Bud Light Rewards

After about two months of running, I felt like I was losing sight of my goal.  I knew that I had a half marathon to train for, but when it’s only March and the race is in September, I had a hard time staying motivated.  Of course, I loved running, but there were some days when laying on the couch in my sweatpants was way more appealing than going for a run.  I started thinking that it might be time to sign up for some type of race to challenge me and get me back on track.  I looked in the paper, but there seemed to be no races in my area.  Then one week, out of nowhere, there was an ad in the Press about an April Fool’s Run in Atlantic City.  The April Fool’s Run was the first annual run and the courses were 7K and 11K.  As I mentioned before, I had never been a runner; the only race I had done was the 5Ks in Charleston and I was so slow that senior citizens had passed me.  This race was doable, but I was hoping to start with a 5K.   I saw the advertisement on a Tuesday and the run was scheduled for that Sunday.  I happened to be substituting the day I saw the ad and I mentioned it to my friend Alyssa who is the gym teacher at the school where I was subbing.  She was also looking for something to get her back on the exercise wagon.  Being a gym teacher she is in pretty good shape, but she was also a little hesitant about signing up.  We both decided we would think about it.  Later that evening, I sent her a text saying I was seriously considering signing up.  She replied that we should just do it. So that was it, we decided we would just try it out; the worst case scenario being we couldn’t run the whole thing and we would have to walk.  What did we have to lose?  She picked me up on the morning of the race and we were both a little anxious.  We were not very unprepared for this race; I wasn’t sure what I should wear, she didn’t know what she should have for breakfast, and neither of us was sure of the race time.  Luckily we made it up to Bally’s, where the race began, in time.  We picked up our race packs and already we were off to a good start.  The tech shirts that we received were awesome considering the cost of the race was $27, which by racing standards is not very much at all.  They had a band playing and the excitement in the air was palpable.  Some people were standing around anxiously waiting to start; other people were running up and down the boardwalk to warm up.  Alyssa and I kept exchanging excited, but nervous glances.  Finally it was time to start, before I knew it we were off and running.  Any nervous feelings I had before dissipated once I started running. Let me tell you, running on the Atlantic City Boardwalk was interesting to say the least.  There were so many sights to look at and so many people to stare at that time flew, before I knew it, we were halfway there.  Now I’m not going to say that the run was easy, but it definitely wasn’t bad.  When I felt like I was getting tired, I would slow my pace and I was fine.  Approaching the finish line was one of the greatest feelings,  I was so proud of myself for running the whole time and I was so excited because there were so many people cheering.  After we crossed the finish line, Alyssa and I headed to find some food and water that races usually provide.  I can’t even describe to you how wonderful it was to cross the finish line and then get in line for refreshments to find out that in addition to staples like bananas and water, they were also serving Bud Light and Rita’s Water Ice.   What a great ending to my first real race. If this is what my first race was like, I couldn’t wait to see what else was in store. 

Signing my life away

So last I left it, I was preparing to run my first half-marathon, but before I tell you about the end, I figure I need to start at the beginning.  I was never a runner (if you couldn’t tell from my encounters with the power-walking grannies), but there is nothing like a breakup to send you plunging head-first into something. For some, it’s a pint of ice cream, for others, it’s much harder substances like drugs or alcohol, but for me, it was running.  I can still remember the first day I decided to take all of my pent-up frustrations out on the pavement.  It was a cold, cold day in the middle of January; I believe it was the first day there was no snow on the ground in a while.  I was growing tired of laying around wallowing in self-pity (and so was my mother), so she suggested I get out of the house.  I had nowhere to go.  I was recently unemployed after finishing up a maternity leave and all of my friends had jobs, but my mom was right.  The more bored I let myself become, the worse it was going to be. So I threw on an old crewneck sweatshirt and some leggings, grabbed my ipod and some earmuffs, and went out for a run.  The air was so cold it almost sent me into shock, but that is exactly what I needed.  I started running and all of a sudden I started thinking about everything that had been bothering me lately.  The angrier and more frustrated my thoughts were, the faster I ran.  Before I even realized it, I had run 2.5 miles.  Of course, once I realized how far I had run I started cursing myself because I had to run all the way back, but that’s beside the point.  The point is, I found a natural and healthy was to relieve all of the stress I had been feeling.  So for the next couple of days, whenever I was feeling overwhelmed, I would put on my sneakers and head out for a run.  I never predetermined the time of my run or how far I would go, as long as I had run out all of my stresses for the day, I was all right.  Gradually, as time went on, I started stress less; however, I still kept running because that’s what I needed to stay sane.  About a month after my first run, I moved out of my parents’ house and into a house with my best friend.  One night I was telling her how I’ve been running and how much I’m enjoying it.  She suggested that we sign up for the half-marathon that she had done last year in Philly.  I was a little wary because 13.1 miles seemed like an eternity for a new runner, but since it was about 8 months away, she was able to convince me.  So on February 16, 2011, I signed up to do my first half-marathon.