Boy, I’m glad I’m not getting paid to do this! I’d never make any money if I was supposed to be timely. For those that read this blog, thank you. I hope to be more consistent in posting now that my training for the 2010 Walt Disney World Marathon will officially begin on Monday (Labor Day). I spent much of August in recovery from the Urban Wildland Half-Marathon (see last post) and maintenance running to keep some semblance of a base. I intend to post on my training here as I prepare for the marathon in January, but with a bit of a difference. I’m planning on posting pictures (finally!) of the running routes I have. I think it is very interesting to see where people run because it helps me visualize what other people face during their training. I figure that if people are willing to read this blog, I could at least break up the text with photos now and then.
I am having a bit of a mental crisis, though, concerning my participation with Team AllEars. I am really excited about the team and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than my running at WDW, especially when the group is raising money for such an important cause in fighting breast cancer. I am committed to raising the money that team members are asked to raise, although in all honesty, asking for donations is outside my comfort zone. That is one reason why I asked to be a part of the team . My whole life as been spent in or around my comfort zone, something I freely admit. Last year’s months of unemployment certainly took me out of that zone and I learned much about myself that made me proud and, at times, made me sad. Finding a new job in a role I never imagined, in an industry I never thought I’d work, and without help from a network of contacts showed me that I can step up to challenges that really test my belief in myself.
How does that thought translate to Team AllEars and raising money? Asking folks to help me has never been a strong suit of mine (ask my wife, who’s been with me for 22 years). I have a plan to raise money, which I think will work, but the back-up plan is to move outside the comfort zone. The help I am now asking for is advice. What has worked for you to overcome doing something outside your comfort zone or new to you? I’m very interested in hearing any ideas anyone has and I appreciate the time you take to read my blog and follow my progress as I work toward another marathon.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wow, August already?
So much for timely blogging! Although, to be fair, not much has happened since the last post in late June. I ran the Urban Wildland Half-Marathon in Richfield this past Saturday. My training was a bit unusual for me in that most of the days I ran, I did it on the elliptical. I have yet to figure out how to get a run done at work, either before or after work. This means that I get up early-ish during the week and go downstairs to the elliptical and do my miles or splits. On the weekends, I get my long runs done outside, but it is not the same as last year when I was outside almost every day I trained (of course I was unemployed most of last year). I’d really like to get a routine figured out to run outside more during the week, especially since I’ll be starting my training for the 2010 Walt Disney World Marathon on Labor Day.
To go back to the Urban Wildland Half-Marathon, the race itself was fine. I finished in 2:30, which is about what I expected. I felt good for almost the whole race, although I did walk a good chunk of the last couple of miles. The course is fairly flat and goes through Wood Lake Nature Center, as well as several parks in Richfield. There were about 1100 runners who finished the race, so a small-ish race, but the widely-scattered spectators kept us pumped up and excited. The water stops usually feature area schoolkids as volunteers, which is always fun. I like seeing the kids get into shouting “Water! Water!” and “Good job!” I always thank each one I take water from and hope that they feel like they helped me finish.
After the race, I realized that in the roughly 12 month period from the 2009 to 2010 WDW Marathon Weekends, I will have run 2 marathons, 3 half-marathons, a 10k and a 5k, in addition to training. Sometimes the elliptical doesn’t look too bad!
To go back to the Urban Wildland Half-Marathon, the race itself was fine. I finished in 2:30, which is about what I expected. I felt good for almost the whole race, although I did walk a good chunk of the last couple of miles. The course is fairly flat and goes through Wood Lake Nature Center, as well as several parks in Richfield. There were about 1100 runners who finished the race, so a small-ish race, but the widely-scattered spectators kept us pumped up and excited. The water stops usually feature area schoolkids as volunteers, which is always fun. I like seeing the kids get into shouting “Water! Water!” and “Good job!” I always thank each one I take water from and hope that they feel like they helped me finish.
After the race, I realized that in the roughly 12 month period from the 2009 to 2010 WDW Marathon Weekends, I will have run 2 marathons, 3 half-marathons, a 10k and a 5k, in addition to training. Sometimes the elliptical doesn’t look too bad!
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