Thursday, April 08, 2010

heel, toe...

i signed up to participate in a marathon today. granted, i'm only walking the half-marathon, but still. my name was (is) on some serious paperwork that says i will be doing a marathon. when did i become this girl?! what the hell is going on? i won't run to catch the phone in the privacy of my own home, much less run or hustle my ass with anyone watching. physical exertion in public is something i avoid only slightly less than peeing my pant in public. truth be told, both ideas are terrifying to me. i don't want to be known at the woman who peed her pants any more than i want you to see the weird way my legs bend outward when i run.

what made me decide to associate myself with a marathon is that for this particular one you train in teams, and you get a coach to help you work up to being in the race. which means i'll get help getting into shape, from professionals who hopefully won't let me do something that will kill me either with a heart attack or death by embarrassment. it also raises money for leukemia and lymphoma research, and i like the idea of not only getting in better shape, but helping out a worthwhile cause at the same time. i'm honestly surprised at myself for going to tonight's meeting; i've already gone farther with this than i thought i would. it's a nice idea, me walking 13.1 miles with a bunch of other people, raising money to help fight against a cancer that made my pop sick, and maybe getting myself into better shape at the same time. no one would ever accuse me of being terribly ambitious, especially when it comes to exercise, but i feel optimistic about this. maybe with three awesome things going for it, this is something i can stick with and do. perhaps i can hide my ridiculous gait in a herd of other walkers and runners, maybe in a group i won't be so self-conscious. i suppose we'll see!

while i'm here, if you do any considerable walking or running, what kind of shoes do you like? i started doing some research on good walking shoes, and was quickly overwhelmed.

4 comments:

Spacebeer said...

I think this sounds like a great plan! I am also not much of an exerciser, but I am a huge fan of walking and I bought some Vasque shoes before our big hiking trip in Big Bend that I love. What really makes them awesome, though is these Super Feet insoles that I bought (http://www.superfeet.com/). No matter what kind of shoes you get, I totally recommend these.

swatymyers said...

When I signed up for my first half marathon I went to a running store and got fitted (and promptly asked to think about it, buying the shoes online for half-price). I've always worn Saucony's but it's important you find what works for you.

And you can seriously do this. I was dumb enough to run two half-marathons without training and while it wasn't an awesome idea, I did it and raising money for a local animal shelter was worth every Advil I popped the next day.

Joolie said...

My sister did a half-marathon with Team in Training and had an amazing time. Runners and walkers are apparently a very nice and supportive group.

Hit me up for a donation when the time comes. I fucking hate leukemia and lymphoma.

amanda said...

you guys are awesome! i have to say, i'm feeling pretty good about doing this, and everyone i know who's done a marathon with team in training has had nothing but good things to say. for a marathon newbie like me, i think it will work out well!