Over the course of the last month, I have been cultivating a plan for 2013. The DNF in Miami continues to eat away at me, and so I decided that I need to quiet the taunting voices of doubt that dwell in the dusty corners of my mind - and sooner rather than later.
I registered for the HITS 70.3 on March 23rd, in Ocala, Florida. I will admit that the driving force behind this decision was the registration fee of $75, but the more I looked at the event, the more I wanted to line up and go for "glory."
I learned quite a few things in Miami that I feel I have the opportunity to correct in Ocala. The first is the swim. Even if it takes me the same amount of time, I need to "keep calm and swim on," keeping the focus on my form and not the daunting distance on swimming 1.2 miles or the other participants kicking me on their way around the big Dorito buoys. I KNOW that I am physically capable of propelling all 180 pounds of myself through the course successfully; taking that truth, all I need to do is get myself to the pool and work on my form. Perhaps in the process I will also become faster. Fingers crossed :-)
The second thing I learned is a seemingly simple concept - plan accordingly so that there is plenty of time for travel, packet pick-up, expo shopping, a nap, food, another nap and bike check-in. Do not leave at the last minute and think "everything will be fine, I have plenty of time." The reality is that you do not - not if you want a calm mind and a rested body.
Another thing? PAY ATTENTION TO THE D@MN! RACE SCHEDULE! In Miami, I just assumed that I had enough time, without really taking a close look at the cut-off times for each discipline. In Ocala, I will be noting these details - not only in my mind, but on my body. I will write the cut-off times on my forearm, shin, waterbottle - anywhere and everywhere necessary so that I am well aware that I need to move faster to finish the race.
Now - in 2013, I also am getting married (July 6th). This is my biggest and most important priority, so please do not worry that my groom is left to plan everything himself :-) I have the dress, the venue, the dj, the photographer, the ceremony officiant - all the big stuff. So my mom and I decided that we will enjoy the holidays and pick back up with wedding planning in January.
The "down time" gives me plenty of time to do what I love most - coach basketball and run with my friends. My high school girls are continuing to improve, and they are having fun and gaining confidence without even realizing their own growth. We still have a long way to go, but they come to practice every single day and work hard. The are determined to get better, both as individuals and as a team.
After a couple of weeks off after Miami, I re-joined my Team In Training teammates to continue to train for the Goofy Challenge, which is the 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) on January 12th, followed by the full marathon (26.2 miles) on January 13th. Crazy? Maybe. But super fun! This is a difficult challenge, as 39.3 miles in 2 days is no joke. This past weekend I ran 15 miles with TEAM, and then followed it up Sunday with the Holiday Halfathon - 13.1 miles through Madiera Beach. Now, my legs were ON FIRE Sunday, but I really enjoyed this race! I am going to make it an annual tradition. You should all join us in 2013. The race was brilliantly organized and the medals were awesome! My friend Kate was patient and slowed down to keep me company for the entire run, for which I am so very thankful!!!!!
I have had the best time with Team In Training, and I am really excited to celebrate with everybody when we get to Orlando. Over the course of 4 months, we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which will fund local patient care and nationwide research that will, one day, produce a cure for cancer. We have shared cheers when we learned of a patient deemed in remission; we've shared tears and quiet moments when we learned that battles were lost and we had to say goodbye to another life gone too soon.
The races are just icing on the cake.
And so I run.
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