Why am I do this?

So why am I going to run a marathon? Well....why not?

I can definitely list 1,000 reasons why running a marathon is a stupid idea. Some of those reasons include:
1. It's crazy
2. I'm too busy
3. I might hurt myself while training
3. It's not physically possible for the human body to run that far.
4. I am setting myself up for failure if I don't complete it.
5. I'll get bored of running
6. I don't have the body of a runner
and did I mention, it's crazy?!

Of course, I've thought about each one of these things....but then I have that little voice in my head that says, "but just imagine actually doing it...running 26.2 miles...saying I ran a marathon". Then, I kind of just forget everything else.

My dad has been running for awhile now and has run around 7 marathons. I always thought he was nuts and a total extremist but at the same time, I found him inspirational.

I started running for exercise about 6 years ago, and in 2005, after hearing all my dad's stories, I wanted to run a half marathon. I signed up for the Disney Half. I started training for it, but then quickly gave up after I had knee issues every time I hit the 6 mile mark. I told myself, I'd never be able to do it. For the next couple years, I stuck to 2-3 miles a few times a week, and that's pretty much how I stayed in shape.

Late 2009, Key Largo started it's 1st annual Key Largo Bridge Run. I signed up for my first 5k, but my dad, sister, brother-in-law and friend signed up for the half marathon. The 5k was amazing. I was pumped up and wanted to run more. I remember sitting there waiting as everyone who ran the half marathon came through the finish line, and I cried for almost each and every person. So many people from different walks of life, young and old, were able to run 13.1 miles. I was impressed. When I saw my sister complete the race, my jaw just dropped. I was in shock that she had the strength to do it. At that moment, I realized, if my sister and dad can do this, so can I.

I signed up for the ING Miami Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and trained for it in 1.5 months. I ran it with Nancy (my sister) and Harold (my brother-in-law). I finished it in 2 hours and 38 minutes. It tops as one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I realized at that moment, that if I say I can do something, then I probably can. It doesn't mean the race was easy by any means. It was hard. My body hurt, my stomach cramped, and my toenail was bruised for a couple months. Could I have kept running the entire distance one more time? Who knows! That's what I'm trying to figure out.

So I'm starting this blog so that all of you can join me on what I know will be one of the hardest goals I have yet to reach. I'm going to need all the encouragement and motivation I can get, so comments will be much appreciated.

I also want to be held accountable. Now that everyone knows I'll be running a marathon, I don't want to back down. I've come to realize that this goal may not work out for me. I may have to change plans, push it back, or try again next year. Whatever it takes, I don't want to give up. I read a quote today that said, "The miracle isn't finishing the marathon, it's having the courage to start". So that's exactly what I'll be doing. If race day comes and my body shuts down on me on mile 17 and I have to have a bus drive me to the end, I'll be disappointed, and I'll probably try again next year, but hey, I tried!

My training starts tomorrow. I'm pretty much just going to start 30 minute jogs until I can work my way to around 5 miles easily. In about a 1.5 months we'll start the intense training, where we have long runs on the weekend which increase about 2 miles every week.

The ING Miami Marathon is January 30, 2011. 5 months away. I get nervous every time I think about it. I just pray that my body is strong and my mind even stronger.

Let's see how this goes...