I Should Be Committed

The title of this post is what many people will say about me as they hear what I did today.

I registered for my first (and probably only) full marathon. 26.2 miles.

I might be a little insane. I just finished a great half marathon, and have been sick with a cold/flu/allergies since then, so it is possible that my brain isn’t functioning at 100%. Except I have been thinking about doing this for the last few months. And talking about it with my running partner. And while we were talking hypothetically at first, at some point it transitioned and today we pulled the trigger, so to speak. We put our money where our mouths are and registered for the race.

So now I keep repeating to myself, “Just breathe. Just breathe.”

It’s a little nerve-wracking to know that now, not only do I have to run 26.2 miles on April 15, but I have to TRAIN to run for the next 20+ weeks. And it’s the training that is the kicker. On my birthday I will have to run 20 miles. Happy Birthday to me. Or rather, Nappy Birthday to me, as that’s what I’ll be doing after running 20 miles.

As hard as it is going to be (and I know it will be hard), I am looking forward to crossing that finish line and knowing that I set my mind on accomplishing this task, trained appropriately, and finished the race. But I also know that I won’t be doing it alone. I will first and foremost be asking for help from the Lord, as I know I don’t do anything on my strength alone. And I know I will need lots of help from Him. I will also have the strength that comes with doing this with a partner. I’m not sure I could commit to doing this without Crystal. And I will have the encouragement of my family and friends to keep going, even when it is hard. I will especially be leaning on those friends who have done this before (and survived).

So, here goes another page in the story of my life. I’m ready to run and ready to learn. Because I am sure there will be much to learn in the coming months.

What seemingly impossible goal do you need to take from hypothetical to reality and how can you get there?