Let the training begin!

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2008 and the year of Nanci's marathon. I never thought that I would have anything of interest to write in a blog, but then again up until now I never would have uttered the words marathon and my name in the same sentence.

As most of you know, I am not a runner. What I mean to say is that I don't run and do not enjoy anything of the sort including: skipping, hopping, jogging, or even fast paced walking. In the past, working out has been strictly done to burn my excess calories and running was never a part of the routine. So, you may be thinking..."does she know that a marathon is a race that requires A LOT of running and at the very least a fast paced movement of the legs." The answer is a painful and yet motivated "Yes." Let me take you back to where this all started....

It was a normal evening at the Weinstein abode this past October when David so thoughtfully invited (or was it challenged) me to train to run a marathon. My "have you lost your mind" reaction was coupled with a resounding "obviously, you think that I don't have enough to keep me busy." Which was followed by the final "NO!" The conversation ended and I went on with life to never utter the word marathon again. At least that was my original plan.

Nothing more was said about the marathon until...Thanksgiving Day. It was a beautiful and unseasonably warm day, so we decided to take the girls to visit Great Falls park. I can honestly say that the word marathon had not crossed my mind since the invitation (challenge) was presented in October.

However, as we stood quietly looking out over the cascades and falls (the Great Falls are actually a series of cascades and rapids on a two-thirds of a mile stretch of the Potomac River) the word marathon popped into my head. I don't know where the thought came from (actually I kind of do) and I turned to David and said "I'll do it." And the rest as they say ladies and gentlemen is history, or at least will become history (I pray) on October 26, 2008.

After making this unbelievably crazy decision I quickly began researching how one can survive a marathon when one is not a life long runner. Well, I hit the pot of gold when I found a book by Dawn Dais The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women. She is hilarious and actually combined the truth about running a marathon (it doesn't sound like a heck of a lot of fun) with the lessons she learned along the way. (lessons worth learning)

So, October 26, 2008 is my date with destiny my friends and I have the next 42 weeks (of course I counted the weeks) to prepare for the challenge. Along the way I will keep you informed of my progress (pain) to my goal on this blog. David will act as my coach/trainer and I have already recruited (not intentionally) one friend (Lizzie) to run with me.

During a phone call to her I informed her of my decision to run a marathon. Now Liz has been "telling me like it is" long before Dr.Phil ever coined the phrase, so I kind of hoped that she would talk me out of this spur of the moment decision. Nope, not Lizzie, she not only filled my head with words of encouragement she decided to share in the challenge. Gotta love her.

She is what I like to call my "Chipper Jen" (book reference), but you know the type of person that LOVES to workout and uses the words fun and exercise in the same sentence. She will train along with me albeit in Oregon where she lives, but she plans to be by my side the day of the race. Who could ask for more?

Check back here when you feel moved to do so as I plan to update the blog as often as possible. I am guessing at least every couple of days. I guess it depends on the week and whether I have enough energy to type. I welcome any suggestions, advice, or words of encouragement. I need all the help I can get!!

So there you have it. I have a blog about running and starting tomorrow morning my training begins. Who would have thunk it? Not I my friends, definitely not I.

QUOTE of the Week:

Be the change in the world you want to see.
-Gandhi