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So what's the next challenge for me?
Not sure, but I do know one thing .. running has radically changed my life. Not just physically either.
Dedicating yourself to an exercise plan takes ALOT of effort. When I first started walking back on January 19, 2002, I thought 'okay, I hope to keep this up for a month.' Well, a month came and went and by the end of 30 days, I was HOOKED on the endorphins ... exercise is such a great stress reliever .. and not only that, it transforms your body at the same time. What's not to love?
So I kept it up faithfully until the end of October 2003 .. at which point I thought 'yanno, I am NOT an athlete, but I wonder if I could jog a little .. ?" So I tried. What a pathetic effort! Could have dumped the whole idea right then and there as I couldn't even jog a block without sucking wind.
But yanno, despite being a couch potato for the better part of the previous 30 years ... I decided to build on that lame effort and see where it took me.
So I built on the humble beginning. Oh, there were many many days, I prayed my neighbors were NOT looking out their windows as I hobbled by ... setting each mailbox as my next "goal" .. until the turning point came when I could actually run a full mile without stopping. Bear in mind, that took me many, many months.
Then, gradually (AND SLOWLY) I was able to increase it to 1.5 miles at a time! WOW!! I couldn't believe it was ME doing that!!! Maybe it was possible for me to make 2 miles one day? Then 3? Then maybe 5?? WOWZER, I WAS GETTING "INTO" this running thang!!
That first year, I entered my very first 5k (3.1 mile) race. Yep, and I finished it in a very unimpressive 48 minutes! But who cared? I thought I was ready for the Olympics!
I absolutely loved the competition .. the adrenaline, the rush and the thrill of crossing my very first finish line!! ME!!! At 48!!!
I entered alot more 5ks that year .. loving each one more than the previous one. HOOKED ON RUNNING .. YEP!!!
I stepped up my training program .. running 3.1 miles each time .. 3 days a week at first, then 4 days. Wow, 12 miles a week! Soon it was 18!! I decided hey, maybe I should keep track of my miles, (JUST FOR GRINS) and see how many miles I can run in the year 2005. Maybe it was possible for me to run 1,000 miles in a year! ME? Now *that's funny*!!! But what the heck, I'm the kind of person who loves a challenge, regardless of how silly it sounds.
So, for the year 2005, I kept track of my miles. I went through a rather difficult early part of the year .. which affected my miles, but I kept on. What did I have to lose? Even if I didn't make the 1,000 mile goal, it would still be a darn good year.
Turns out, I finished it over 1,300 miles .. WOW!!!
I decided in the summer of 2005, that I would set my long-term goal to run the Walt Disney World Half-marathon in January 2006 .. ME? 13.1 miles? Scuse me while I roll on the floor with laughter!! But I thought 'hey, whatever I can run, fine, and I'll walk the rest.' In the months that followed, I moved my training runs to the Tampa Bay Trail on Saturdays .. keeping my 13.1 mile goal pre-eminent in my mind. Working up to those miles took A VERY LONG TIME and I remember vividly the day I finished a 13 mile training run .. took me a bazillion hours (not really), but I did it! At that point, I thought "THERE IS HOPE!"
The WDW run came on the coldest morning central Florida had seen in several years (figures, huh?)
I got there at 4:00 a.m. and it was like 30 some degrees with a considerable wind ... UGH! The good news was, it wasn't snowing! I managed to run the whole 13.1 miles and felt AWESOME afterwards! Even sweated a little!
So .. every February, Tampa hosts the Bank of America Distance Classic in conjunction with our Gasparilla Pirate Fest .. (ya gotta be from Tampa to understand...) and they offer a 5k, 15k, Half Marathon and the Full Marathon .. hmmm .. I wondered 'MAYBE?' Could I actually run 26.2 miles at age 50 + 2 months? Well, it was a longshot and a bit of a silly thought, but what the heck. It was only $70 to register and hey, they give ya a pretty cool long-sleeve tshirt to boot! So I signed up .. nervously ..
Kept up with the training runs .. up to running nearly 40 miles a week .. ugh .. now *that* is some serious miles for a granny like me! From what I had read and heard from other experienced marathoners .. if you could run 20 miles in training, you could do a marathon. HUH? Who are *they* kidding? Like the last 6.2 miles are a piece of low-carb cake or something?? THEY LIE. The last 6.2 are absolutely BRUTAL, I don't care how experienced you are. I saw some folk out there today who definitely have YEARS of running under their belt and even *they* were struggling. So put that out of your mind right now, that 20 miles equates to 26.2. Ain't happenin', folks.
Anyway, 5 hours later, this old grey mare finished her first marathon. Yep, ME. Not in break-neck fashion, but never expected to. All I wanted was to FINISH. To cross that line and know the exhiliaration that comes with it.
I burst into tears at the finish. How could I help it? I was physically SPENT .. emotionally drained .. mentally exhausted. I had thought every positive thought I could through those last grueling miles .. I thought of you guys .. one by one .. trying to TUNE IN to your positive comments, encouragements, support. That's all I can credit for getting through. THANK YOU!!
So now what? I've done the "big banana" .. so what's next? Well, more training to be sure. Ain't gonna go and live life on a pillow now. First of all, I think my body would go into some kind of rebellion were I to give it all up now and quit. And one thing I'm not, is a quitter.
So I'll keep running....................
I encourage all of you .. to reach for your dreams. Life is soooooooooo short and the years go by way too fast .. make the most of them. Don't say "oh I could *never* do that" .. your only limitations are those you choose to believe about yourself.
One of my favorite sayings at Disneyworld is "If you can dream it, you can do it!!"
GO FOR IT! Maybe we'll meet on the trail one day!
Betty
Not sure, but I do know one thing .. running has radically changed my life. Not just physically either.
Dedicating yourself to an exercise plan takes ALOT of effort. When I first started walking back on January 19, 2002, I thought 'okay, I hope to keep this up for a month.' Well, a month came and went and by the end of 30 days, I was HOOKED on the endorphins ... exercise is such a great stress reliever .. and not only that, it transforms your body at the same time. What's not to love?
So I kept it up faithfully until the end of October 2003 .. at which point I thought 'yanno, I am NOT an athlete, but I wonder if I could jog a little .. ?" So I tried. What a pathetic effort! Could have dumped the whole idea right then and there as I couldn't even jog a block without sucking wind.
But yanno, despite being a couch potato for the better part of the previous 30 years ... I decided to build on that lame effort and see where it took me.
So I built on the humble beginning. Oh, there were many many days, I prayed my neighbors were NOT looking out their windows as I hobbled by ... setting each mailbox as my next "goal" .. until the turning point came when I could actually run a full mile without stopping. Bear in mind, that took me many, many months.
Then, gradually (AND SLOWLY) I was able to increase it to 1.5 miles at a time! WOW!! I couldn't believe it was ME doing that!!! Maybe it was possible for me to make 2 miles one day? Then 3? Then maybe 5?? WOWZER, I WAS GETTING "INTO" this running thang!!
That first year, I entered my very first 5k (3.1 mile) race. Yep, and I finished it in a very unimpressive 48 minutes! But who cared? I thought I was ready for the Olympics!
I absolutely loved the competition .. the adrenaline, the rush and the thrill of crossing my very first finish line!! ME!!! At 48!!!I entered alot more 5ks that year .. loving each one more than the previous one. HOOKED ON RUNNING .. YEP!!!
I stepped up my training program .. running 3.1 miles each time .. 3 days a week at first, then 4 days. Wow, 12 miles a week! Soon it was 18!! I decided hey, maybe I should keep track of my miles, (JUST FOR GRINS) and see how many miles I can run in the year 2005. Maybe it was possible for me to run 1,000 miles in a year! ME? Now *that's funny*!!! But what the heck, I'm the kind of person who loves a challenge, regardless of how silly it sounds.
So, for the year 2005, I kept track of my miles. I went through a rather difficult early part of the year .. which affected my miles, but I kept on. What did I have to lose? Even if I didn't make the 1,000 mile goal, it would still be a darn good year.
Turns out, I finished it over 1,300 miles .. WOW!!!
I decided in the summer of 2005, that I would set my long-term goal to run the Walt Disney World Half-marathon in January 2006 .. ME? 13.1 miles? Scuse me while I roll on the floor with laughter!! But I thought 'hey, whatever I can run, fine, and I'll walk the rest.' In the months that followed, I moved my training runs to the Tampa Bay Trail on Saturdays .. keeping my 13.1 mile goal pre-eminent in my mind. Working up to those miles took A VERY LONG TIME and I remember vividly the day I finished a 13 mile training run .. took me a bazillion hours (not really), but I did it! At that point, I thought "THERE IS HOPE!"
The WDW run came on the coldest morning central Florida had seen in several years (figures, huh?)
I got there at 4:00 a.m. and it was like 30 some degrees with a considerable wind ... UGH! The good news was, it wasn't snowing! I managed to run the whole 13.1 miles and felt AWESOME afterwards! Even sweated a little! So .. every February, Tampa hosts the Bank of America Distance Classic in conjunction with our Gasparilla Pirate Fest .. (ya gotta be from Tampa to understand...) and they offer a 5k, 15k, Half Marathon and the Full Marathon .. hmmm .. I wondered 'MAYBE?' Could I actually run 26.2 miles at age 50 + 2 months? Well, it was a longshot and a bit of a silly thought, but what the heck. It was only $70 to register and hey, they give ya a pretty cool long-sleeve tshirt to boot! So I signed up .. nervously ..
Kept up with the training runs .. up to running nearly 40 miles a week .. ugh .. now *that* is some serious miles for a granny like me!
From what I had read and heard from other experienced marathoners .. if you could run 20 miles in training, you could do a marathon. HUH? Who are *they* kidding? Like the last 6.2 miles are a piece of low-carb cake or something?? THEY LIE. The last 6.2 are absolutely BRUTAL, I don't care how experienced you are. I saw some folk out there today who definitely have YEARS of running under their belt and even *they* were struggling. So put that out of your mind right now, that 20 miles equates to 26.2. Ain't happenin', folks.Anyway, 5 hours later, this old grey mare finished her first marathon. Yep, ME. Not in break-neck fashion, but never expected to. All I wanted was to FINISH. To cross that line and know the exhiliaration that comes with it.
I burst into tears at the finish. How could I help it? I was physically SPENT .. emotionally drained .. mentally exhausted. I had thought every positive thought I could through those last grueling miles .. I thought of you guys .. one by one .. trying to TUNE IN to your positive comments, encouragements, support. That's all I can credit for getting through. THANK YOU!!
So now what? I've done the "big banana" .. so what's next? Well, more training to be sure. Ain't gonna go and live life on a pillow now. First of all, I think my body would go into some kind of rebellion were I to give it all up now and quit. And one thing I'm not, is a quitter.
So I'll keep running....................
I encourage all of you .. to reach for your dreams. Life is soooooooooo short and the years go by way too fast .. make the most of them. Don't say "oh I could *never* do that" .. your only limitations are those you choose to believe about yourself.
One of my favorite sayings at Disneyworld is "If you can dream it, you can do it!!"
GO FOR IT! Maybe we'll meet on the trail one day!
Betty
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