As of yesterday I have one week before my first half marathon!
Last week I was feeling slightly nervous and said things to myself and aloud to hubby, "I am crazy. Why am I doing this? This is not me, I am not a runner. 13.1?? What was I thinking when I registered for this thing?"
Yep, they all ran through my head.
Every run last week I dreaded. Every run felt tough and like a real piece of work.
And after every run I wondered, is it possible?
Friday was a scheduled rest day which meant that Saturday (or Sunday even) would be my last long run (8 miles). I had signed up to volunteer and help stuff race day goody bags from 10am-1pm. I wasn't sure what all this entailed until I arrived on spot Saturday. Turns out it was just walking in a circle filling bags with goodies spread out on different tables. Then I helped stack multiple sheets of info regarding upcoming races.
I was taking a quick coffee break when the door opened and in walks a familiar face. Up to this point in the day I only recognized a few faces of those volunteering but given the nature of the work for the day it wasn't like there was time for standing around chit-chatting. But I KNEW when this particular familiar face walked in I was going to be doing some talking. I was excited!
I am not the most outgoing person and usually it takes me a bit to warm up before just talking to people. Once the ice was broken I introduced myself as "the crazy mom who comments on every single one of your blog posts." Thankfully, (at least I hope) she didn't think I was all that crazy because she high fived me right away and I felt cool. ;)
You wanna know who I am talking about, huh!?
Well, she is a fellow blogger but for me this means so much more because she is local (like practically in my back yard) and she's a fellow runner. And to top that off, she has a boomtastic weight loss story/journey.
Kelsey at The Race is On!
After talking with Kelsey for a while on Saturday my excitement in the half marathon was restored. All negitivity I had about the race was put at ease. Any doubt I had in myself is gone. It isn't about making a goal time. The GOAL is FINISHING! I fully intend to finish this race, even if I have to crawl. I CAN do this. 13.1 is mine! Thank you, Kelsey for being another one of the similing faces that believes in me. Your excitement spilled over to me and I know it does to others as well!
If you have a few minutes you should totally check out her blog. I am glad I did!
And I am thrilled to have met her. We seemed to have hit it off right away and I really enjoyed having a quick lunch with her at the volunteer event for our upcoming race. She is also running the half marathon that I am on Sunday, but she is a pro at the 13.1! This same time last year she ran her first half marathon. I told her on Saturday that we definitely had to get a pre or post race pics as well as a sweaty post race hug. I am so so excited to have met such an amazing young woman. And she may be tired of hearing it but around here she is a local celebrity. I am so proud of her and just feel lucky to have met her. She is quite the inspiration. So, head over to her blog and root her on in her journey. :)
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