My reality can only be defined as “what is going here and now in any given moment.” Anything else is “history”, often a matter of selective memory; or “the future”, which is a blur of potential. Reality is what I AM doing by making it a priority now. Other than the fact that I have (at the age of 11) verified that flight is unlikely (you never know for sure unless you try?) and I cannot be a size 2 while continuing to exist (along the same lines as there comes a point at which you can no longer divide an inch into recognizable units), my reality is largely limited by what I choose to learn and spend time on. This year, among other things, I choose to run.
For me, every run is a celebration of life, especially since I have been running barefoot. Of course, some celebrations take more work than others, both to prepare for and to execute. They may exhaust me, but I keep coming back for the joy that is created in the process. This year I thought I would try to mold some of that future potential and plan my running celebrations. The reality right now is that I have a race schedule and I have actually paid for one race. With a little work, each race will also become a reality. Photos and reports should help with the memory lapses (that I have been accused of, anyway; their word against mine until we check with God), because each event will pass into history while I keep moving forward.
It helps me that my husband already has a history with the running events here in the Boise area. He has a pretty good memory, too. 😉 He guides me to websites like Bandana and Spondoro for finding races. I have learned about some groups who puts on races I like (including triathlons), such as Final Kick Events , the local YMCA, and the Boise Aeros.
It is both scary and invigorating to look at my race schedule. Should I go ahead and sign up for everything now? Will I truly run my first 13.1 mile race in May? Can I do it all without hurting myself? This is the 2013 race schedule I am trying to make my reality pass through:
March 16 The Shamrock Shuffle will be on the heels of some jet lag…
May 18 The Great Potato (13.1 miles only) My first ever half marathon.
July 13 Fit For Life Half Marathon but just the 10K distance this time because of the upcoming triathlon in August.
August 10 Emmett’s Most Excellent Sprint Triathlon I don’t think I’m ready to go the Olympic distance yet. The bike portion is holding me back, but maybe I’ll change my mind before then.
September 29 Idaho Wine Run the half or the 10K. By that point I’ll either be in excellent condition or worn-out.
November 28 Struttin for Stuffin I think a Thanksgiving Day run will be more fun if it is closer to home.
December 28 The Hot Chocolate Run It was nice to have a run after Christmas, as opposed to the YMCA Christmas Run right before. I get impatient waiting for the costume contest at the Christmas Run, too.
As I think about the future potential my training may have, I am trying NOT to remember my history with all the SHORTER races, on average, in the past year. I am reminded once more that the experienced runners run the longer distance races. What will my reality be in any given race? My main priority IS to have fun. The potential for that is mostly under my control. My placement among the participants will simply have to be an extension of that. But only the future will tell.
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