I Wanna Be A Marathoner...

...so freaking bad!
(you have to sing it like the Billionaire song!)

Photo from here.

A few weeks ago, I decided that I want to run my first FULL marathon! I want to join the "Marathoner Club" and I also want to see if I can challenge myself (mentally and physically) to complete 26.2 miles.

The next step was picking the marathon. That was actually a really easy decision - the 20th anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon that takes place January 13, 2013. There are many reasons why this is the perfect marathon for me:

1. I'm not getting any younger - might as well do this now!

2. It is the 20th anniversary, so runDisney will go big!

3. runDisney planned a new course this year - there is less time on open highway and more time in the four Disney parks!

4. I turn 26 a month after this race, so it will be like running one mile for each year I've been alive! (Weird thought? Maybe.)

5. There is a special surprise at Mile 20 which happens to be through the baseball stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports. I'm thinking a band or something big!

6. runDisney adds so many fun things to look at - 26.2 miles will go by faster there than compared to a regular marathon anywhere else.

7. Why not?!

Photo from here.

Then I had to ask the fam and friends if they would come cheer for me as part of my chEAR squad. They all said they would, so I hope they show up since this is going to be a huge accomplishment if I can do it.

Just FYI - I plan to treat this race weekend different than I do the Princess Half/Tink Half weekends. Usually we spend hours walking around the parks the days before. This time I plan to go down specifically for the race - I can save the fun for when I return a month later for the 5th anniversary Princess Half. I will definitely be hitting up the Expo though - can't miss that! I only wish the weather would be nice for some pool relaxation time!

Speaking of taking this race seriously - I have already found a 30 week training program. It begins today (with a rest day ;o) ! It starts out with really low mileage at 1-3 miles the first few days for a couple weeks. I would say it doesn't get challenging until October in my opinion. When you train for races do you skip the small mileage and do what you are used to or follow what the plan says? I think I'm going to follow the training schedule for now. One of my summer goals is to stick to it! I've never really trained for a race before, so I'm intimidated (20 mile Saturday run?!) and excited (new adventure!).

There are sooo many things I'm worried about for my first full, but I'm trying to focus on positives: I'm beyond excited to have a chEAR squad this year! I'm looking forward to the mental and physical challenge. The training will be just as much of a challenge as the actual race.  I hear some people have time to ride rides during the race.  It will be fun overall! We shall see how this goes - wish me luck!

Photo from here.

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