It's time to start....RUNNING!!!

Last weekend was the Mudhen 5K race in Longmont.  Not being a runner, let alone a distance runner, I did not participate in the race (and after waking up to a steady SNOW, I was even more thankful I hadn't committed). However, many friends from Alpha and some families from school did run, and I was able to catch the tail end of many of their races.  Kathy competed for the first time in quite awhile and ended up 4th in her division.  One KB student from Alpha, Stephanie, won her division.  Several others were there running with their kids or supporting their friends.  But probably the most inspiring runner was another kickboxing friend, Erika, who was doing her first 5K.  She is as strong as they come, very dedicated to coming to class and has made monumental improvements across the board in her overall fitness.  But she is not a runner, and yet she decided to set a goal and see it through.  And she finished, and it was really cool to see that and all the support she was getting.

Well, the end of those races is always great, with people congratulating each other and just hanging out and realizing they just did a pretty intense workout, and now they are done and they can enjoy the aftermath.  Kathy was looking for more races to run, which is beyond awesome, because quite often she is just too busy or tired to train or compete in stuff like this, and she is actually very good at it.  She found a half marathon being run for the first time in Longmont this July, and she thinks that would be a good race to train for.  She talked to some of our friends about it, and they showed some interest.  And I will probably look back at this decision as one of the most whacked out decisions I have ever made, but I told her I would give it a go myself. 

Yes, I am planning to run the Redline 13.1 in Longmont on July 16th (happy 40th birthday to me).  Let me just list a few things that are fundamentally flawed about my decision:

1.  I am not a runner.  I have never enjoyed running.  And I have never been very good at it.

2. I have no endurance.  I swam in HS and college, and when I was in top shape, I was a SPRINTER.  I can hang for four laps in a pool.  13 miles on a path....um, not so much.

3.  Did you see what time this thing starts?  6:30 a.m.!  I am never up at 6:30 a.m, but on July 16th, I not only get to wake up at least 90 minutes earlier than that, but then I get to go run (which I hate) for 13 miles (which takes endurance). 

4.  I don't remember the last running race I competed in.  Pretty sure it was a 5K.  Pretty sure it was at least 10 years ago.  Pretty sure the elevation of the race was about 50 feet above sea level.   

5.  My knees and feet have been giving me lots of trouble lately when doing martial arts.  I imagine 13.1 miles  of foot pounding on a paved trail is not going to give my knees any warm fuzzies.

All that said, there is one thing that I have going for me.  I've never raced that far before, but it will be a challenge, and one that I'm not yet convinced I can achieve.  I fully expect to suck, and I fully expect that the race will nearly kill me, but I also expect that there will be a lot of support for me and my other friends who plan to do this, and that will be all it takes.  By the time I turn 40, I hope to at least be able to say that I've run a half marathon, and anyone who knows me at all will know that if I can say those words honestly, hell must certainly have frozen over.  One of my favorite motivational quotes is "Pain is temporary.  Pride is forever."  No doubt.  Time to bring it.....