In My Pocket

There was $11 in my pocket this morning when I walked up to the scale. As long as I stay within two pounds of my goal weight, I do not have to pay. My pocket is empty. Enough said.

Bib #3683

26.2 With Donna Half Marathon
Jacksonville, FL
February 13, 2011

Here is how it ended:
2,497 Place
3:37:18 Gun Time
3:34:17 Chip Time
16:21 Pace

Here is how it began:
Last October, I signed up to walk in this half marathon (13.1 miles) with my sister, Heather, and our friend, Lisa. When I registered, they requested my estimated finish time. So, I called my sister to see what time she had entered. She said, "Two hours." Two hours? We won't finish 13.1 miles in two hours. I was walking 7 miles in two hours at this point. But, I did as she said so that we would be together. When we picked up our packets, my bib was blue and Heather's was gold. Huh? Taking a closer look at her bib revealed that she had entered four hours not two. HEATHER! If they make me walk with the two hour people, I will get trampled! Thankfully, that did not happen.

It was colder than I expected it to be for Florida, but it was perfect weather for this event. The national breast cancer marathon and half-marathon began near the Mayo Clinic Campus in Jacksonville, Florida and followed the course through the unique beach communities of Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach. The course detoured onto 2.5 miles of beautiful hard-packed sand on the Florida coastline. I took pictures at every mile marker. We even ran a little (down hill). It is really cool to see all of the people that come out to support the runners/walkers. They yell out your name and you think, "how do they know me?" I kept forgetting that my name was on my bib.

One lesson that I learned from this experience is that you must train for this type of event. I basically went from the couch to walking in this event. Do not do what I did. Running/walking a half marathon is both physically and mentally demanding. For those who have never run/walked this distance before, it is imperative to train correctly. It is advised to slowly build up endurance over a three month period; decreasing the intensity of the training in the last couple of weeks before the event. If the body is over-worked, injury is more likely to occur. It is also important to eat correctly and stay hydrated before, during, and after the race.

It was an awesome experience and I am amazed what I accomplished. My plan is to do it again next year. Thank you to my sister for encouraging me to sign up, to Lisa and her husband for opening their beautiful home to us and showing us a great time in Jacksonville. Thanks to my mom for dropping us off at the airport, my other sister for picking us up (we expect you to join us next year) and my husband and boys for loving me and letting me experience a half marathon. Finally, to my Weight Watcher friends that cheered for me this morning a big thank you for always supporting me!

Sounds like an Excuse

I didn’t walk on the treadmill the other night because I actually fell asleep on the couch after dinner. When I shared on FB about it one of my dear FB friends commented, “Sounds like an excuse.” What? What does she mean by an excuse? I was tired and my body shut down. How is that an excuse? Wow, the truth was that it was an excuse to not do what I said that I would do. Ouch. Reality hit me.

What is an excuse anyways? It is a justification, reason, explanation and a defense for your actions and the choices that you’ve made. How many excuses do you have for not exercising or eating right? Should we rename them “exercuses?” I’ve been blaming my couch. It calls me during the winter months. “Pssst, Shannon, over here. Grab your blanket and come sit down for awhile.” I can identify an excuse when I hear others speak about why they didn’t have a good week on the scale or why they haven’t exercised or why…you catch my drift. I can hear the excuses when others say them, but not when I do. Why is that? Am I in denial?

Late last fall, I decided to enter a half marathon with my sister. We are traveling to Jacksonville, Florida next weekend to walk in the 26.2 for Donna for Breast Cancer. There will be several people there, who will either do a marathon (26.2 miles) or a half marathon (13.1 miles). You can run or walk…it is a choice made by the participant. Originally, my sister wanted to run. I didn’t. I convinced her to walk. This brings me to my next rude awakening that I was faced with last night when asked the question, “Are you training or are you trying?” The fact of the matter is that I am “trying”…kind of a let’s just see what happens kind of thing. Something to do, but not committed to what it takes to train for this kind of event. To train is to prepare. To try is to attempt and maybe even struggle. Right now, I feel like I’m just trying for whatever the reason.

Where are you at right now? Do you have a plan? There will be weeks when you need a pass, but don’t let anything be an excuse or stand in your way of your final goal. Just stop for a minute and think to yourself, I have a plan. I am prepared. And nothing is going to get in my way.