I’m not going to lie, it’s been a tough week. It was supposed to be a fun, celebratory week for me and hubby and I celebrated 4 years of wedded adventure together. Though we did celebrate and have a nice dinner out together, things have been overshadowed by other events that have occurred in life that were neither expected, nor imagined. As much as we try to continue on as normal, there are moments when eye contact is made and the unspoken is clearly heard between us. Waiting sucks.
But as much as this remains active in my mind, I’m choosing a) not to live these coming weeks in a state of fear, b) not to be shut down by it and c) not to give in to it. I still go to work, I still play with Fit Boy, and I still do what makes me feel best: sweat. Should the worst be true, I am committed to continuing to move forward and not be defined by things I cannot control.
On a completely separate note, I have another, much less heavy dilemma: I signed up for a half marathon back in fall with full intentions of doing tons of running and setting all kinds of world records. Unfortunately, a horrible winter, lots of sickies, some injury and an extreme overestimation of the amount of time I would have to commit to this venture and I’m now 2 weeks away from said race and no where near ready to run. This has me a bit scared. I’ve been swimming weekly since October and doing some cross training but definitely have not put in the miles that I would have liked ahead of time. My farthest distance has been 11.5km, nearly 10k shy of a half distance.
So what should I do? I want to run it but I don’t want to bonk, not finish, get hurt, or finish dead last (emphasis on the dead part). Should I do it? Or should I bow out and try for something in June? I’m really on the fence about it. It would be easier if I was injured, and downright simple if I were prepared.
Open to suggestions…
Hugs, love, and light (I commented on your perspective post).
On the half-marathon topic I say do it. Have a strategy though. I did a half-marathon in October FOUR months after Bodhi. The 6-weeks before the event I ran TWO times because I was dealing with horrible wildfires, bad air quality, and a husband with PPD. I set out to do a Galloway type method and deviated to jog/walk the first few miles until I went potty, then I just ran and felt great until 9 miles, then I mostly walked the rest. It was not pretty but I did it and did not push myself so hard that I could not take care of baby and my other responsibilities when I was done. Have fun with it and know your body. Treat it as a celebration of yourself.
I agree with Kia.. do run walk and think of it as training. Try a run 3, walk one and go from there!
Good Luck!
I third what they said….you should look at it like a training session. Don’t push yourself too hard, and learn from it
PS – I <3 you for kicking our butts in Mamavation.
I agree with Kia — treat it as a celebration of yourself! No matter if you finish first or finish last, what counts is that it’s for you, your health and your family. Do what feels right for you, what keeps your spirit alive, and what keeps you moving in the right direction. That’s what matters in the end.
Best of luck to you!
Take care of yourself. I agree with the others here and especially love the idea of using this as an opportunity to celebrate YOU!
Sorry to hear about your week. I think the world went dead silent when I found out my Mom had breast cancer. I have been feeling my own mortality much stronger because of it. Partially due to that I would say go for your race as a celebration of life and your strength. Best of luck with it all. Love ya for all the butt kicking that you do for me daily!
I’m gonna go with what all the other girls said- do it! You CAN; there’s no shame in doing a walk/run system. With that said, you know your body best; push yourself a little, but not to any extremes.
*hugs*
An injury and lack of support from my husband put a crimp in my training plans… but I decided that I’m going to go and have fun! I’m going to walk WAY more than I planned on, but I don’t think there’s any shame in that. I’m thinking of it this way… If I get out there and get going and I just can’t do it, then I know I gave it every thing I had and I’ll be ok with that. On the other hand, if I lay in bed that morning, I can guarantee there will be tears and for a long time I’ll always wonder what would have happened and I’ll always regret not doing it. I know there will be other races… but I want to do THIS race. There’s a reason you signed up for THIS race… why not get out there and see what you can do?
Ditto. Ditto. And ditto. Do it. Have a plan. Celebrate you, my awesome-entree sista!
John Bigham, of the Penguin Chronicles, said it’s not about winning or the time, just the journey and finishing.
My friend has done multiple marathons and she says she has no problem being the very last person crossing the finish line. Literally being the person they are picking up the cones after when she passes them so they can clear the trail.
She’s all about finishing, that’s it. Not for time or ego, simply to complete something she’s started.
Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Just by entering, you’re farther ahead than many who’ll always be wannabes and never even have the courage to sign up.
Enjoy the race and don’t worry about the rest.
Hugs!!!!
Ditto what Patricia said!
I think you are awesome for even signing up! I agree with all of the above comments. Whether you run the whole way, or walk most of it, you’ll still be awesome.