Dream Big: 26.2?!

Now that I have run two half marathons (you can read my recaps here and here) I have been thinking more and more about making the jump to the full marathon. Ever since reading about the New York City Marathon a year and a half ago I have known that I wanted to run a marathon. I have dreamed about what it would be like to train for and run 26.2 miles. But at the same time, it was all just a dream. It was something that I said I was going to do at some point in my life, but it didn't matter when I did it. It was not something that I was ready for yet. Until now.

Since I ran my first half marathon in October I have been tossing around the idea of running a marathon this fall. But that's all it was: an idea. I liked to think that I was going to run a marathon but in reality it probably wasn't going to happen. But all of that changed on Monday.

These people can run 26.2 miles!

I was talking with a family friend who used to be a runner about the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon and the Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in September. He has done both races, but before they were bought by Competitor. He asked me if I had ever run a full marathon and when I said no he asked completely seriously why not. I told him I wanted to run one at some point but that I was happy running half marathons right now. He didn't like my answer.

After talking for awhile longer he had convinced me that I really could run a marathon in the near future. I liked knowing that a very experienced runner was telling me that I was ready to make that leap.

When I came home I told my mom about what our friend had said. I expected her to say that I didn't have enough experience as a runner and that a marathon was realistic but in a few more years. She did not give me the response I was expecting.

She said she thought I could run a full marathon this fall. At that moment, the idea of running a marathon became real. It became no longer something so far fetched. All I keep thinking is that this is now real. I am still not sure if I am going to run a marathon this fall but only because I want to make sure that I will have time to properly train (I need to figure out my schedule for next fall first).

Yay, more marathon pictures!

This may not seem like a big deal to all of you who run multiple marathons a year but this is huge for me. Running a marathon is no longer one of those bucket list items that we say we want to do and really intend to do at some point but never get around to. Running a marathon is becoming a reality.

And it is scary, but something I have been dreaming of for a long time now.

This is not me telling you that I am running a marathon this year, but rather this is me telling you that once I am sure that I can dedicate the proper amount of time to training I will run a marathon.

I love pictures of people running.

I haven't scheduled my classes for next fall yet but I can tell you that based on the classes that I am planning on taking I will most definitely have the time to embark on this journey. I have already been looking at what marathon I would run in the fall if the opportunity presents itself and I think I have made my decision.

All I have left to say is that if I do run a fall marathon it will be the best time of my life!