Goals

When I quit work to stay home with the girls, I decided I needed a goal. Something to make sure I was still in touch with me. Something that was mine and pretty much mine alone. And, apparently, I decided to make the goal really hard, because who doesn't need a really hard goal, right? So, I decided to run a marathon. The Twin Cities Marathon.

Now, when I started training (and I use that term very lightly), I was still carrying baby weight... from both babies. Having gotten pregnant four months after giving birth to #1, I was still about 20 pounds heavier than normal when I got pregnant with #2. And guess what? I'm still carrying baby weight. Lovely, right? Don't get me wrong...I've definitely toned up. In fact, my ankles and wrists have never looked better. I finally lost that lovely "shelf" between my stomach and pubic bone. When I suck in my stomach, it visibly moves, whereas before I could suck in my stomach and although I could feel it suck in, when I looked in the mirror, it appeared nothing actually moved. The weight, however, is still there. I know, I know, muscle weighs more than fat. I would still prefer for the scale to register a smaller number when I step on it, but I digress...

My goal in running a marathon, however, was not to lose weight. I thought it would be an added bonus, definitely, but I wanted to run a marathon simply to be able to say that I've done it. I mean, that's a pretty major accomplishment, right? Running (jogging/walking/limping/crawling) 26.2 miles in 6 hours or less? It's a feat of endurance, strength, stubbornness and possibly stupidity. For some reason, I'm determined to do it. I am not a runner. I don't get a runner's high. I don't even enjoy running all that much. My only goal for the marathon is to not have to be picked up by the sweeper bus at the end of the race. I want to make it all the way to the finish line of my own accord and I'm 85% sure I can do it. It won't be pretty, I won't be running the whole time, there could be some throwing up involved and I may not be able to get out of bed the next day, but there's a very good chance I will be meeting my goal on October 4.

And you, readers, have you set yourself any goals? Obscenely difficult goals or perhaps daily goals? Immediate or future? Just for yourself or maybe some family oriented goals? Please, share your goals. Maybe it will give the rest of us something to shoot for...