What happened? Well, a couple of things. Let's discuss.
The main issue is that I psyched myself out. I had been questioning for a while now whether or not this was such a good idea. For a beginning runner to attempt a 5K, a 10K, a 10 miler, a half and a full marathon in one calendar year? I know it can be done; I just don't know if I am being realistic about what I can safely and reasonably accomplish. My 5K is in three weeks and I am not where I think I should be with my training. Right now, I am doing 2 miles in 40 minutes on a treadmill. At this pace it's going to take me a full hour to run a 5K. It used to take me 30 minutes to walk the 1 and 3/4 miles to work. My pace is no where near where it needs to be to finish the marathon without being removed from the course and I'm not sure that 7 and 1/2 months is enough time for a first time runner to reach that point.
The second issue is money. It's a $90+ entry fee and I just don't have that kind of money right now. I sort of forgot about that part. Living on my own is fabulous and I don't ever want to live with roomates again (you know, unless I'm married to the roomate!) but it is expensive! Especially with the looming threat of a government shutdown that means this girl doesn't get paid for a while. (Dear Federal Gvernment: Please don't shut down. I don't want to be evicted because you stopped paying me and I can't make rent. Thank you. Love, Chelsea)
Now, that doesn't mean that I won't maybe possibly change my mind when the entry transfer period opens but we'll see.
But, if you have been paying attention, you remember that I am trying to be flexible and accepting of change and kinder to myself. SO! I am not getting all depressed and angry about this. I'm not giving up. I am simply re-evaluating my goals. I am running my very first 5K on March 20. The Capitol Hill Classic 10K is May 15 and it is conveniently located in my neighborhood. And, since I am missing the MCM, I am DEFINITELY running the Army 10 Miler in October. That's 3 out of my 5 races. That's more than half. More than half is...well, more than half. I will have completed most of my goal and the rest will just be rescheduled to 2012. Plus, I am going to run the Race for the Cure 5K in June and I figure that at that point I should have this running thing down. Four races in one year for a former couch potato is nothing to be ashamed of.
As for next year, I WILL be one of the 30,000 running the 37th MCM in 2012. In addition, I think I have a few girlfriends willing to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon (it looks like so much fun!). I will totally run the Scope It Out 5K , Cap Hill Classic and Army 10 Miler again. Hm, wait a minute. I do believe that is every race I wanted to run THIS year. So, I will accomplish my goals! Just in a slightly longer time frame. So, I'm not giving up. I'm just giving myself a reality check.
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