Taking on my first full marathon - YIKES!
The marathon has always been a struggle for me even with the great passion and love I have for running. The desire to tackle it has always been there, but time and energy have given me excuses for putting it off. To complete a full marathon before I hit 30 has been on my bucket list since I started running. 13 half marathons, a Ragnar relay, a few 10-miler races, some 5 and 10ks later, I signed up for my first marathon – 19 days before my 30th birthday.
I could’ve signed up for any marathon. The LA Marathon in March would’ve been great and close to home. There’s also a nice flat course in Huntington Beach each February – Surf City. However, I’d been a little obsessed with the idea of running up in Big Sur, CA. It’s beautiful and the cold air makes running ideal. The Big Sur International Marathon is every April – a full marathon, a relay, a 21-miler, and a 10-miler. I had my heart set on the 21-miler. I wasn’t ready to commit to a full marathon yet, but wanted to see what I could accomplish beyond 13.1. The day that registration opened was set in my calendar reminders so I knew I would get in. Well. I didn’t. I figured I would have a few more days to sign up once registration opened. I was very wrong.
Completely distraught, I tried to find another way in. Maybe this was my destiny to sign up for the full marathon since I couldn’t make it into the 21-miler. Nope. That was sold out too. I had no idea how popular this race was – it usually sells out in under an hour! With further research, I found out I could run for a charity. Perfect!!! Another thing I wanted to accomplish! I’ve never run or raised money for anything, so I signed up for Team Zero – Zero is an organization that focuses on ending prostate cancer by advancing research, encouraging action, and providing education to support men and their families. That’s right ladies… I’m doing something for the dudes. We gotta show them a little love. I would’ve loved to run for a charity that was focused on breast cancer research or heart disease, but prostate cancer is a killer and I am proud to be doing it. If you’d like to donate and support the cause, you can do so here. Any little bit helps and supporting the charity is also supporting my goal of running a full marathon!
So I’m in! I’m running a full marathon. Check out the course here… I know the hill at mile 12 is going to be killer. I’m not focusing on my time and am trying not to be over ambitious. With this being my first marathon, and a brutal course at that, I am really focused on finishing. Sometimes that’s the best goal – especially when you are doing something you’ve never done before.
J
