it, and continued to run local 5ks. The thing about running 5ks is that you don't typically give out medals. A few do, but to get the good stuff, you've got to run farther...like 10 miles farther. No biggie. Did I mention that running 1/2 marathons are an excellent excuse to go on vacation? And the medals and tshirts are waaaaay better! I'm a sucker for a good tshirt.
I started training for my first 1/2 marathon in the spring of 2010, and had signed up for two races: The Rhode Races 1/2 marathon, as a practice run to see if I could complete 13.1 in less than 3.5 hours, and the 5th Annual Disneyland 1/2 marathon, because who doesn't want to run through Sleeping Beauty's castle? I ended up with a foot injury, and unable to run the Rhode Race in May. So that whole "practice" race thing went out the window. At this point I was working on following the coolrunning.com 1/2 marathon training plan, which was taking longer than what was outlined in the plan. I had to do each week twice. Time was running out and I still hadn't even run 10 miles, nevermind 13.1. I went to run 10 miles 2 weeks before I jetted off to California. Failure of epic proportions. I had gone for an impromptu walk in a pair of flip flops the day before and developed a massive blister ON THE TOP of my foot. There were not enough bandaids in the world to keep this thing covered and only made it 2 miles before I had to hobble back to the house, broken and defeated. I had one week to recover from the blister of the century and run 10 miles. Would you believe I did it? Because I did...ish. 5 miles, nap, then 5 more miles. That counts, right? Well it was going to have to suffice.
Off to California we go! I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was not in the last corral when I picked up my packet, and my bib number was 8910. My OCD tendencies really loved the bib number! I crossed the finish line in a respectable, and far from last, 2:43:23! My fiance (the spectator) and my brother (who had finished literally an hour and a half before me) were there to crown me with Mickey Mouse ears. I just finished the Disneyland half marathon! What did I do next? I went to Disneyland!
The post-race leg pain was pretty intense, and walking down stairs was a problem for at least 3 days after. And yet, I'm doing it again! Its all about the tshirts, the medals, and the glory! Like I started out saying, 20 pages ago, I'm running the Disney World Princess 1/2 marathon in 9 days, and then going back to Disneyland in the fall. Not only will I get a fabulous medal for each race, but an extra special Coast to Coast medal for completing a Disney race on each coast in the same calendar year. Also, people are quite impressed when I tell them how far I can run. Its not the main reason I do it, but its a pretty fun, and motivating bonus. If you had met me 3 years ago, I would have thought you were having a psychotic break if you asked me to run anything over a mile, but here I am, living to tell the tale. As my brother says, I'm very impressed with myself.
Follow the adventures of an unathletic girl partaking in athletics!
My favorite part of this story is that I get to watch it all happen!
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