Running Down A Dream

I am not a runner. But this is a blog about running. Confused yet?

Ok, so I can run, which I suppose does make me a "runner" but not a runner if you know what I mean. I don't run for fun. At least, I never did until three weeks ago (and it's still not that fun). It went a little something like this:

I was following a friend's posts on Twitter while she was down in Disney World during Marathon weekend. Her husband was running the Goofy Challenge- a half marathon on Saturday followed by a full marathon on Sunday. Goofy indeed. As she was documenting the experience, I got to thinking about what it would be like to participate in a runDisney event. Being the proper Disneyphile I am, I knew about runDisney, but never thought it would be something I would actually do. Although it was nice to daydream about it. What really got me was the picture in my head of running down Main St. USA with Cinderella Castle all decked out in lights while spectators cheered you on. There was just something so magical about that thought and I couldn't let it go.

A day or two later, the thought was still there like a tiny grain of sand stuck in my mind. And then it started to grow and I found myself thinking more and more "what if I really could run? And what's more, what if I really could run, and do it at Disney?" Could it be possible to combine my least favorite thing with my most favorite thing?

Apparently I thought the answer was yes, because I posted this on Facebook:
Walt Disney World Marathon weekend 2014. The training (and saving!) starts now.

Initially I was only in for the 5K. What's 3 miles? I could work my way up to that. But then the wheels started turning and my sister posted that she wanted to not only join me but run the half marathon. Come again? Did she realize that was 13.1 miles? Of running? Long story short, I suddenly added ten miles to my distance.

To prove to myself that I was committed to this, I e-mailed my trainer January 17th:

Hi Jimmy!

Hope you’ve enjoyed break! Just wanted to check in about starting training again this semester. I’m excited to get started again and have a big goal I can’t wait to tell you about. This semester I am available on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. Those are the only days I have no conflicts. Every other Tuesday and every other Wednesday I have meetings, so depending on the week I may be able to meet with you those nights.

 

Want to know what my goal is????  I’ve decided to train for a half marathon! It will be in January of 2014 so I have a whole year to get ready. I’ve signed up for a 5K in June and will likely do other runs in the summertime and fall as they come available. I know I’ve always said I don’t want to run but that’s mostly because I have knee pain. But, if I can train the right way and build up strength then hopefully my knees won’t bother me anymore. The best part about this goal is that my sister is doing it with me AND the half marathon is in Disney World!!!!

 

Can you confirm with me whether Mondays and Thursdays at 5:30 will work with your schedule? If so, can we get started next Monday?

 

Thanks!

Nikki

I can't imagine what he was thinking when he read this. I'd been a casual gym goer at best, preferring to get my cardio in the form of Zumba or jogging gazelle-like on the Eliptical once a week. I found more excuses to "reschedule" our training sessions or just cancel them altogether than I had reason to actually show up at the gym. I'm pretty sure the first thing I said to him at our first training session was "I don't run." But if he was surprised or had any doubts, he didn't show it. His response was "yes, let's do it, I'm excited for you that you have this goal." So we worked out our schedule and I'm on week 2 of our training program.


I've been running for two weeks now and I still don't feel like a runner. I think I could run every day for the rest of my life and never feel like a runner. It's just not how I define myself. I am a non-runner runner. But what I am doing, is running down this dream.

Next up- a little more background about me and why I still mostly despise running