Wednesday, June 17, 2009

She Upped the Ante

Some of you may remember my post from a few weeks ago, in which I exhorted against my sister's invitation to run a 5k as a big bridesmaid bash for her wedding. Apparently, my lack of zeal for her plan was unacceptable. She took it upon herself to up the ante in a new challenge. I thought I would include her challenge as a guest post today, along with my timid rebuttal, of course. I'm a little scared.

Frankly, Ahmadinejad would find my sister in all her wrath skeeeeeeeery. So here's her challenge:

CHALLENGE

I am hereby challenging my sister, Amanda at Serenity Now, to train for and FINISH the Disney Princess Half Marathon with me on Sunday, March 7, 2010.

She recently wrote this post about running because I had the {amazing} idea to get all my bridesmaids to run a 5K with me before the bachelorette party. Sadly, I can't find a race in Virginia that is convenient to all the other things going on that weekend AND all the girls' schedule.

BUT THEN SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENED! I was watching television the other day and saw this girl wearing a wonderful pink shirt kissing a medal hanging around her neck that looked like a tiara...I watched as the screen panned out and holey moley there was Cinderella's castle as the lady on the commercial invited me to a princess weekend at Disneyland! I never knew there was such a thing! aldfa;lfjj!

Anyway, here are the reasons that this is an amazing idea for my sister and I to plan for/train for/save money for this amazing princess-y event:

1.It's something to look forward to...everyone needs something to look forward to!
2.It's my birthday weekend and you could race with me as a present (You're cheap, you admit it, it's ok.)
3.We can get in better shape so that,
4.We will look amazing in our new PINK SHIRTS
5.Family vacay afterwards?
6.We can be a team and get our names on our bibs!
7.You can blog about it!
8.Mom will pay your entry fee (heh heh she doesn't know this yet, but I'll break it to her tonight.)
9.It's only 13.1 miles and regardless of if it takes 2 or 6 hours - it will feel so good to do it!

So, here it is Manda - do you accept my challenge?!?!?!


And my rebuttal:
I actually considered this for half a minute until I did a double take and saw that her challenge mentioned not a 5k, but a HALF MARATHON. I was almost (almost!) distracted by her description of a necklace-like medallion in the shape of a tiara. I am all about the necklaces and tiaras.

I'm really not sure how to address this except to say that:
1. Someone who gets winded opening the freezer door to retrieve a Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle Popsicle has no business "running" a half marathon.
2. "Only 13.1 miles" might as well be "only a quick jog across the continental U.S." for all I care. 13.1 miles is a good drive; much less run, walk, or better yet, crawl.
3. I took the girls on a long walk in the double stroller the other evening. It only reaffirmed my distaste for exercising outdoors. Our neighbor SD and his kids rode by on their bikes and I was more than a little jealous that they'd be getting home much more quickly than I would.
4. I don't think I would be able to enjoy a family vacation afterwards. I would probably be in the hospital getting oxygen.
5. I have no money. We just cashed a week of T's vacation out so we can join our neighborhood pool. Unless he buys a winning lottery ticket or something, I might have to walk to Disney. Then I'd be too tired to run. Plus they don't let you in the parks without tickets, I hear.
6. I'll get bored of training and quit in a week. Just being honest. I'll get distracted by something shiny.
7. Who am I supposed to train with? Myself? I think we established in #6 that would not be a wise option. Natalie would be a mean trainer. ("Run NOW! But I want you to run!") Michaela Byrd would be too nice. ("Awwww. Yuv Yoo.") T is always at work or on the couch watching the country go to pot on Fox News.
8. What is this bib thing?! I don't wear bibs. I think.
9. You bet your you-know-what I'd blog about it!
10. Running 13.1 miles is not something to look forward to. Ever. I would dread it like I do the end of naptime.

I just can't decide.


?

OR


?

(The Nikes are cute, but those Louboutins are so beautiful they make my very soul sing.)

I still haven't made my mind up. If she can find a training plan that involves a stop at the Starbucks drive-thru window, sign me up!

post signature

21 comments:

  1. Yikes! Half a marathon is no joke! I'm with you. I can barely run for two blocks and then it's quitting time. So sad.

    But for some reason I can speed walk for miles. I can cover 6 miles in less than two hours!

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  2. I do really like the pink Nikes too...but you need to pace yourself...a 5K is doable; a half marathon... Hmmm, maybe you could offer to be the "water girl?" ;) Then you could still wear the Nike's, be a part, enjoy the family vaca, etc!

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  3. Amanda, you can do it! I know people who walk the whole thing. But there are also run/walk training programs that get you to at least finish. Even if you ran a total of 3 miles throughout the half marathon, not many people can say they've finished one!!! The big thing would be to gradually train for it over a long period of time. At least a few months. I would be more than happy to join you once or twice a week on a walk/jog to train! Try exploring www.jeffgalloway.com I think that might be the ticket! And, if you join See Mommy Run, we have Saturday morning runs (early) that some people do where they stop for coffee at the end downtown.:):) There are plenty of other moms to train with there too. www.seemommyrun.com Fredericksburg moms group.:-) Hope to see you there!
    PS - I know of at least one other member of our group that wants to run/walk that SAME 1/2marathon in disney.

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  4. What a cute idea! Good luck girls~

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  5. I think you should give it a shot...If for no other reason than you know Alison will never stop bothering you about it!

    I'll also be in Iraq next year and she'll need some family vacation buddies...

    I'd also recommend perusing jeffgalloway.com, helped me a lot to make a manageable training plan with a busy schedule.

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  6. I hope you know I put myself at great personal risk by commenting on your blog first!

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  7. Manders, you know where I stand (or that would probably be sit) on this issue! LOL (((hugs and great post!!)))

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  8. A 5k would be a lot more doable, but you could do a half marathon if you started training early.

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  9. Well I love both shoes. But I know I have no business running a marathon. :-) So I'm gonna have to pick the Nike's and just walk around in them and enjoy life.

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  10. Amanda! You can totally DO this! You have plenty of time. Start your training with a walking program that gradually incorporates running. In no time, or perhaps by Christmas, you'll surprise yourself with how far you can run. There is a fun 5K, Race for Grace, in the fall that could be your first goal. After you wear out those beautiful pink running shoes you'll be glowingly beautiful in the Louboutin's. There are plenty of your friends who could train with you. Or let those trainers at AFF know of your plans and they'll help you too! You Go Girl!

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  11. From a 5K to a half marathon, huh? Good luck deciding!

    Nothing beats a cute pair of pink heels! But cute running shoes are fun too.

    Like I said before...some people love running for the pure joy of it...me, not so much. But if you do it...I will be your biggest cheerleader!

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  12. having JUST walked by the castle a gazillion times and walked the property of the Magic Kingdom, I feel like I probably DID do the half marathon (only based on the way my legs and feet felt, no real mileage to document that). I think with good training, you could SO do this, especially if your dear mamma is footing the bill. there are LOTS of distractions and you can do this.

    Suzanne
    You'll be so proud of yourself and so will WE be proud of you as well.

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  13. I never forsee a half marathon in my future, but what an accomplishment it would be if you could finish... even if you are crawling! But..... I do love those pinks shoes too... Oh, what to do?!

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  14. Well, if you do the marathan, you will surely have something to be proud of! And if you don't run it, no one will blame you!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. Honestly, I can't say that I have looked at that BH&G book since I bought it years ago! Awful, I know, but I find so many great tips in magazines & the internet that I never think to pull the book out! Maybe you will find it more useful, though. If not, sell it on Ebay or Amazon!

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  15. No one can talk to you into it but yourself - don't be afraid! We can do it! I will say though - you can come up with 2903820938 whiny EXCUSES why not to do it (and having known you for twenty-faux years, I know you will) but there are just as many great reasons why it would be a fun, healthy, amazing experience. No one said you had to run the whole thing - just finish! Perhaps theres some bling in it for you?

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  16. 5 miles is my limit. I think people who run marathons are part superhero or something. It just seems absolutely impossible:)

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  17. Amanda, I have to respect (and chuckle knowingly at) your honesty and appreciation of your own limits. I'm definitely not a natural athlete and never, EVER thought I could (or wanted to) be a runner. But back in 2005, I haphazardly got into running by way of a charity-benefit 10K my law firm was participating in, and that Labor Day, my sister (who is a runner) talked me into running the Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon in VA Beach. Initially, she promised me that we could walk the entire thing if I wanted, that it would be fun with the live bands and just being at the beach, and there was no pressure. But after that first 10K (of which I only ran about 4 out of 6 miles), I found a huge amount of satisfaction in overcoming that barrier I had created for myself. It was addictive, and so was the fact that I was getting a workout without going to the gym and doing boring machine stuff. I didn't try to beat anybody else's times, and I jogged at the slowest possible pace. I mean literally, the token old guys in their 70s who always come out to run the races, that everybody watches to make sure they don't have heart attacks, were passing me. I never finished with any times that are even remotely impressive to serious runners, but for me, just finishing that first 10K, and of course finishing the 1/2 marathon a few months later, was the best feeling in the world, just because it was something I never, EVER thought I could do. And crossing the finish line next to my sister was such an amazing experience that bonded us together. (We ended up doing the 1/2 marathon 3 years in a row.) I haven't run any races since getting pregnant with my daughter last spring, but I want to get back into it. I am telling you this because I really was exactly like you when it comes to running, and while I don't think you should do something you really don't want to do, I do think that if you did happen to let yourself get talked into it (and it sounds like Alison is much scarier than Claire ever will be, LOL), you would find it really, really rewarding. Even if you never ran another step in your life, you'd always have that medal. Just wanted to share. Also, I'm moving to Stafford next month, and I'd love a walking or slow-jogging buddy (and I also really want to find a MOPS group down there), so maybe we should get together!

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  18. And, here I thought I was the only one who gets distracted by shiny things, does not like to exercise outdoors (or anywhere, for that matter) and dreaded the end of naptime. :-)

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  19. My daughter found a training program on the web. It's called something like...From couch to 5K. It seems to combine walking and running to build up your endurance slowly. It's just an idea.

    (a half marathon might be a bit ambitious.)

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  20. You guys are hilarious! I just found your blogs and LOVE your rebuttal. Hypothetically, if you trained with your double stroller, when you got to Disney (even if you walked) it would be that much easier... and you could use both hands for starbucks. I totally think you should do it!!!

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