Just Crazy(legs) enough to try this
You're not going to believe this. I, the appealingly zaftig Wendish wench, have registered myself for an 8K run. April 30th. I have about three months to train.
What, am I NUTS?
Perhaps I am, but I'm also excited about this. Last week, during the course of my weekly workouts, I kicked the treadmill up to 5.0 mph and ran a mile. I hadn't run since before Christmas, and I wasn't sure how it would go. It felt GREAT. So great, in fact, I ran again the next day, even though I know consecutive days of running is a good recipe for burn-out. I just had to feel that again. So, last Friday morning, I went out to the Crazylegs website and, taking a deep breath, I registered for my first race ever. Not that it'll be a race for me...more like an exercise in simply finishing. Meeting a goal. Making it across the finish line without puking.
The cool thing is, everyone who I've talked to about this have all said, "Oh, you can do that. That's no problem. You'll finish. You'll be fine."
And I'm thinking, "Do you know something I don't?" Because I have fears. Fears of having a total physical breakdown at mile 3 and having to hobble all the way to the end, the last police car escort idling along behind me, offering me a ride as people pick up cones and the last of the oranges and bottled water disappears from the tables at the finish line. But, even as I have those fears, I know I can do this. In fact, I'm guessing I'll do much better than I thought I would. If nothing else, I figure the training up to the race can only benefit me. Decreasing my resting heart rate, burning calories, increasing my metabolism, building my lower body muscles, building my aerobic capacity, all that good stuff. So, even if I "fail" at finishing the race, I'll have better health to show for it.
I'm planning on chronicling my training in this blog, partly to keep myself motivated, and partly so that, when on May 1, I wake up thinking, "Did I just run a 5-mile race yesterday?," I can look back and say that yes, indeed, I did. And then I'll probably go out for pancakes.
What, am I NUTS?
Perhaps I am, but I'm also excited about this. Last week, during the course of my weekly workouts, I kicked the treadmill up to 5.0 mph and ran a mile. I hadn't run since before Christmas, and I wasn't sure how it would go. It felt GREAT. So great, in fact, I ran again the next day, even though I know consecutive days of running is a good recipe for burn-out. I just had to feel that again. So, last Friday morning, I went out to the Crazylegs website and, taking a deep breath, I registered for my first race ever. Not that it'll be a race for me...more like an exercise in simply finishing. Meeting a goal. Making it across the finish line without puking.
The cool thing is, everyone who I've talked to about this have all said, "Oh, you can do that. That's no problem. You'll finish. You'll be fine."
And I'm thinking, "Do you know something I don't?" Because I have fears. Fears of having a total physical breakdown at mile 3 and having to hobble all the way to the end, the last police car escort idling along behind me, offering me a ride as people pick up cones and the last of the oranges and bottled water disappears from the tables at the finish line. But, even as I have those fears, I know I can do this. In fact, I'm guessing I'll do much better than I thought I would. If nothing else, I figure the training up to the race can only benefit me. Decreasing my resting heart rate, burning calories, increasing my metabolism, building my lower body muscles, building my aerobic capacity, all that good stuff. So, even if I "fail" at finishing the race, I'll have better health to show for it.
I'm planning on chronicling my training in this blog, partly to keep myself motivated, and partly so that, when on May 1, I wake up thinking, "Did I just run a 5-mile race yesterday?," I can look back and say that yes, indeed, I did. And then I'll probably go out for pancakes.
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