Weddingbee Blog

I’m writing the post to announce that back in February, I made a pretty big decision that will ultimately prove the level of insanity that I have already reached: I signed up to run a Marathon.

Okay, so it’s technically a Half-Marathon. The Nike Women’s Marathon & Half Maration held in San Francisco, to be exact. To be even more exact, the event will be held two weeks following our wedding. Yep, I’m pretty much insane.

Image via Nike Women’s Marathon
My Wedding: 10.4.2008
The Marathon: 10.19.2008
Yikes.

Or am I?

I made this decision out of frustration in trying to find the time, energy and motivation to work out often enough to lose the token amount of weight I deemed appropriate to lose prior to my first dress fitting - which was just last week. Attempting to get myself in tip-top shape for a one-day extravaganza is apparently not enough for me, no matter how big a deal it truly is to me.

What I needed was a motivation that stemmed from a desire to be fit for life. A motivation to be a good dog mom. Oh, and that little part of me that always wanted to call myself just that: a “runner.” Not only does this put a training goal beyond my big wedding date, truly marking health and fitness beyond the nuptials, but it also will allow for some great mommy / puppers bonding runs (oh do Labs love to run!). All three of these things are just the tip of the iceberg for me with regards to the Nike Women’s Marathon.

Image via sfsurvey.
Uhm excuse me Miss? Can I please have your abs?

I will be running for more than just myself, I will be running for a friend. A friend who recently underwent successful treatment for Lymphoma at the Stanford research center. No amount of pain endured from this running extravaganza could compare to what he went through. Wouldn’t you know, the Nike Women’s Marathon benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!?

However, they don’t just “let you in.” You have to register and put your name (and your teammates’ names) in a drawing to join 10,000 other sweaty gals on a hilly jaunt across San Francisco’s coastline. It doesn’t hurt that they offer a Tiffany & Co. custom-made Finisher’s Necklace handed to you on a silver platter by a fireman in a tuxedo - I’m not kidding! No one ever said a girl doesn’t need some shallow motivation - and chocolate - did I tell you about the Chocolate Mile? Sure, there are these benefits - but there better well be for running 26.2 or 13.1 miles in hilly SF! Of course, none of those means anything if I don’t get chosen, right?

Image via bonggamom.
The Finisher’s Necklace from a previous year.

Well, I found out at the beginning of April that I was chosen. I was chosen to run a marathon and I have not even yet considered myself a “runner.” Oh boy. What have I gotten myself into!?

The header from the official email I received in April.

Fortunately, I’ve been squishing some training in between all of my bridal duties. I ran a 5 mile race in hilly, hilly Fair Oaks back in May and am now mounting up to run a 7 mile race this weekend at the Wharf to Wharf in Santa Cruz. While I haven’t lost a ton of weight, I definitely feel like I’m in much better shape. More importantly, I have found a fantastic outlet for my wedding-related stresses.

How are you getting in shape for your Big Day?