The Whole Enchilada

June 12, 2010. It was a drizzly early summer morning. The baby was fed, the IT band securely held in place with a jimmy-rigged ipod armband around the knee, the brother (who had just left the army 3 days before & decided he could run a marathon, too) was laden with energizing snacks for the upcoming 5 hour ordeal, and prayers for safety and not making a fool of oneself had been fervently offered... The stage was set.

I trained for seven months. Got up at 4:30 a.m. for the required weekly 'long runs' ranging in distance from 8 - 16 miles. Carb loaded. Carb replenished. Learned that eating a banana after an hour of running gives one a kick of energy and not the urge to vomit. Obsessed over halhigdon.com's beginner marathon schedule. Really obsessed. Almost died completing the highly recommended 1/2 marathon race (see shameful last blog entry). Went through 2 pairs of pricey running shoes.

I hereby testify that ANYTHING is possible for those who have the will to do the work to accomplish a goal. Running a marathon was the last thing I or anyone who knows me ever thought I could or would do. I'm the one who as a freshman in high school threw up after 'jogging' a 13 minute mile without stopping to walk. The marathon was the greatest experience I've ever had. The course was beautiful. The rain made the canyon green and lush and the clouds were so low that it actually made me feel like I was running in Central America. My brother Russell (the aforementioned brother who carted my energy snacks along the course) threw down and ran it with me with no training at all... Yes, he's in that great of shape on a consistent basis. (Though I must interject that my recovery was much faster and easier than his.)

I am reminded of a poem my mom forced us to recite as children:

Stick to your task till it sticks to you,

Beginners are many, but enders are few,

Honor, power, place and praise will always come to the one that stays.

Stick to your task till it sticks to you,

Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too,

For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile,

Will come life's victories after a while.

I stuck to my marathon til the marathon stuck to me, and I (still) lack my big toenails to prove it. So, you may be thinking (if your attention is not deficit and you stuck to reading these ramblings til it's now sticking to your brain), what could possibly top this adventure? Well, my new task is a triathalon. I'm aiming big because apparently that's the only aim I have. I'm training for a half ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run). I wanted to do one in Provo in August, but it seems that August will find me far from Provo (which is the topic for another day's blog), so I'll have to see if I can find another one. So, if you can handle the once-a-year posting that goes on here, stay tuned...