The Stars Have Finally Aligned

"Have you done a full marathon?" is one of the most common questions that naturally comes up among social running club circles. Therefore, after answering 'no' multiple times, I have lots of experiencing answering the follow up question of: "will you ever?"

My answer has always been similar: "Probably one day... It's just a huge time commitment, and I need people to train with. Also, I've watched so many of my friends get injured... I just don't think bodies are meant to do that. Plus I have enough excitement and challenges in my life right now, so I'll wait until things settle down a bit. Basically, I'm waiting for the stars to align."

Its funny how one little thing can ignite a motivation in you that you forgot was there. As 2013 rang in, I set my usual running goals, which were to get faster in shorter races (5K, 10K) and no marathons or even half marathons were in the plan whatsoever. Yes as I sat eating lunch with my friend Lisa and listened to her talk about signing up for the marathon (her first), something about it set off a twinge in the pit of my stomach. All of a sudden, I got butterflies and the thought went through my head, "I want to do that too." I tentatively suggested the possibility to Lisa who was excited and supportive. After a few days of contemplation (I had a steady job, this may be the last fall I live in Chicago, there are lots of options for training partners), it was clear that the stars had finally aligned, and the decision was made.

At 11:50am on Tues Feb 19th, I refreshed the Chicago Marathon website on a whim, and to my surprise the  'Click here to register for the Chicago marathon' appeared, 10 minutes early. My stomach knotted again, and I hurriedly put in my info. I hit 'Pay Now.'

Done. Let's do this. My first marathon preparation officially begins.

Race Day: Sunday, October 13th, 2013.