Tags
#fitfam, #healthy, #Irunthis, #jjjourney, #riteaidclevelandmaraton; #runCLE; #CLEmarathon;, #rungry, #strongnotskinny, #weightloss, Cleveland, running, training
Sitting on the fence is uncomfortable, seriously it is! You just sit there trying to get comfortable when you know you should just get off on one side of the fence. You know you’d feel relief, but sometimes you just sit there trying to decide which side knowing you should just make a dang decision. Well that’s how I feel, I am on this stupid fence contemplating…. waiting……hoping…. as I sit here well maybe I will see a sign, perhaps a double rainbow (almost triple rainbow). Time is ticking by and I am uncomfortable on this fence. So now I need to get off, make a plan and crush some serious goals.
So I am getting off the fence, one foot after another slowly feeling comfortable and love not being in limbo. Ahhhhhhh yes the feeling of making a decision. I have went back and forth on this issue. 1)Run the Cleveland half marathon and kill my time from last year (1:44) 2) Run the Cleveland full marathon and crush my full time from Akron. Seriously let’s take a step back just for a little tiny second……. What an amazing decision to have to make, no seriously…. Here I am sitting on a fence deciding between a half and full marathon, talk about being blessed! My body is capable of both of these distances, WOW this is just hard to believe at times. About 4 years ago I weight 350lbs, now I am sitting on a dang fence deciding the distance goal of a running event………..Thank you God for this opportunity!
I thought long and hard. I love the Cleveland half, have done it 2 years now and have loved every second of it. The crowd support, my amazing family coming to support me, being able to crush it both years, seriously I could write a love letter and dedicate it to the Cleveland half. I think in the pictures you can tell I loved every second of my 2 half marathon experiences.
Then there is the Cleveland full…uncharted waters in my book. I have only done one other full, and it seriously took everything I had in me AND support from my amazing friends and family. There are a lot of what if’s like what if it’s a 70+ degree day! I mean it’s Cleveland in May, I could also be running through snow (kidding but kind of not). The Akron full is one accomplishment I am so very proud of completing, seriously look at the smile as well as the look of death in some of these pictures.
After running through both of these events in my head I have made a choice.
Yep, I am going to do the Cleveland FULL Eeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk………….
I just said it out loud, plus I am going to post it on my blog which also means facebook (does it get any more official????). The decision was long and hard, but I am feeling pretty good about it. I also feel like I needed to make sure I had a few things in place before being 100% (here is my check list of necessities before deciding on the full):
1) Training partner for the long runs…..no seriously these can be damn intimidating (it’s mostly a mind game). So I need someone to be there, even if it’s just that they are physically there and we don’t talk. I enlisted the best training partner I know………….MY HUSBAND AND HIS TREK BIKE. Seriously there is no way in Heck I would have completed 26.2 without this man following me for every long run, he even almost had to pick me up when I was taken out by a bee sting on my first 20 mile run (yes I was a bit dramatic, my mind was taking over).
2) A nice strong base. I have been keeping up my running distances and doing some serious spinning (my current obsession and cross training of choice).
3) An understand partner. Yep, your partner needs to be on board because let’s face it taking on a marathon is ALMOST like a part-time job. I am so proud to say my partner is not only supporting my decision, like I posted in #1 he’s my training partner for those long runs.
4) Friends/family that support and get it. Yep, all your peeps need to be encouraging and supporters. I have some amazing friends/family and I know they will support this decision and do whatever they can to help me reach my goal. Thanks in advance to my two morning workout pals Kcey and Jess…..yep already counting on you and KNOW I CAN.
5) Gear and accessories. Seriously whoever said running was cheap is a dirty dang LIAR! Yes you know that person….all you need is a water bottle and shoes LIAAARRRRRRRRR. Ok so you all know I love some running accessories. I feel I am on point with the gear and really happy about my purchase of a Nathan running vest for hydration (thanks husband), my garmin (sprinkles) is ready to rock (just hope her dang battery holds out). Also I am in a seriously amazing place as I have IVY (yep I have nicknamed my treadmill), she’s a beast and she told me she’s ready for a full.
6) A positive mind, attitude and spirit………….yep think I got it =)
So friends, family, and amazing folks that read my blog there you have it. I am running the Cleveland FULL. Now will start the official training =) feel free to read along, lace up and join me in Cleveland, come support me throughout the course ORRRRRRRRRRRRRRR be at the finish line with a cupcake or heck a dozen cupcakes, let’s face it I’ll be rungry when I finish and we all know how I love a cupcake at the end of a race =)
XX,
Jamie