Have you ever bought anything on impulse? OK, if you said “no”, you’re lying. We’ve all done it: we’ve stood at the register waiting for the person in front of us to finish arguing with the cashier over the expiration date of their coupons and had a Chunky bar yell our name so loudly that we HAD to buy it just to deafen the noise of its infernal screaming.
I often wonder why we make impulse purchases. I think it’s because once we’re done shopping and checking out that we’re mentally and physically tired, maybe hungry, possibly bored. And of course, once we buy the Chunky bar (or those mini-Chiclets, my other favorite impulse purchase), we kind of dwell on it and feel guilty for a bit when we eat it, but then we move on.
Well, back in early December I made an impulse purchase that has been nagging at me for two months now. No, I don’t dwell on Chunky bars that long (nor do I eat them anymore, sigh). Back in December I purchased entrance into the New Jersey Marathon that’s taking place on May 6, 2012. At the time I was healed enough from my first marathon that I had forgotten how incredibly difficult the entire process had been, and I was still a bit high from the accomplishment itself. So, I searched for marathons, found the New Jersey one, and typed my credit card info into the computer before you could say, “Alison is a complete idiot and has not fully thought out what she has just gotten herself into.”
My training plan started a few weeks ago, but the long runs were between 8 and 12 miles, so it didn’t feel too much like marathon training. But this weekend was a 15 miler, the longest run I’ve done since the New York Marathon in November. As I carb loaded the day before my run, I kept telling myself, “why did I sign up for this marathon? I don’t want to do this!” I moaned audibly the next morning while I put on my sneakers and my 3 top layers to set out in 34 degree weather for a run that I was predicting was going to take me close to 3 hours. I packed up my gels and water, and groaned again that I was about to embark on a run long enough to require provisions.
As I started to run, all my sore body parts (I’d name them all here, but I like to keep my blog under 30 pages) began chatting, and let’s just say their language wasn’t “G” rated. After about a half mile, though, my body warmed up and so did the weather. At the one mile mark I took off my hat and gloves and actually giggled when I thought, “Cool, just 14 more to go.”
Once I got going, I realized something bizarre; I was really enjoying my run. I even tried to fight that thought. I said to myself, “This sucks, right? It’s so long. It has to suck! Right?” Finally, I gave in to the truth. Running fifteen miles is hard, but it’s still fun. Then I remembered why I ran that marathon back in November and why I had signed up for this one: working towards a big challenge is daunting and difficult, but achieving it is just the best feeling in the world. So, yes, 15 mile runs give you blisters on the tips of your toes and make your feet cramp, but finishing them is an absolute blast.
I breezed through all 15 miles, and was even a little sad when I hit the 14 mile marker and realized I was almost done (and like an impulse purchase, that sad thought was fleeting). When I was done, I walked into my house and my kids were waiting for me. My 3 year old son, Ben, thinks that every run I do is a race. So, whenever I come in from a run he asks me, “Mommy, did you win?” Usually I explain I was just training, not racing, but this time I smiled and said, “I sure did.”
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