Running to Stop the Runs - Preseason Part 1

I am not a runner.  I am a sprinter.  The difference is vast.  The thought of anything over 200 meters makes me nauseous, not to mention winded.  Even a 200 is a little too long for me.  So why the hell did I sign up for an effing half marathon?

Here's the deal.  To condense a long, fairly common story - I miss physical competition.  Since graduation, I've struggled to find something I enjoy as much as track that I can actually compete at.  Sadly, there are no pick-up track meets.  Coaching doesn't exactly fill the void, and I really just straight up miss having something to train for, achieving a goal and, of course, winning. 

Marathons, and any other kind of road running, are a seemingly natural progression for the retired NCAA athlete.  It's one of the few athletic events that not only satiates that competitive drive, but is also pretty accessible to anyone with a pair of trainers and sadistic tendencies.  Goal - Check.  Training Program - Check.  Kick Ass Sense of Accomplishment - Check.  Crippling Guilt if You Don't Accomplish Said Goal - Double Check.  And for the record, this is a predominantly American phenomenon.  In Europe and the Caribbean, where they appreciate their track stars, pick-up track meets actually exist.

And now I'm way off topic.  The second, and most important reason that I'm running 13.1 effing miles (I'm really not at the point yet where I can quote the race distance without the "effing" qualifier), is because of the cause - The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.  Yes, I'm doing a cheesy team half-effing-marathon, but I wouldn't be doing it for any other cause.  My dad and two of my cousins suffer from Crohn's, and I know first hand what a shitty (pun absolutely intended) disease it is.  I've witnessed the surgeries, the toilet lockdowns and the threat of colostomy bags, and know enough to know that we don't know enough about this disease to be close to a cure.  If I can get off my ass and run 13 effing miles to fund research so that these people don't have to deal with this shit (again, pun absolutely intended) anymore, then that's what I'm going to effing do.