lifestyle

faith, trust and dust

January 27, 2012 /

tinker-bell-medal_t268

 

Excuse me while I repeat a mantra of, “stay calm Kim” over the next 48 hours, because I’m really freaking out about this whole race thing. Didn’t sleep more than 5 hours each night this week… haven’t been eating well…. and mentally I’m just eating myself up over this thing I’ve never done before.

Not like this isn’t the first time I’ve gone through this lovely cycle of stress. It’s happened before many other firsts…. first day of teaching, new jobs, performances, etc. And while I have many coping mechanisms, the inevitable period of “Kim freak out” still comes up and I still have to conquer the anxiety of that along with the task at hand. I can channel it all I want, but it’s still there and fueling the days leading up to those big events. And no matter the preparation for any of these events, I still get a giant lump in my throat before I get out there and actually do it.

But, at sometime around 4:30 in the morning on Sunday, I’ll be standing with 11,079 other women (and some random men) at the start line… and around 5:45am I’ll actually start the task of running 13.1 miles without causing myself more harm than good.  I might link up the virtual tracking to my twitter account so friends and family can peek in at my progress, and so that in my mind I can pretend I’ve got hundreds of people cheering me along and helping me get to the end.

I want the medal. I want to wear the race shirt with pride. And I want to check this random endeavor off my list. As someone related to me this week, “Doing the half marathon only takes a short period of time compared to the amount of time you spend bragging about doing it.” So yeah… I’m going to do this thing. :)

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19 Comments

  • Michelle

    January 27, 2012 at 12:45 pm

    I love that last line! It is so true. You are going to do great. Remember: one foot in front of the other, focus one mile at a time and no matter how long it takes you, crossing the finish line will happen! Can’t wait to track you!

  • Melinda

    January 27, 2012 at 12:48 pm

    So exciting – I remember my nerves before my first. Just go over your fuel plan, set out your clothes and try to get a little sleep for energy :) Have a blast!

  • talda

    January 27, 2012 at 1:18 pm

    I’ll totally be cheering you on! I know you can do this and yeah, finishing the race is completely brag worthy. You’ll enjoy it :)

  • maria

    January 27, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    Yeah! Get it gurl! I’m running my first half in March and I’m sure I’ll be feeling the anxiety in the days leading up to it too.

  • Marissa

    January 27, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    Kim, you’ll definitely have one person in Miami cheering you on — me! I’ve got my cowbell + everything. It’s ING weekend out here.

    Melinda’s given you some great advice. Try to get some sleep, start hydrating, and lay everything out the night before. Seeing all my gear set out helps me mentally check things off the list, which puts my mind at ease come bedtime.

    You never know, this random endeavor might lead to another and another. It has for me! Have fun with it + say hi to Tink for me! ♥

  • Audrey

    January 27, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    You are so DOING THIS. And I am so happy that I’ll be there with you :) Afterward, we are so wearing our medals and our shirts into the parks, so make sure you’ve got matching pants. See you tomorrow!!!

  • Janet

    January 27, 2012 at 11:21 pm

    Kim, you’re going to do great! I’m super excited for you! I didn’t realize it was the Tinker Bell half — wow, that could not be more perfect for you! I’m so totally cheering you on!

    Love that quote about bragging about it. I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth bragging about mine!

  • A Long Far View

    January 28, 2012 at 9:52 am

    You can do this! I’ll definitely be cheering you on :) (and the only half marathon that I’ve run (yet) was 8 years ago and I’m still incredibly proud of myself for that! You will definitely get your money’s worth after you’re done!)

  • Heidi

    January 28, 2012 at 2:48 pm

    You can do it! Just go slow and don’t stop! Find comfort and strength with the runners around you. If you listen to music while running, turn the volume down so you can get caught up in the energy of the crowd.