Background.

Why run a half marathon?

I saw Alison, Andy and Tara finish their triathlon, probably around the height of my disgust for personal fitness, and I realized there is something I am completely missing. Golf is a huge passion for me, and I am loving the competition of it against myself, and really feeling like I am fighting a battle against myself...

But I realized it wasn't really challenging me physically, and I really do love that feeling. Getting open, for me, in club ultimate was hard. I had to work at it. I realized that I needed to work hard to even get to a point where I could be open for the disc, and I also realized I didn't have the time to put in in the offseason to maintain that level.

My offseason of 04-05 was really hard. I was planning on coming back and playing ultimate, but I gained a lot of weight, probably 20 pounds or so, and I got a new job, and the thought of going back to ultimate, on Metal, was too much. I had to quit for a 47 reasons, mostly b/c I just didn't have the time.

By summer of 05, I realized I had let things completely slip. I didn't get injured in the summer club season, but I felt like I was so limited as to what I could physically do. I was getting headaches, I felt like nothing was really fun, and I was frustrated with physical output b/c it was difficult.

By the spring of 06, things had gotten pretty bad. I was up around 220, but it was a bad 220. 1-2 healthy meals a week, skipping either breakfast or lunch every single day and not really caring (or knowing to care) about it at all.

Then I saw Alison, Andy and Tara do their triathlon, in great shape, in great spirit, and realizing that it was COMPLETELY time for me to do something. I had toyed around with the idea of a 1/2 marathon for a while, but only one half marathon.

My love for Disney will come out in other posts, but the only place I knew I could be motivated to do such a thing would be in Disney World, and their event is in January of each year. I was at the 2004 Disney 1/2 and Full Marathon's, as an employee of Reebok, at the Expo. It was a great energy, a little chilly, but I had a good time. I got sick as a dog, but it was fun being there.

I went to disney in january of 06 as well, on a golf trip with Marc, and I knew I liked the idea of a long weekend in Orlando, to get away and do something fun. So why not the half?

Around the early summer, I identified a training program I am comfortable with (see my previous post) and I saw the start date of this training as September 11, 2006.

Well, since that day, I have been faithful to the training. I have had to adjust a few things b/c of time constraints, but overall it has been excellent, I have been doing what needed to be done, all leading up to the 13.1 mile race in January.

My next post will be something about the course itself, and how excited I am about it.