Georgia On My Mind

Let the drums roll.  Let the bells ring.  I'm doing it.  Taking my hobby to the next level (to read about said hobby click HERE!!).  I've signed up for my very first half marathon.  AHHHHH!!!!  What the HELL am I thinking??  I'm not really sure, but here's my thoughts on the reasoning behind my impetuous actions.

Despite how uber-motivated I am in my daily running activities (pause not), my running may have reached a rather steady platue of about 3-4 miles per occurrence.  Ugh.  And for the self-proclaimed stellar runner that I am, 3 miles isn't much (okay, okay...you caught me.  Not really stellar.  More like inferior. Ugh! I'll never admit that again.  Be glad it's recorded.).  So I needed something to kick my snail-like ass into gear.  I mean, for real.  Nobody wants to look at this post-partumness much longer!  Trust me.  I don't either.  So why not sign up for a race that's longer than my typical run?  Ok, cool.  Good plan Kristin.

Here's a basic script of something similar to what was going on in my head during this decision making process:
"What local 5K's are going on in town?  Oh wait....5K = 3.1 miles?  Hmmm....hopefully my math is wrong.  It's not?  Damn.  That's not going to work.  Alright....go big or go home, right?  ATLANTA FULL MARATHON HERE I COME!!!  Oh wait.  $100+ for registration?  Hell-to-the-no-thank-you.  I guess I can go for half of that with the half marathon.  That means only HALF the pain of a full marathon, right?  That sounds more way appealing.  And Storm is doing it also?  I could have company during the race.  Done.  Sign me up."  (Storm would be Bryant's crazy ass sister....as equally crazy as me it appears).

It was only AFTER I placed my registration order online (NO refunds!  Who DOES that??) that I really thought through what I had done.  I WILLINGLY signed up for one of the most tortuous-self-inflicting human activities known to man.  Granted it's not the full 26.2 miles, but still.  Really?  What was I thinking?  Running long distances should probably be a form of capital punishment.  (For real.  People lose toenails at this kind of stuff!)  But no worries, I somehow persuaded (quite easily, I must say) another friend of mine, Kelly, to join my sister-in-law and I in the possibly suicidal activities come March 21st, 2010.  (Sucker!)

Alright, but seriously....this means I have to start running.  Like REALLY running.  Not just prancing around the office with my co-workers in our cute Nike's during what we like to call our "lunch run."  No.  I have to focus.  Harness my chi so to speak.  And it's going to suck.  I do have one goal though, and that's not to walk at all.  To run the whole thing.  I think I might be able to handle that.  Though, it may take me all day to finish, I think I can do it.  Well....let's HOPE I can handle it and not have to stop to use the "lavatory."  That's another main worry of mine.  I've heard horror stories about people crapping down themselves during marathons.  Let's just say, I'm not so down for that.  I'll sacrifice my months of training to stop and plop my constipated self down on a possibly not-so-clean porter potty if that's what it takes to keep my drawers clean.  But we shall see.  I promise to update you on this situation after the race!  ;-)

On another good note, this week I officially started my training.  Yep, that's right.  The week before Christmas...smooth.  Great planning Funston.  'Cause that Christmas Eve & Christmas dinner isn't going to slow me down at all.  The streets of Lincoln, Nebraska may have Christmas dinner chunks down them next weekend.  I apologize in advance to the locals there.  But ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

And if....IF I am to make it to the end of this race without walking...you know my exhausted former-cheerleader-ass will find another gear and be doing back handsprings over the finish line!

To be continued March 21, 2009....