com·mence
My training for the 2013 Portland Marathon has officially commenced! I just registered for the Portland Marathon on Saturday.
As soon as I crossed the finish line of last year's marathon, I was determined to do it again this year. I missed my goal, by a lot, and I wanted to come back strong and better my time this year.
I confess. I'm nervous as hell and getting a late start this year. Things haven't been going as planned. I've had some setbacks and I've been agonizing over the decision of whether or not I should do the marathon this year, or just skip it. I've continued to walk since the last half-marathon that I did in April, but nowhere near the distances I normally put in when training for a marathon so I can't even really call it "training."
The Portland Marathon is nearly sold out and I knew I had to make a decision soon. Apparently my indecision was putting off some major vibes because just as I was about to make the decision to skip it, two friends contacted me within about 36 hours of each other. First, my friend, Molly, sent me a Facebook message telling me that she had just registered and asked if I was in this year. Then, shortly after receiving Molly's message, I received another Facebook message from my friend, Shannon, asking if we were going to do the Portland Marathon this year?! Wow! Talk about perfect timing! They swooped in at the perfect time and saved me from myself. I'm registered and I'm going for it!
Up until the moment I registered, I was feeling as though my body was falling to pieces. I didn't think my body could hold it together enough to last another 26.2. As a result of not maintaining a strict training schedule, I've gained back a bunch of the weight I had lost, which means one more added challenge. But guess what? As soon as I made the decision to commit to the marathon and register, I felt an immediate shift in my attitude and I regained confidence in myself and in my body. Yes, I'm starting over. Yes, I'm getting a late start. Yes, it might hurt a little more this year than it did last. But, the day after I registered I set out to do 14 miles, which was the official commencement of my marathon training, and I felt a renewed sense of strength and determination. I felt pretty darn good, actually.
I had been agonizing over this for weeks on whether or not I could complete another marathon. My indecision was holding me back and nearly halted my training. It turns out, all I needed was a little encouragement from my friends and to register, and that was just the motivation I needed to start my real training again.
Is there something that you need to start, or start over? No matter what it is, you can do it. Commence!