So. I think I've tried to start a blog a few times and it's been the same story with each entry. I'm really excited about it for the first day and then I never post again. Just like when I was a little girl and had...how-many-ever-diaries and maybe wrote in the first page of each diary. Yikes.
I decided to start this blog because I really need support and who better to get support from then a bunch of people you don't know hanging out there somewhere in cyberland. I'm not a fabulous writer, I'll probably make a million and one grammatical errors and I probably won't be very funny. But maybe that will interest some of you out there. Who knows.
This is why I need support. I've decided to train for a marathon (holy crap).
I woke up the day after the horrific events of the Boston Marathon bombings and felt inspired. Well, actually I felt really pissed off and thought, "WTF. This is complete bullshit! All those innocent people who were out there not for fame or fortune or any other reason than to accomplish something for themselves or even in some cases for their children who are paralyzed (I saw one guy who is an older gentleman who pushes his son the whole way so that they can "run" together--amazing) or for a friend who is fighting cancer, etc. These people are just running. For fun, no less!" What also pissed me off is that the bombs weren't in the middle of the course, but among the thousands and thousands of people who go out to support these people as they run. They stand there for 2 (for the fast people), 3, 4, 5, or even 6 hours! However long it takes every last person to cross that finish line. They cheer for people they've never met and will probably never have the chance to meet as they take on the long, difficult task of running 26.2 miles straight--just to do it--to maybe get a medal at the end. These people are amazing .
My mother is an amazing runner! She has been running since she was about 23 years old and has done a few marathons, several half-marathons, even more 10Ks and 5Ks. Last year, she participated in her first ever IronMan up in Mont Tremblant, Canada. All she wanted to do was finish it, and she did! When I woke up on April 16, I was thinking about her. How devastated I would have been if she had gone through all of that training, the injuries, the milestones accomplished, the sweat, tears, and everything in between for some person-not even worthy of our concern-to do something so senseless and keep her from reaching her goal of finishing. Even worse, to possibly injure her or my father who was waiting for her all day--15 hours!!--for her to cross that finish line.
So I'm running for some freakin solidarity. For all those people who were running that day and for those who were just supporting. Because I REFUSE to be scared to go outside of my house and RUN for crying-out-loud!!!! I refuse to allow this incident to scare me from doing anything. I refuse to allow this act of terrorism keep me from being free. Maybe this doesn't make sense to anyone else, and maybe it does. Regardless, I'm training for a marathon and I need help!
I have never ever ever ever wanted to run a marathon. I've never had the desire to run anything longer than 3 miles. Honestly, I never had the desire to run 3 miles, but I thought, "Hey. It's kinda healthy. My mom runs all the time. So does Andrew (one of my 4 brothers). I guess I should get my act together." In the last several months I have not been running (oops!), so this training is going to be like "start[ing] from the very beginning" as Julie Andrews so eloquently sang it.
Yesterday was "Day 1," I walked for 15 min, ran for 10, and walked for 15 min more. I'm blending 2 training schedule's that I found here (the 26-week schedule) and here. I'm a littler farther ahead of the first link I posted, but not quite ready for the second link, so for the first 2-3 weeks I'm going to be going with what I did yesterday, except adding a little more running and a little less walking every other training day. So today is a rest day, but I'm going to go out for a 30 minute walk just for good measure. Once I get past these first 3 weeks, I'm signing up for a 5K as my first "mile marker" in my training program--I'm looking for something in July or August. Then, I'll find a 10K, then half, and then a marathon!
I would love any and all advice and any and all prayers! I know this is going to be a long, tough road, but I'm really excited about it! Stay tuned--I'll try to keep up with this blog thing and let you know how it's going!
PaigeMarie
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