Ruminations on Wicked Half training

The third post in a series of observations, thoughts, and pep talks as I near the final days leading into the half marathon. If you missed my first post – check it out here.  My second post is here.

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Obviously, this half marathon is basically all I can think about lately – y’know, aside from work and trying to get everything done before our EPIC return trip to San Fran/wine country next week. 😉

So while mulling over the half, I got to thinking about what an incredible journey the training process has been in and of itself.  I’ve learned so much about myself, about my relationship with Scott, about friendships.

More specifically, I’ve learned:

• That there are very few things in life that bond friends together like training for a half marathon. You see eachother at your best and yes, at your very worst, when you’re digging as deep as you possibly can to eek out that last mile.
• Training for a half with my husband has been something I’ve cherished more than I realized I would – and again, reminds me just how lucky and how “right” the timing has been for him to be unemployed. We’ve grown so much as a couple, and become pretty darn good runners, too.
• I’m stronger than I thought I was. When I signed up for this race back in April, I never, in a million years, thought I’d ever get to a point where running 8 or 10 miles would feel “normal.” While I will say that my body likes a 6-8 mile much more so than a 10-12 mile run, it has yet to let me down on those longer runs either. Yes, my knees are sure talking to me by the end, but they have done me proud and I know they’ll do me proud when I cross that 13.1 finish line.
• I love a challenge. Well duh, I think you all knew that already, right? Well, now that I’m almost “done” with this challenge, I’m already anxious about what the “next” challenge might be for me. I conquered Kick (well getting a regular class to teach would be great but still, I am certified which was my ultimate goal), and I’m about to conquer a half marathon. What shall I conquer next? Hmm…this one I’ll have to mull over a bit, because the antsy pants in me is very likely to get bored with going back to a “normal” workout routine really quickly. I gotta feeling. 😉
• I’m ready to cross that starting (and finish) line. A few months ago, I mentioned how much I wanted to feel “ready” when I set foot across the starting line of the race. Well – that day is about to come and I do feel ready. Yes – just writing this post gives me butterflies, but I view those as “I’m ready” butterflies, not “holy crap, how am I ever gonna get through this” butterflies. I’m psyched that it’s almost upon us. I’m even more psyched that I’ll be sharing this experience with my sister, my husband, my friends and my family who will be cheering us on from the sidelines. I cannot wait to see your smiling faces when I cross the finish. But watch out, I *may* be crying. 😉