Run for your life!

If you read my sister-in-law, Holly's blog, then you already know what I am talking about.  But I am gonna tell you anyway.

I have signed up for a 5K run.  My first ever.  If that isn't intimidating enough, it is a 5K run, with army-style obstacles (think running through streams, climbing wooden walls and army crawling under ropes).  And if THAT isn't enough, now imagine there are zombies chasing you.  Yep, I said zombies.

So, it's a run called Run for Your Life.  And it's a race with zombies.

Rednecks can be zombies too.

I figure this is the motivation I need to really get my ass in gear.  While I am already nervous and a little bit scared, I am also really excited, which is more than I have ever felt about running.  Like, EVER...as in for ever and ever, the last 39 years that I have been alive, I have never been excited about running.  Until today.

I am excited enough that I am going to try and tackle Couch to 5K again.  Last time I stuck with it for about 8 weeks (although I only ever made it to week 5 in the program, because I kept repeating weeks, because I didn't think I was ready.)  One thing I have learned from my Pink Method exercise program, if you wait to be 100% ready, you will NEVER move on.  You have to push yourself, trust that your body can do what it needs to do, and you will get results.

That will give me about 2 and a half months to prepare, or 10 weeks.  Even if I don't finish the program, I should be in a much better place that I am as of today.  If I can drop another 20 or 30 lbs between then and now, so much the better.

So, not only am I looking forward to running the race, we have all signed up to be zombies too.  So that means, that Geoff and I, Barb and Bill, Holly and Eric and Gage and 2 of his friends will all head up super early in the morning (we are supposed to be there 2 hours before our zombie shift.  That means we are supposed to be there for 6am.  Which likely means I have to be up at 4am.  That sucks.).  We will get put into our makeup and ward-robe and then get our assignments.  We are all stumbler zombies, which means we can't run after people, but (I hope) can hide a little bit, and pop out at the most inopportune times for the racers.  We grab their flags, and try and turn them into more of us.  We do this for just over 3 hours, then we get a bit of a rest; to eat, drink and be merry.  Then we get our race on at 2pm.

After that, there are bands and drinks and camping.  We get to hang out with some good people, discuss the day and all the fun we had, try and rinse as much of the mud and gunk out of our hair as humanely possible and maybe even tie on a little buzz for ourselves.  I think it is going to be a good day.  It is certainly motivation for me to try something new.  To push myself a little harder.   To do a little better.

I am just thinking...5 months ago, I wouldn't have done this.  Oh, I would have wanted to.  Maybe I would have agreed to sign up to be a zombie.  But I wouldn't have raced.  I wasn't capable of it.  Now, I am actually looking forward to not only racing, but getting ready for it.  I have spent the night, trying to think about how I can actually work a running workout into my already full days.  Planning, for me, is the key to success.
  

Celebrate Zombie Success!

When we first started talking about it (which was only a day or 2 ago, really!  This happened fast!), my first thought was that I would go and watch, and then maybe next year.  But, immediately,  my next thought was- if I am there, and see that it is so fun, I am going to be so angry and upset with myself for not even trying, that I should just suck it up and try it now.  Just do it, Anita.  Don't be a puss. 

Rule #1- Cardio.

So, I said yes.  Not just for me, but for Geoff too.  And then I pushed Barb and Bill into it.  If we go down, we are going down together!
 So, anyway, wish us luck.  Holly and I sat down together tonight and actually worked through the registration process and came up with our team name.  We are Ground Bait.  As in, we are on the ground and easy targets for the walking dead.  I love the name.  We should get t-shirts.  Holly and I laughed about how we plan to be completely selfish, and make everyone wait and help protect our slow asses.  If it were a real apocalypse, I would hope that I would be selfless enough for the whole "No, go on without me" routine. But Holly and I both agreed- for this race, it's going to be a whole lot of  "you muthaf*****s better not leave me behind!"

Look at this fucking clown.

It's probably more like what I would be like, when the real zompocalypse goes down.  I am kinda selfish about living.

Rosie N. Grey
The N stands for "now the countdown begins!"