I'm doing it!

I'm training for a marathon. This is a really big deal for me and I am a little nervous very sore and excited all at the same time.. I have always wanted to do this and have printed a hundred training schedules and how to's and have never followed through with any of it. So, I decided that maybe I needed some extra motivation.............I've joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training and am going to do this with their support but also so that I can help to support a good cause along the way! I can already tell this is going to be rewarding! A friend, Crystal, is joining me in the journey and when we first signed up we thought we would just shoot for the 1/2 marathon. After all its about taking crawling before walking right? After thinking a little harder and talking through it we've decided to shoot for the full marathon. My comment about finishing this race was "when we finish I'll feel like I've conquered the world". I can do this and ONLY with God's help. I want to keep Him at the center of this journey. I've picked a verse to get me started to focus on through training:

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
--Acts 20:24

As a member of Team in Training I have committed to raising money for the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society. The money that I raise goes toward research for cures for these ugly diseases! I am going to add a link to my fundraising page on my blog and I hope that you will join me in supporting this organization. Every amount will help and I thank you in advance for your help and support!

My training actually started on Saturday morning - we meet with a running group and do what we'll call our "long runs" as a group. I will say that running with a group is way easier than running alone! You can go farther than you think just from the energy and support of others! But in anticipation of Saturday I was getting a little nervous )since I haven't run in a very long time and not any long distances since before I got pregnant) and decided to run Friday afternoon just to see how far I could make it. I think I ran about 1.5 miles and thought to myself "That wasn't too bad, I can handle 4 miles tomorrow". By Friday night my legs were a little sore and tight. No biggie right? Right! I told myself I would stretch really good before going out on Saturday in 34 degree rainy weather and that I would be ready to go. I did stretch and I did survive the first 4 miles and even felt good after my run. BUT my legs were very tight and when I sat down in the car my thighs screamed at me! I was sure to stretch good after the run and still my thighs were killing me. I figured that it would get better through the day, I would be sure to give them a rest. But I can't walk right because I'm so sore - sort of a limpy straight legged walk! Simply Beautiful.

Fast Forward through my morning.....Justin and I went to an afternoon matinee to see the Blind Side. I decide I should go potty before settling into the movie. Pick my stall and as I am about to squat I realize that my legs are so sore that I can't! I looked and they didn't have any of those tissue toilet seat covers. Oh Crap - public bathroom and I am not about to put my hiney on that seat but my legs are to sore to hold my hiney off of that seat. I actually wondered if I could sort of stand over the toilet and pee - tried but I couldn't make myself pee in that position. By this time I had drank a few glasses of water and I knew I wouldn't make it through the movie and really needed to go. SOOOOOOOOO, I put my hands on the seat of the toilet yuck yuck yuck...public bathroom toilet seat and held myself up to pee and be on my way. I of course scrubbed my hands extra hard and extra long with hot water before I made my way into the movie! Thankfully we were at a nice Rave movie theater and their restrooms are fairly clean. It still is a PUBLIC restroom but I did keep my hiney from that seat....at the expense of my hands! Oh well! Just the beginning of the soreness I suppose!

This morning I woke up and my thighs felt much better but I almost couldn't stand up because my calf's were so stink'n tight! I did make it through my 2 mile run today - even with really tight and sore legs!