Thinking Ahead...

Last week, one of my favorite bloggers, Emilie, wrote a fabulous post about being brave.  She encouraged us to consciously choose to do things that we are scared to do.  For her, this means tackling a Half Ironman (I know you'll do great, Emilie!).  Her post really resonated with me, as the past two years have really been about this for me.  Two years ago, I was too comfortable in my life. After some careful consideration, I realized that I kept making excuses for not doing things that I really wanted to do (run a half marathon) because deep down inside, I was afraid.  I vowed to work hard at becoming more confident and brave, and it has worked.  I started running and completed my first half marathon last April, even though the thought of doing it terrified me the entire time I was training for it. I will never forget the way I felt as I crossed that finish line.  When I replied to Emilie's post, this is what I wrote:

This is a great post that came at just the right time. After two half marathons and some random 5k's, I'm ready to move to the next level. I have a friend who is training for her first half marathon and I am so envious of her. That excitement and nervousness that accompanies the weeks of preparation. The giddiness of knowing that you are about to do something bigger than you have ever done before. I want that again. So, I'm in the process of firming up my big, scary plans for 2012. It looks like it will be the year of the marathon for me. I'm scared and excited all at once. I haven't decided on the exact marathon right now, but I have it narrowed down to a few in NY, VT, and ME. I'm going to make a final decision this week and commit. The second scary thing I'm going to do is complete a triathlon through our local YMCA. It's a small one (1/2 mile swim, 18 mile bike and 4 mile run), but it still scares me which is exactly why I want to do it. I am so intrigued by triathlons, and I know I need to do one. It's not the individual activities that scare me...it's the transitions in between. So, thank you for this reminder to be brave and confident. I'm working on doing it in other, non-athletic areas of my life as well. Here's hoping that 2012 is a wonderful year of accomplishments and growth for all of us!

So, that's where I am now.  I'm planning for 2012 as 2011 comes to a close.   I was looking at a lot of different marathons in NY, VT and ME, but I have decided that if I am going to do it, it's going to be the Vermont City Marathon.  I have been checking the site for the Vermont Marathon every day and it fills me with that nervous, sick, excited feeling, which means that it is exactly what I am ready for. And then, after the marathon is over, I will begin preparing to face my other fear...the triathlon.  I guess I better start swimming.