So the Journey Begins...

I finally admitted to myself, probably about a month or so ago that I am going to HAVE to do a marathon in the near future - near being 2015, but whatever, when you are talking 26.2 miles that IS the near future! I then cemented it by purchasing this thing:

Buy it for yourself here

And then I posted it to Facebook so there would be no turning back.

Okay, so this thought - this idea - this crazy thing has been brewing in my mind for quite some time. My original thoughts about anyone that ran a marathon was that they were straight up crazy. Then it became the thought of wow - those people are weird...who would want to run that far?? Then it started to worm its way in, you know, that little nagging voice of "they can do it, why can't you?" And then I started to actually believe that little nagging voice - why CAN'T I do it? Then I said some off hand remark to my hubby about a year and a half ago about doing one and he said - you never will. *GASP* He threw down the gauntlet but I wasn't ready to pick it up just yet. 

And then the knee disaster hit and I've been through a ridiculous amount of pain, stress, and now finally, rebuilding and I realized that I just might be able to do it...just ONE TIME anyways. Just to get the magnet and the medal and to be able to say "I did it!" What finally pushed me over the edge? This ridiculous Abs Challenge that I've been doing with my family this month.

I don't know the original source of that thing - that BEAST - up there, but let me tell you - it is NO JOKE! I went into this month thinking I would never be able to do it. At the very least I thought I could do all the crunches and leg raises, but the planks and sit-ups were extremely questionable. A few days before June started I didn't even think that I could do a sit-up. I hadn't done them since I was forced to in school for President's Physical Fitness Tests! I certainly hadn't done any since birthing four kids over three pregnancies, gaining and losing ridiculous amounts of weight, and completely ignoring my core for the most part. So I decided to just see...could I do even one? So I laid down and propped my feet under a table in my home office/fitness room and assumed the position, and then DID IT! And it wasn't even that bad...okay, turns out it was a total myth that I couldn't do a sit-up. So then June started and I kept moving through the challenge, and what do you know? I was able to do it...ALL! Granted, we still aren't done with three more days of actual workouts left, but I am fully confident that I'll accomplish it. And I wasn't even a little bit sure just 26 days ago and then today I did 110 sit-ups, 170 crunches, 60 leg raises and held a 100 second plank - that's 1 minute and 40 seconds!! (I know for many that is probably just barely getting started...but for me it is quite an accomplishment! I remember last summer building up to a 90 second plank and I have to tell you, I was trembling like a leaf by the time it hit a little over 1 minute...holding it for the full 90 seconds was very difficult. And today, it was hard, but there was minimal tremble). #PROGRESS

Getting through all the pain and suffering of the knee infection and subsequent surgery, physical therapy and recovery and then doing the abs challenge made me truly realize that I am more capable then I give myself credit for on a regular basis. I can push through discomfort. I am mentally capable. I am (working on) physically capable. I totally believe that I can do it! I know it will be hard, but I also know that hard is conquerable.

So it turns out that my hubby knew what he was doing when he used that reverse psychology; he knew that telling me I couldn't/wouldn't would be enough to eventually push me over the edge...and here I am free-falling. And so the JOURNEY begins.