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Me?! Run a marathon?!


I stared at the computer screen for almost two hours watching the countdown until registration opened. After finishing my first half-marathon last year, I made the statement that someday I wanted to run a full one. Yesterday, I saw a post from a friend on Facebook letting us all know that registration for the Marine Corp Marathon, one of her favorites, would fill up quickly. I went to the website and decided to run the half-marathon instead. But something kept pulling me back to the full marathon. Could I do it? Me? The last person always picked for sports teams back in school? Me? Almost 50 years old and a bit overweight?

“Well, duh! Of course you can do it!” the voice inside of me screamed. “You thought the same thing about the half marathon and you did that.”

I looked over at my 10 year old niece Grace, “26 miles. Should I?”

She giggled. We talked about it some. I wish I could remember our conversation. Instead, all I hear is her giggle and the comment, “Because you have an iPhone…” the joke of the week.

“Five more minutes. I’m going to do it!”

“You are going to run how far?” she asked.

“26.2 miles.” Grace giggled again upon hearing my answer.

“15 seconds until it opens.”

Grace counted me down to registration opening. My heart rate quickened. I giggled, getting all jittery in the way one does when doing something crazy for the first time. I clicked on the link.

THIS SERVICE IS UNAVAILABLE.

WHAT?! This cannot be happening! I refreshed the page only to get the same white screen with the unavailable message. I decide to go for it and now I can’t get it?! Each one of these thoughts coming frantically out of my mouth as I continued to refresh the page. $#!+ I was in a near panic. I opened another browser and entered the que there. This is the marathon I want to run! I want to run it in honor of Sean and all the other military men and women I know. I refused to give up.

Finally, I reached the registration site. I had never experienced the whole perspiration when anxious thing. And then I did. My face got flush as a feeling of excitement surged through my body. I AM GOING TO RUN MY FIRST MARATHON!! The only thing left to do was to fill in my information. I entered my name, address, and all the other information requested of me. Still giddy, I clicked on the NEXT key.

THE SERVER IS CURRENTLY UNAVAIBLE.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I was so close and now I am not going to be able to get in!! I am not giving up that easily. I refreshed the page again. Ten minutes later, I was back to the registration site. This time I got all the way to the screen to enter my payment information before it kicked me out. This went on for the next 15 minutes. Finally, I was registered.

Shortly after I was officially registered, I received a message from a parent of one of my cross country runners. She wanted to register and run it with me. Awesome! We played the game with the registration all over again. She couldn’t get in. I could. I registered her from my sister’s living room in Washington state while she talked to me on the phone back in North Carolina. I would have someone to train with. Someone to keep me motivated! An added safeguard that I wouldn't give up.

I just signed up for a marathon in October!!! I have little over 6 months to train with Mandie Robertson Victor, this is going to be fun!!

I am excited about the adventure on which we are about to embark. She has never run a half-marathon. I have run two and a half. (I don’t count the one that I walked half of.) I am pretty confident I can get her ready for a half for sometime in June. As for the marathon, we will do it together leaning on the expertise of those who have done it before us. I have been working out six days a week since January. I am ready to take it up to the next notch. It is my goal to be in top shape mentally and physically when I run the marathon. My focus is on being the best I can be.

I still can’t believe I am going to be one of the few. The proud. The finisher of a marathon.

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