I registered for a full marathon!!!!

Yesterday I registered with Team in Training(TNT) for a full marathon, a 26.2 mile marathon in San Diego on May 31st 2009. As excited as I am about it, I am also worried. Will I be able to do it? The most distance I ran in my life is 3.1 miles(5K) and now I plan to run 26.2 miles (42K). That is almost 6.5 times the distance. The mentors at TNT did encourage all the newbies that at the end of the training we will be able to run the full marathon with ease. I wish they are right. I think I will need a looottt of encouragement in the course of these 4 months, but I know I am capable of finishing the marathon. I also hope that I am able to raise about $3000, i.e the minimum contribution for my event.

So why am I doing this? Well, for a few reasons
- Let me start by saying that to me all cancers are evil...it does not matter if it is blood cancer or breast cancer or any other cancer. To me they are all bad. In the last couple of years, a few women in my circle of family and friends were diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, they are all recovering well. But it is hard to imagine what they had/have to go through to get better. From what I know, chemo and radiation can take a huge toll on you, but I also know that the survival rates for cancer patients, side effects caused by radiation and chemo and quality of life for survivors is a lot better now than what it was 20 years ago. Last month a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer for the third time...Yep..that's number 3. I know that she is an extremely positive person and has fought cancer twice because of her positive attitude and strong will and I also know that she will fight it and win this time as well. She is such an inspiration.
So when I heard on radio about TNT teams forming, I decided to attend a meeting and find out how I could contribute. I want to do something to make cancer research better, so that my friends and family have a better chance at living life to the fullest. I want to be pro-active and do something to make a difference now.

- I also have a selfish reason for taking part in the marathon. I have to be honest. One of my goals for 2009 was not to be lazy and get fit. I am also hoping to hike Half Dome (yosemite) this summer and the training will increase my endurance. I am always lazy in winter and hate to go out and exercise in the cold and I am not very good about going to the gym either. But, a couple of years ago I did go to boot camp for a couple of months and that worked out well for me. Though I am a very late riser, I would wake up early in the morning(at 6) and go exercise with these group of people. So, I think I do better when I am with a group of people with similar goals. Hopefully I will make a bunch of good friends as well.

I also wanted to spread some positive energy in these tough times. I know that economy is bad these days and everyone is going through a rough time and this is probably not the best time to ask people to donate. But this is also the time, people fighting with cancer need us the most. I wonder how many people have a loved one fighting cancer and have lost their job/ their insurance.

So, whether you decide to sponsor me or otherwise, take some time now to count your blessings. You are in a much better place in life than thousands of other people. Feel happy about that and smile. Today my "fortune" on orkut said : A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. I just found that so apt to this situation.

Kickoff for TNT is this Saturday and then training starts Monday. I plan to post pictures and notes about my progress throughout my training. You can subscribe to the RSS feed on this blog if you would like updates.

Thanks for reading :) . Do drop in a line when you visit.

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/rnr09/sjoshi