Have you set your deadline yet?

 

Run run as fast as you can
You can't catch me because in my mind I've already won...

I am now 11 sleeps away from my very first race, the Gold Coast (GC) Half Marathon.
I even paused after I typed that line because I almost have to pinch myself to believe it.

I have been running for 9 months and late last year I had plans to do the 10k at the GC. I thought that 10k would be amazing and such an achievement. But, after 4 months of running, I got to 10k, and it wasn't as hard as I thought to get there. Around the same time a few people started to get into my head about doing a half instead. These people, looking back now, could probably see that I was physically capable but mentally....well that's another story.

A half is a big step. Massive.
It's over double the 10. What if I had to walk parts of it? What if I didn't make it to the end? What if I didn't finish by the cut off time?
There's a lot of 'what if's' to consider there.

So, outwardly, I fobbed of any suggestion of the half for a couple of months. Inwardly though I wanted to test myself, physically at least. I read a few guides and took what I knew already and just slowly started to increase my long run each week. Pretty soon the idea of doing the 10k seemed like the easy route. But the problem was, the half still seemed like a dream.

Then I read this quote somewhere,



 

 

I have no idea where I originally read it or who coined the phrase (Google not much help either) but it just seemed to 'get me'.

It was then that I started to admit to myself and to others that maybe I could do the half.

 

Fast forward to May and I signed up to do my first Half.

 

Less than 2 weeks out now and the absolute BEST part, I am mentally ready.

I am even a bit excited!

I CAN do this.

My fear is gone. I don't anticipate walking any part of the race but if something happens on the day and I do have to walk then I am not going to worry about it.

 

I am going to cross that line with the biggest grin on my face. I will have done something that I never thought possible, something for me.

 

 

My dream became a goal. My deadline is July 7 2013.

 

Have you set your deadline yet?