13.1 Miles. A half marathon. A 5K with an additional 10 miles. 21.0824 kilometers.
The hubby and I signed up to run (walk, waddle, crawl, etc.) a half marathon yesterday. And not just any half marathon. The Wine and Dine Half Marathon at Disney World! Yup – we go big. We decided that we are going to run 13.1 miles on our vacation. Well, when I say “we”, I really mean me, and he decided to come along for the ride.
This will be his first half marathon and my second. We have run two marathons together both in Disney World, so we have done long distance, but it has been quite a few years. Six years to be exact.
Why you may ask? Besides being semi-crazy? Or should I say half crazy? The running puns are here to stay! Anywho, you asked why. Well, I have been chasing that runner’s high for a few years now and I can’t seem to get it back. Running always hurt and was awful and just ugh – but at the end of a race; damn it was magical. I would finish, get handed a mediocre beer, and smile from ear to ear for days. I would constantly talk about running, research new races, and knew all the types of energy gels/gummies/jelly beans. Don’t get me started on the type of socks you need! If you never experienced a race, you may have no clue what I am talking about. And if you never completed a long-distance race, it is really hard to describe that feeling since it is the same feeling as you finish a shorter race length, just elevated 100x more. When you finish a long race, everyone is miserably tired and deliriously happy and the most wonderful group of people. Not only are you happy that you finished, but you are so damn happy that everyone else finished to. Running is a selfless sport. However, the last few years, that magic hasn’t been the same for me.
I still get very happy when I finish a race. I’m usually in the back of the pack so I’m not cheering others on, but people are cheering me on. And now, we bring our own delicious beers. But I’m much slower. When I say slower, I’m SLOW. And when I go that slow, I get in my own head, think that I can’t do this, then suffer through the rest of the miles. Yes, this usually happens with the first mile – hell, sometimes within the first two minutes. Running is hard and its harder knowing something that you used to do that brought so much joy is now excruciating, it’s awful.
Well, how do you get out a rut? You face it head on! Hence registering for a half marathon. I have run (walked, cried, waddled) 5ks and 10ks since my last marathon and I suffer through them. I say that I’m going to get in shape for it, but I never do. For some reason, probably because I’m stubborn, procrastinate, and love my bed, I don’t take training for these races seriously. But for a half marathon – I have to, or I will be swept. We paid good money for this race AND we bought plane tickets AND made hotel reservations AND park tickets. We have no choice! 13.1 or bust!
So over the next 238 days, my focus will be training for this race and getting that magical feeling back. And the best place to get that feeling back? Obviously, in the most magical place on earth!
Stronger than the Last Mile 