After Matt and I set our sights on the year of running I knew there was at least one race that we just had to do! The Beach to Beacon. It is by far the most popular race in Maine. Runners from all over New England as well as well-known international running elite invade the coastal town of Cape Elizabeth for this 10K race. (You can read about it here) Short story: the race was started by the gold medalist in the first ever women's Olympic Marathon (LA, 1984), Joan Benoit Samuelson. She is from Cape Elizabeth and my high school track coach was once her running coach, he always just referred to her as "Joanie". It blows my mind that elite world runners really do come (the winning time last year was 27:36...the fastest 10K in the world at the time) to Maine, minutes down the street from my grandparent's house. Whether you are a runner or not, everyone around here knows about the B2B!
I was so anxious that we would not get bibs that I talked my sister into getting up before 7 on a random Thursday morning in March so that she could also register (They allow bib transfers...which I know is a little underhanded BUT I really really REALLY wanted a spot.) As it turns out, of the six people I knew who were hoping to get in, all but one of us did, including Matt, myself, and my sister. My friend's husband ended up getting a coveted lottery spot, so in the end we all got in! I think for a few days my sister felt slightly duped into registering for the race (I mean really as long as you set an alarm, four minutes was more than enough time to fill out the registration) but after a few "you've totally got this" pep talks she was ready to run...well ready to get ready to run. The race is in August, but at the time we registered, neither of us had ever run a 10K.
Somewhere during the whole Beach to Beacon pep talks someone decided it would be fun to run the Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon. That someone was not me, and I would like to take a moment to remind her of that!! :::waves hello to Kate::::
It will be fun, she said. Like a mini-vacation, she said.
Okay, I can do this. I can run a half marathon....
...and if I can run one half marathon this year...I can run TWO. Even though it has been months since I made that insane leap, I still can't believe I am doing this. The Disney W&D isn't until November, and I just knew I would need something before then to keep me motivated. For some unknown reason I decided it would be a good idea to run my first ever half marathon in July. You know, when it is 90 degrees. I do all my best running in the high heat of the summer sun...said this lady, NEVER.
In the span of three days we registered for the B2B, the Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon, and The Oldport Half Marathon. Holy crap.
As of today, I have a 100 degree fever and 34 days until my first half marathon. Being sick is the pits, but as long as I don't get injured I should be ready. I hope.
No, I will be ready.
After the Oldport Half we have twenty days to rest, recover, and get in a few training runs before the B2B! Matt really wants to run a fast time at the B2B, but I am going to focus on having a great time. We have been looking forward to this for months and I want to savor it! After the B2B we will have three months to train for Disney and even typing that out I can't believe how much running I will have done this year...I sort of can't wait to geek out over the data! We still need to register for both a September and October race, but those should be easy to find.
Coming up, two more riveting posts about running!
(One about our specific training plans and one about gear)
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