Destination Finish Line-A Beginning
I am not what you would call a runner by nature, though I do believe I have a fair amount of athletic potential. Since I was little I have always been enrolled in some sport and, at times, multiple sports. None of those sports, however, have required continuous, heart pounding, wind sucking forward motion for longer than 5 minutes. So why, you may ask, have you decided to go from running a 5K to running a half-marathon? The simple answer is: I have no idea.
Ocassionally I have some hair-brained ideas that usually end up causing me physical pain. I once decided to try a sprint triathlon and dutifully trained for several months...swimming endless laps in a pool, biking the Austin Veoloway, and running (aka jogging) until my little heart wanted to burst. Race day arrived and all of my laps in the pool could not have prepared me for the horror of the open water swim, the constant elevation change on the bike and the off-road terrain of the run. Every second was a moment of sheer survival instinct and I collapsed in sheer exhaustion and full of tears at the finish line, vowing to never, ever do that again.
A year or so after the trauma of the incident subsided and after moving to Florida I, *gasp*, contemplated signing up for another triathlon. This time I was spurred on by a couple of friends who wanted to do a tri-relay. Surely, I thought to myself, I can handle just one leg of a triathlon! Being the strongest swimmer of the group I was "volunteered" to anchor the swim leg of the race. In my first ocean training swim (on a red flag ocean kind of day) I swam out past the breakers, put my face in the water and promptly sucked in a huge mouthful of saltwater courtesty of a rogue wave. Uh, oh. After trying my damnest to swim freestyle I gave up fighting the waves and decided to take it into shore...only shore was a lot further than it was before. I'm a decent swimmer and the realization that I was quickly tiring and being pulled further out by the waves sent me reeling into sheer panic. "Shit! This is what it's going to be like to drown!" I thought. I finally managed, out of sheer determination, to get out of the rip current and get to where I could touch. As soon as my feet hit the sand I was rocked from behind by a giant wave. Tumbling head over heels in the washing machine of the ocean, I didn't know which way was up. In one spinning motion, my face was smashed into the sand. Quickly orienting myself I shoved my feet downward into the sand and stood gasping for air. Once again, exhausted and tearful I vowed to never, ever to that again. Long story short, I found a replacement for the swimming leg and anchored the running leg of the actual race. Running might suck, but at least I know I'm not going to die.
And so here I am again. I guess this really started out as a way to knock off a few pounds in preparation for another finish line: my wedding. If I don't have a fitness goal, I tend to get lazy. And let's be real...even with a fitness goal I still get lazy. Not only have I roped myself into this but I'm taking my cousin with me (sorry Allison)! I am also taking you, my readers on another journey towards destination finish line. I am hoping to acheive motivation, humor, and eventually...an accomplished goal, a finish line, a tightly fitted wedding gown and a beginning.
Ocassionally I have some hair-brained ideas that usually end up causing me physical pain. I once decided to try a sprint triathlon and dutifully trained for several months...swimming endless laps in a pool, biking the Austin Veoloway, and running (aka jogging) until my little heart wanted to burst. Race day arrived and all of my laps in the pool could not have prepared me for the horror of the open water swim, the constant elevation change on the bike and the off-road terrain of the run. Every second was a moment of sheer survival instinct and I collapsed in sheer exhaustion and full of tears at the finish line, vowing to never, ever do that again.
A year or so after the trauma of the incident subsided and after moving to Florida I, *gasp*, contemplated signing up for another triathlon. This time I was spurred on by a couple of friends who wanted to do a tri-relay. Surely, I thought to myself, I can handle just one leg of a triathlon! Being the strongest swimmer of the group I was "volunteered" to anchor the swim leg of the race. In my first ocean training swim (on a red flag ocean kind of day) I swam out past the breakers, put my face in the water and promptly sucked in a huge mouthful of saltwater courtesty of a rogue wave. Uh, oh. After trying my damnest to swim freestyle I gave up fighting the waves and decided to take it into shore...only shore was a lot further than it was before. I'm a decent swimmer and the realization that I was quickly tiring and being pulled further out by the waves sent me reeling into sheer panic. "Shit! This is what it's going to be like to drown!" I thought. I finally managed, out of sheer determination, to get out of the rip current and get to where I could touch. As soon as my feet hit the sand I was rocked from behind by a giant wave. Tumbling head over heels in the washing machine of the ocean, I didn't know which way was up. In one spinning motion, my face was smashed into the sand. Quickly orienting myself I shoved my feet downward into the sand and stood gasping for air. Once again, exhausted and tearful I vowed to never, ever to that again. Long story short, I found a replacement for the swimming leg and anchored the running leg of the actual race. Running might suck, but at least I know I'm not going to die.
And so here I am again. I guess this really started out as a way to knock off a few pounds in preparation for another finish line: my wedding. If I don't have a fitness goal, I tend to get lazy. And let's be real...even with a fitness goal I still get lazy. Not only have I roped myself into this but I'm taking my cousin with me (sorry Allison)! I am also taking you, my readers on another journey towards destination finish line. I am hoping to acheive motivation, humor, and eventually...an accomplished goal, a finish line, a tightly fitted wedding gown and a beginning.
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