Fear of the Unknown

It’s hard for me to believe that it was just a few short weeks ago that I was terrified of not being able to finish a half marathon.

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A little preview of my St. Patrick’s Day race attire!

And yet last weekend I ran a 20K (which, come on, is pretty much a half marathon!), and yesterday I registered not for a St. Patrick’s Day 5K, but instead decided to go for a freakin’ 10-MILER: the Freehold Area Running Club’s 24th Annual St. Paddy’s Day 10-Miler. Because, you know as someone who is actually Irish, I feel it’s a holiday that’s worth celebrating with more than just green beer (blech).

And then I also just registered for another half marathon in May — the Superhero Half Marathon in Morristown — which, admittedly, I’m very much looking forward to because runners are actually encouraged to wear costumes. SCORE!

I’m toying with the idea of doing the Long Branch Half Marathon because it sounds like a great race — and who doesn’t love running along the shore? — but it’s also in May. We’ll see!

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here staring at my favorite race sites and actually having a hard time narrowing down the other races I want to tackle this year…I’ve got everything from 5Ks to halfs on my list, but I know I can’t do them all!

Well, unless I want to risk my legs falling off or — far more likely — going completely broke.

And then there’s a teensy weensy little part of me that is ever-so-slightly entertaining the idea of registering for the Walt Disney World Marathon in January of next year. Yes, that’s right. A year ago I was afraid of 5Ks, and now I’m Googling marathon training tips. I figure I’ve got plenty of time to train, right?! The only thing I don’t have is plenty of time to think about it…registration for runDisney races open up super early, and sell out super fast!

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Think I should run my Superhero Half Marathon dressed as this fetching woman?

Oh yeah, and then there’s the small matter of taking on Disneyland’s Dumbo Double Dare challenge (a 10k followed by a half marathon) in less than six months!

Even though I was less-than-impressed by my overall performance at the Disney Princess Half Marathon (recap here!), crossing that finish line in an upright position turned out to be all I needed to let go of my fear of the unknown. I was so afraid that my training wasn’t going to be enough, or that I’d somehow discover that I really, really just wasn’t cut out to be a runner.

I’ve spent a lifetime doubting myself and my abilities in just about everything — and running just so happens to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, both physically and mentally — so I really struggled with self-doubt throughout all of those months of hard training for my first half marathon.

DSCF3043But as it turns out, all I needed was to prove to myself that I could finish that first 13.1, and now I’m chomping at the bit to put myself and my training to the test in longer distance races.

It just amazes me how I can waste so much time letting fear keep me from doing the things I want to do. NO MORE!

So…tell me about the races you have coming up! :-D

Comments

  1. krissy m. murphy says:

    Have a great race! Shamrock was my first race to wear Team Sparkle and I haven’t looked back since!

  2. That is awesome! Love all the races you were talking about and how now that you’ve finished a half marathon that you’re now thinking about fulls. It’s crazy how that happens, right?

  3. Wow. Look at all your races! You should run the Rutgers Unite Half on April 21, it goes through the same park as the 20K last weekend! Use it as a practice run for you half in May ;)

  4. Hi Amy, thanks for reading! That one was actually at the top of my list…you may have just convinced me! :-D

  5. I was so eager about running after my first half that I signed up for so many. When we moved to New England I had to make a rule we can only do 1 run a month. So far it’s been working and it’s curbed my appetite to keep doing run after run after run. Good luck and go for a full. The Marine Corps is a great one and the registration is coming up soon. But if you want to do it, you have to commit as soon as registration opens, last year it filled up in about 2 hours.

    • Yup, that sounds about right! I’m totally obsessed right now…and I think your one race per month rule is a GREAT one! I’ll definitely look into the Marine Corps marathon, I’ve heard lots of good things about that race — thanks for the tips! :)

  6. I am addicted to races and I’m glad to see I’m not the only one! I’m kind of excited for the Chocoholic Frolic 10k coming up here in Minneapolis the beginning of April – everything after the race contains chocolate and it’s sure to be amazing!! Have fun with all your races!!

    • You’re DEFINITELY not the only one…I’m totally addicted now! OMG, that sounds absolutely fabulous…I am a total chocoholic! I wish I had something like that a little closer to me. Good luck with the race! :-D

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