I did it...and I want more

The big run was last weekend. That's right folks. THE big run. All 13.1 miles of it, and I completed every last step of it. This was the run I had been thinking about for months. I slowly built up to running even just three miles. And then I did the unthinkable: I ran six miles. I had barely wrapped my head around running six miles before I ran a 15K. It was at that point that it sank in. I could do this. I could finish a half marathon.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. on race day, had a bowl of oatmeal and put on my running shoes. I'm not normally a morning person, but on this morning I felt excited and nervous. My aunts came to my apartment and we all put our bibs on and tied up our laces. Once we made it to our corral the nerves and excitement set in. Even at 7 a.m. it was warm and muggy. I crossed the start line and thought, "Oh gosh, I've got 13 more miles of this." The first two miles weren't much fun. It was hot and sweaty and I couldn't spot any mile markers to give me a small sense of victory. After mile two I found my rhythm. Mile nine and a large hill slowed my pace. At this point my knees were starting to hurt, and I was getting tired. Once I saw the bright red mile 11 marker, I felt a sense of relief. It was just two more miles. That was it. I could do it. And I did.

It was one of the best feelings to know that I set out to do something difficult and could complete it. And thus begun the obsession. Even though I was exhausted and my body was sore, I started looking up more races after the Cowtown. I signed up for a 10K zoo run. I'm already looking at more half marathons. So how did I go from such an adamant non-runner to someone who can't get enough? It's the payoff. I ran 13.1 miles in a couple of hours. It was a goal, and I did it, and then I was done. The training isn't easy, but the event is almost immediately gratifying. It's a goal I can quickly cross off my list. It's concrete, achievable. I have always had many goals. I started writing lists at 10 of what I wanted to do. I could've been a doctor. I could've been a lawyer. I could've been a marine biologist. I could've been an astronaut. I want to visit all 50 states, and I would like to go to all the continents (well Antartica is iffy). I want to write a book. I want to win an Oscar. I want to go to the Oympics. I want to learn at least three more languages. These aren't immediate goals. These aren't concrete goals that I can set out to do in a morning and then finish before noon. I will never be a brain surgeon. It takes years of dedicated commitment to only that one specialty. But running. Running is different. I can get up in the morning and run for an hour and have clocked an exact amount of miles. It's gratifying in a way I didn't expect. It keeps me focused. It gives me something that I can achieve amidst all my other more abstract and extreme goals.

So with that, I would like to set another goal. I want to commit myself to this whole running blog thing in a way that I haven't yet. Because running isn't just about the physical act. It requires dedication and discipline. Those are two D words that I could use a little help with. I hope you all are willing to support me and cheer me along the ride, er, run.