I’ve been thinking a lot about running 13 miles.
Not in the sense that I’m about to go out the door and actually DO that (in fact, I am procrastinating a shorter run just by writing this, woo), but more about what it means to sit down and decide “You know, I think I want to run a half marathon.”
Some bloggers that I read frequently have recently started blogging about their first attempts at half marathoning. This is a special distance (and writing topic) to me, as it’s the first “real” athletic event I ever trained for and it was the first race I did post heart surgery; in a lot of ways, it was a kind of a coming out party for what my life would be like for the next four years. The training for that first half marathon set the stage for a lifestyle that revolved around racing and training, and while I didn’t realize it at the time, it was possibly the best thing I ever did for myself.
I’m gearing back up for Ironman training, and I’m finding it’s doing a lot for my motivation to be reading about people who are training for their first major endurance event. They have a fear, a wonderment, an enthusiasm for the training that I’ve noticed has been lacking for me, lately. So today, the first day of the New Year, I’m reminding myself what it feels like to push yourself, to surprise yourself, to want to be a little bit better.
And if you’ll excuse me, I need to head out for a run.
InnerTeub 