I’m Leaving My Next Athletic Goal Up to Chance

I’ve run 6 half marathons, and I’ve signed up for my seventh. I’m planning to add another layer to the onion that is my training (healthy, lots of layers, can make you cry… onions seem like the perfect analogy for training, don’t they?). I’m going to try training with a Jack Daniels inspired running plan, running 4-5 days per week and attempting to nail the quality workouts. I’m excited. It seems like a logical progression from the fall, when I trained on a 5 day a week running plan for the first time vs. 3. Now I’ll be adding more specific quality workouts, so I’m targeting quality as well as quantity.

So that’s cool, and I’m thrilled, and I’m signed up for the Maine Coast Shipyard Half Marathon in May.

BUT….

I’d maybe, sort of, possibly, like to do a little more. I’m thrilled to be signing up for another half marathon; being in half marathon shape is one of my favorite things about myself. I feel strong, I feel proud, I feel like I’m someone who endures. I keep going the distance. I love it.

However, I kind of miss that initial feeling of “I’m just in this to FINISH” that I had for my very first half. That feeling that it’s so HYSTERICAL that it’s ME doing it, that I, KELLY CAIAZZO am planning to finish this thing. I don’t feel like it’s that unexpected, hilarious, or epic that I anticipate crossing the finish line anymore. It’s not am I going to cross?! it’s how long is it going to take me this time?

I miss, just a little bit, that feeling of Just keep going and finish and this will be EPIC!!!!

Not enough to sign up for a marathon, which I’m not sure I have time to train for.

But what about another event that I could possibly finish in about 2 or 2 1/2 hours?

What about… a sprint triathalon?

WHAT?! I know. I just typed that. Me. A triathlete? I mean, they put athlete in the name of the EVENT. That should tell you something.

And yet, I love spin class. I look forward to it every week. I biked around Paris last year for hours with a stupid grin on my face, loving every second. I’ve got the running thing down, I know I can do that.

All I have to do is learn to swim freestyle. For 1/3rd of a mile.

I would love to learn to do that. I could absolutely learn to swim freestyle by July, enough to start in the back and make it safely to the end of a sprint triathalon. I would learn something about myself. It would feel epic. I would feel proud. Just crossing the finish line would be enough. It would be an adventure.

So I signed up for the lottery for Maine’s Tri for a Cure. It’s a female only event, and if I don’t get in, I can think about this for another year. But if I DO get in, it’ll be an exciting opportunity, and the fact that I had to enter a lottery to get a chance to register will make it feel extra special, like this is my chance. This is my shot. This is my time to branch out and do something new and exciting and crazy.

I like feeling crazy.

So wish me luck. Either way, it’ll be great to be in good half marathon shape in May. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll be borrowing my mother-in-law’s bicycle and taking up the crawl stroke*, and getting ready for something new, and different, and exciting for July. I wouldn’t do more than one, though. Just one… that would be epic enough….

*Mom if you’re reading this I promise I will ACTUALLY learn to swim before I attempt this. Like, really well. I’ll get lessons. It will be fine.