Have I Lost My Mind?

Let me begin by saying, I'm a runner. I'm not fast, and even though I'm training for a marathon for the second time (insert groan), I still don't see myself as a distance runner.

But I registered for this thing, a marathon, 26.2 miles of the unknown.

I never in my life imagined that I'd be training for anything like this. Who does this? Who willing decides to dedicate months of their life to run a race. What was I thinking?

But I muddled through it a few months ago. That's right, this is my second go around with training. I had some medical setbacks which required surgery and missed training which resulted in an injury when I tried to come back to running. I didn't run my first planned marathon this past November.

And I didn't want to wait an entire year to try again. So I found another race and I registered. That's right. I willingly signed up for this thing. And guess what? It's 12 weeks away. And this course is hilly. So not only do I have to build back my mileage, I need to add in some hill training.

What was I thinking?

Should I mention it's winter? That means that the only time I can run (super early morning while the family is asleep), it's cold and it's dark outside. So most of my runs, except for my Long Run on the weekend has been on the treadmill.

Do you have any idea how boring the moving belt can be? I've tried virtual reality DVDs. I have my music blaring. I have the TV on. And it feels like it takes forever just to get in a few miles. But up to this point, I've done it. But it's been a struggle. And as I'm huffing and puffing at myself in the mirror by my treadmill, I can't help but ask myself if I have lost my mind? Who does this? Who willingly runs in one place and physically moves no where?

Today's run was outside at 5:45am. Yup, it was dark, and it was cold. Thankfully I had a running buddy who met me otherwise I probably, OK realistically, wouldn't have done it. But as I was setting my alarm last night to get up at 4:45am, I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I'd truly lost my mind.

In 12 short weeks, I will have 26.2 miles ahead of me. Will I finish? Follow me on my journey and find out...