Bellingham Bay Marathon is September 30, 2018 and I just signed up. It should be glorious. Fall color on the leaves, slight chill in the air; high energy and I will run with a great friend. He asked me to hold him accountable, so I decided to reciprocate. Why not?
I mentioned it to my wife and she said “It’s only a half, you should. You have done Ironman, 2-day races, and marathons. No problem, its only 13.1 miles.” ONLY. 13 miles is a long way! Since when did 13 miles become easy?
OK. Time to train. Quick, look up a plan. Jump in. 4 days a week. 5 miles a day. What possibly could go wrong? IT, plantar, hip dysplasia…Naw I’ll be OK. GO.
25 days away. That’s a long way out…if you have been running! I am in a slump. Working out is a chore. A long run is to the mail box. I walk, paddle, jog, eat, drink… I am not prepared. This has been a tough year for working out. I don’t have the desire. Have you ever been there? The sheets weigh a ton. It’s too cold out. It’s raining. That crazy button on the garage takes too much strength to push. I can’t seem to get out of the house!
I committed. Spent the money. Supporting a friend. I am in. It’s magic – I have the desire! Crazy how that works.Try these three things to get out of a slump:
- Accountability. My desire returns. I will not let my friend down.
- Fun. Well, time will tell. No, seriously. Running with a friend will be fun.
- Heart. Yes, my heart will like the exercise. Realistically this will also recharge the battery and make me stronger. The strength to push the covers off and the button on the garage door!
Go sign up. Sign up with a friend. A 5k with your daughter? Something. Get active. It’s hard I know. But parting with the money and letting someone down is even harder. Be smarter than me and train first. Your doctor will appreciate it. So will your body.
I will keep random updates on my progress but right now I better go run.
P.S.
If I get injured its Mark’s fault. If I don’t finish under two hours, it’s his fault too. This whole mess is Mark’s fault.
