B Student

Pretty much all through my life (ask my mother) I've been a B student.  I wanted to do enough work to get me through with a better than average grade, but not enough that I would actually HAVE to work.  This also drove my mother crazy.

When I decided to start training to run a half marathon, everyone thought I was crazy, including me!  Looking back on it the idea really came from the idea that I felt I needed a goal, any goal.  When I came across a half marathon on my Disney facebook page, I thought, that's a good goal.  I love all things Disney, and I hate running but there is a 16min mil requirement and I figured I could walk it if it came down to it.

So to start training I went to the RunDisney site where they have a training program designed by Jeff Galloway and ex-Olympian.  I downloaded it and it seemed to make a lot of sense to me.  His goal is to have you finish (in the allotted time) but not have you be dead at the end so you can still enjoy the day.

In true B student fashion I started training, I did try to follow the training plan but I ended up changing a little (a lot).  I am healthish in general and I walk a lot so I figured that should carry me for a little ways right?  Plus do you have any idea how much time is involved in training?? For Disney a 16min/mile comes to 3 hours and 30min.  That's a long time, and it's a really long time when you're running 3 days a week (true you don't run that far every week!).

Being the B student that I am I hit the start line only having run a total of 11 miles at once before the race.  I figure how bad could the last 2 miles be right?  My biggest fear was being swept (not keeping the 16min/mile time and getting driven to the finish line).  I started in the WAY back having never run anything before, well that's not true we occasionally do run at Disney world but it's usually running over people to get to a line or a monorail.

I have to admit the race itself was actually a blast!  I didn't stop as much as I wanted (or at all) except to go to the bathroom, I was terrified of being swept!  So imagine my surprise (because I forgot to start my watch) when I finished in under 3 hours!!!  Not bad for a B student :)