Running and Other Mad Things

Hi! I’m Sarah and I’m one of the runners doing this crazy half-marathon training. As of yesterday, I’ve been in remission for Hodgkin’s lymphoma for two years and I’m recently divorced. I have a nutty but awesome beagle named Buster Brown who has some emotional issues and loves eating popcorn, flip-flops, and my underwear, though not necessarily in that order. I’m addicted to Starbucks and gelato and baby carrots.

I talk a lot and curse quite a bit, too, for no real reason (esp when I’m talking to myself, which makes the whole talking-to-myself thing even weirder) and sing loudly in my car and my apartment. I mess around with writing random bits of fiction that are really only meant to amuse myself and mixed media art journal stuff. I have attention span issues and I’m an Aries, so I am very good at starting things and not so great at completing them. I have 8 unfinished books and innumerable unfinished art projects.

Amongst other things, I’m hoping finishing a half marathon will help me with learning to complete things.

Ok, so I have (in)famously said, on more than one occasion, that I wouldn’t run even if my house were on fire. And that used to be true, but I had a bit of a revelation when I was in chemotherapy two years ago. I began to miss how easy it used to be for me to mundane things like carrying groceries, and fussed at myself for not appreciating how strong I had been pre-cancer and pre-chemo. You don’t realize what you can do until you aren’t able to do it anymore.

I figured that that’s probably the same way that people feel about all things that they cannot do- those who can’t sing on key probably wished they could and those who can’t draw very well probably wished they could. I couldn’t run, but it was only because I hadn’t allowed myself to. I have lungs and legs and a heart- everything I need to run.

I started running for all the people who can’t and wished they could- I felt that it was selfish of me to be able to do something and then actively choose not to do it for no good reason. Now, I’m hooked on the endorphins and I like the zen feeling that kicks in about mile two (more experienced distance runners tell me it kicks in for them about mile four or five).

I’m not very fast, and when I run with my dog, not very consistent either as we’re always stopping so he can smell interesting things. I look like a dork and I bitch a lot under my breath (or in my head if I’m sprinting and can’t talk). But I really, actually like it.

Scary, I know. It still kind of creeps me out, too. I never thought I’d be one of those people who actually liked running. I’m pretty much ok with other exercise- though I’m terrible at most sports because of a pathetic lack of eye-hand coordination- I do yoga and pilates and ballet and belly dancing when I can get my butt to the gym for it. I love swimming and Carmen Electra’s cardio striptease videos and my Jillian Michaels videos. But running? Never.

Maybe if someone was chasing me I could run, but I’m so stubborn that I can’t even make myself do something I don’t want to. I have to convince myself that I’ll like it. I’m sure this implies immaturity on my part, but it’s just how the gears in my head work.

I still didn’t like the idea of running for no reason other than the fact that I liked it. I’m a big fan of goals and missions and whatnot, so I hunted around for races and found this:
http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/

If anything can make me want to run, it’s fake nobility and glitter. I am all about both of those things (esp the glitter part). As an added bit of fantastic-ness, the race benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in 2011. I didn’t quite decide to do the race in time to raise money and everything with the LLS Team N Training. But, as the running itself will be a sacrifice of my time and effort, I’m going to be saving up money to donate to LLS as well, and maybe my participation and the fact that I’m a lymphoma survivor will motivate people to give to LLS.

In case you’re wondering what I’m doing for training, I’m following the 8 weeks to a half marathon program for beginners from the fitness magazine website. Yes, February is more than 8 weeks away, but I also want to do the FL Gulf Beaches Halloween 5K and the Holiday Halfathon on December 12 as practice, so I need to get my butt in gear, literally.

Tomorrow morning the dog and I are doing a 5-mile run/walk combo if it’s not storming… if it is storming, then I’ll be running at the gym and the dog will be bitching at me when I return.

Get ready, Disney- we are going to be awesome and pink and glittery and freaking FAST.