My 13.1 Miles Is The Same As Anyone Else's

"Enjoy the experience for what it truly is--you looking Goliath in the face and saying 'that all you got?!'"

So it is the eve of my first Half-Marathon.  Yes, I will be up tomorrow morning at 2:30am so that I can be at Disney at the recommended 4am for my 6:09 start time. 

I'm nervous.  I'm excited.  I'm hopeful.  Oh, screw all that--I'm petrified.

I signed up for this last August.  I've always wanted to be a runner--Nike videos still make me cry.  When I had done my 6th triathlon, I realized that while they were still a challenge, I didn't have that feeling like this was the biggest challenge I'd ever done or that feeling of wondering if I could finish it.  I was craving that feeling again; hence the half-marathon. 

I knew that to do this, I needed to train.  I have trained--I'm not an idiot who thinks I can just show up for this.  But I haven't trained like I wanted to and I worry that I didn't train enough.  I've had a bunch of 4-6 mile runs and I've gotten a 10 mile race in, but just one and it was miserable. 

So at the package pickup and expo today, I felt unworthy to be there.  There were so many women who have been training hard for months and months.  They were there with their friends, their husbands, their kids.  Many have come from many different states.  I was there by myself and felt unworthy.  But then I started to get excited.  And then I realized something very important.  When I cross that finish line tomorrow, my 13.1 miles will be exactly the same as everyone else's.  This is MY frickin' journey and it has had it's ups and downs and starts and stops.  But if (I mean when) I finish, it is just as much of an accomplishment. 

I learned that for 50% of the racers tomorrow, this will be their first half-marathon.  That made me feel better.  During the Q&A with Jeff Galloway, there were many comments/questions about how to avoid being picked up by the 16/min/mile sweeper bus.  That was also comforting.  And I am putting a lot of confidence in adrenaline and tinkerbell's pixie dust to get me through this. 

I actually don't like running and I think all 26,000 steps (that's what Jeff Galloway said) will be painful.  But I am very excited for the finish line and the medal.  And I'm really thrilled about the journey--seeing the women in costume, hearing my kickass playlist, taking pictures of the characters and running through the parks. 

Anne Marie, my friend who was going to do this with me today, sent me the most delicious text this afternoon.  It said, "Enjoy the experience for what it truly is--you looking Goliath in the face and saying 'that all you got?!'  Cherish every step, Christine!!!"  Thanks, every 26,000 steps I will cherish.  Hopefully when you hear from me next, I can say I am a half-marathon finisher.