run, maggie, run

I made an impulse buy today.  I bought an entry into the Tower of Terror Walt Disney World 10-Mile run.  I've never run more than 5 miles together in my life.  Let's back up for a second, though, and I'll try to explain what's going on.

The idea of doing a half-marathon popped into my brain a couple months ago when I was out running the Gemini Springs trail down to Lake Monroe in Debary.  I'd quit my gym membership right before Christmas because I just wasn't happy with the classes, it was inconvenient to try to get to it, and I was sick of paying out the wazoo each month when I didn't even have time to go.  I figured I could just do some running- I'd always wanted to be "good" at running, whatever that means.  Partly it meant NOT taking 45 minutes to run a 5K.  (That's 3.1 miles for you non-runner folk)  I still remember barely making it through a 5K in high school (back then I just did them for the t-shirt) in over three quarters of an hour with a stitch in my side and shin splints.  So not good.  I never really tried to improve, and gave up on running altogether for many years because, come on, it hurt and I sucked at it.

Anyway, I'd do a little running every now and then when I was having a "fat day" but never more than a couple miles.  I've done a few 5K runs over the past couple of years for work and Thanksgiving turkey trots and that's it.  I decided to run the trail to Lake Monroe because we'd walked it before and rode it on the bikes but I had no idea how long it was.  Something about 4 miles was floating around in my head, so, with no watch and no means of telling distance, I started out.  I had zero concept of time while running/taking breaks to walk and I figured it must have been about an hour and a half.  So, maybe 8 miles, I was thinking.  That's when the idea of doing the Disney Princess Half Marathon first manifested itself.  I was hanging in there out on this trail, I can do 13.1 miles!  I smiled at the thought- running through the Magic Kingdom, feeling good, I mean, I'd already run about an hour and a half so what's just a little more?

Until I got back to the car and looked at the map.  And the clock.

I'd run a total of 4.8 miles, and it had only been 50 minutes.

I felt like a balloon that just got stuck with a pin.  So much for my grand idea of a half-marathon, I was whupped.  And disappointed.  And stubborn and more determined than ever to MAKE IT HAPPEN.

I ran the trail a few more times over the next few weeks, with less walking breaks and more running.  I used www.mapmyrun.com to measure out some distances around the blocks from the house and found that what I now call the "big block" is 1.7 miles, and the "little block" is 1.2. I've done 3 laps around the big block twice now, for a total of 5.1 miles each time and am holding steady at 57 minutes.  If I can build up my stamina to get any farther than that, this 10 mile run that I've already registered and paid $150 to do won't be a total embarrassment!  I'll post some more on my progress and it gets closer, and hopefully I'll show some improvement along the way.  Registration for the Princess Half hasn't opened yet so I'm waiting for that announcement.  I'm also going to try to track down some 10K runs this fall to get used to the race environment- not much happens in that department in the heat of the Florida summer!

(By the way, I jumped in the pool for the first time this year when I finished my run and it was effing freezing.  As in, 72 degrees.  Brrrrrrrrr.)

So the Tower of Terror run isn't until October, so I have some time.  It's at night though, 10pm start time, which should be really awesome.  I guess it's okay to be a little excited, we'll see how I'm feeling about it come September.  

One more thought- the magician Houdini could work his way out of a straitjacket while hanging upside down and handcuffed, but he NEVER had to try to wriggle out of a tight-fitting sweaty sports bra.  He ain't got nothin' on me!