friday five: reasons to run

Happy Friday, my friends! Per usual, I am linking up with the lovely ladies of DC: Courtney at Eat Pray Run DC, Cynthia at You Signed up for What?, and Mar at Mar on the Run, as I do every Friday. This week's theme is "Five Reasons to Run". 

In January, I will be tackling my first marathon... after also running a 5k, 10k, and half marathon in the three days prior. Yes, I am taking on the Dopey Challenge – if you didn't know already haha... I talk about it often enough ;) Training is already in full swing, and I've gotten up to 17 miles. Here are some of the reasons why I decided to register for the Dopey Challenge.

1. To challenge myself. I honestly never planned on running a marathon. That wasn't in my agenda when I started running and racing. However, as I've gotten more involved with the running community, I felt so inspired by everyone else that has completed one, that I wanted to challenge myself and run across that finish line. I never thought I'd be able to run 13 miles, let alone 26.2. I've been happy with training so far. It'll be quite the challenge for me, waking up early for four consecutive days, and running those four races. I cannot wait to put myself to the test. Crazy? Maybe, but I love it.

2. All the medals. For the Dopey Challenge you not only get a medal for the four races, you also get one for the Goofy Challenge (the half and full), as well as the Dopey Challenge medal. Whooo! As a competitive Irish Dancer for many, many, many years, I grew accustomed to working really hard, and in the end, getting an awesome prize for placing. I love getting something for my hard work at the finish line. I'm competing against myself, rather than others. Always trying to better my best, and I feel that's all I can do. All runners have different back stories, and I am impressed by everyone, but I don't judge my running versus others, because it just makes me sad haha.

3. It's at Disney World. I mean, if you're going to run a marathon, I feel like Disney World is one of the best options (especially for a first one!). I'm hoping all of the excitement, sights, and sounds will help keep my mind off of the miles and pain.

4. A new sense of accomplishment. Finishing 5k, 10k, and half marathons have given me such a feeling of accomplishment. No matter my finish time, I worked hard and carried myself across the finish lines. I can't wait to (hopefully) cross that finish line in January and have an amazing feeling of completing 26.2 miles. I'll probably cry.

5. Learn new things about myself. Running in general has taught me a lot about myself. I realize how resilient, tough, and strong I actually am... things I wouldn't really notice otherwise. I am grateful my body is allowing me to run and to train for a marathon, and I love the quiet long runs by myself – it gives me time to think, reflect on life in general, and push my limits.

Have you run a marathon? Any tips for me? I could use all the help I can get. 

What are some of your reasons to run?

Thanks to Courtney, Cynthia, and Mar for hosting! Make sure to check out their "Friday Five" posts (direct links above in first paragraph) and link up if you are joining in on the fun (and if you aren't – how come?!). Don't forget to read/comment on some of the other link ups :) 

Also, in case you missed it, here are my posts from the week:

Week in Review
Weekly Chase #29
Zensah Ultra Compression Leg Sleeves Review

Have a great weekend, everyone!