26.2

My oh my, its been such a long time blog. Now that I have no followers I can write whatever I want knowing that it is highly unlikely to be read by anyone.

Then I can officially announce on my blog I am running my first marathon in 6 days.....6 DAYS! While almost anyone I'm close with knew about this day a long time ago.....I didn't share it with the greater world.

I've been registered for the marathon since December 6, 2010. I've been training since November 2010 and officially since January. Why did I decide to register? Another bucket list item that will hopefully be completed next Saturday morning/early afternoon. This year I turned 25....which means, I am getting old.....now I have to round up to 30......I'm in the box marked 25-29.....I'm not getting any younger so it would only get more difficult to run a marathon with age.

I ran all winter (often outdoors) in my thermal gear and spike tracks for my shoes and now summer is quickly approaching and I'm crossing my fingers for cooler weather next weekend.

Do I have a goal time? Hell no.....unlike some of my runner friends, I'm simply a person who pretends to be a runner....a wanna be runner. Therefore, my goal is simply to finish under 6 hours....why 6 hours, well the finish line closes at 6 hours, and I want that damn finishers medal.

The course (Traverse City Bayshore) is supposed to be flat & fast - therefore I fully expect to be the last person to finish. Maybe I should have picked a race that wasn't a speed marathon? Oh well, this one fit my time requirements - close to my 25th birthday. The Kalamazoo Marathon wasn't announced yet, so that one didn't work. Of course, I only recently learned about the Green Bay Marathon, which yes, means if I survive this race in 6 days, I'll be considering the Green Bay Marathon at some point in my life.

Another question I've been asked recently: Are you prepared? Dumb question, let's see no I just figured I could run 26.2 miles after sitting on my ass all winter. DUH! No, I've been running all fall, winter and spring. Easily completing my first 1/2 marathon, a 25K, and a few other races along the way. My longest run-to-date....20 miles.....only a 10K more would complete the marathon.

And how am I feeling? One word, nervous. Why? I expect myself to finish, my family expects me to finish (hell, they are waking up at 5 AM next Saturday to come spend 6 hours watching me run), people know I'm running this race and think I can finish, the lady who sold me my new running shoes in January at Gazelles gave me that look like no way, honey - and of course, I must prove her wrong, all the weeks I went to PT to build up my knee strength better pay off for something. Therefore, failure is not an option. Its 26.2 or bust.

My reward when I finish? Well, when I originally registered it was getting my registration fees back from Ryan....however, with all the money I've spent on gear, other race fees, etc. It's kind of a moot point now. My real reward is the 26.2 car magnet that will be prominently placed on the back of my Prius....or the fact that proving if you push yourself, you can do things you never imagined possible......

6 days.