The marathon adventure
So, one of my bestest best friends and I have decided to run [run, mostly run, whatever] the Austin Half Marathon on 2.14.10. She was the brave one who came up with the idea. I’m the ridiculous one who said I’d be totally in.
You might say, “Mariel, you must be really athletic! I hope you have fun.”
You’d be right to say, “Wait…what?”
My level of athleticism might be compared to that of a…something that isn’t very athletic. In fact, I already have a picture of myself crossing the finish line:
SO.
What’s important is that we finish, and we totally will, so it’s all good. I’ve decided this 1/2 Marathon thing is awesome for several reasons:
- It’s on Valentine’s day. Instead of watching movies and eating chocolate, said best friend and I will be doing something completely EPIC which will be an awesome story and anything BUT lame.
- Again: it will be an EPIC ADVENTURE.
- Do you know how many CALORIES we’ll burn over the course of this endeavor? Nay, how much FOOD we’ll get to eat because of this?
- Of all the things I’ll put on my resume, this will be my favorite. Ahem: “Hobbies – running really far while being awesome.”
- I’ll actually have an example of athleticism when it comes time for my JAG interview.
- I’ll actually have motivation to stay in shape for the JAG pft.
- Number 3. Again. Because I heart food.
It seems that I’m not the only law student who’s been driven to marathon-ing it. Jansen, our friend over at No634, is training for his first marathon. Another friend of mine at law school up east is also running a marathon next summer. Maybe in the spring of 2011, I’ll be up for the full marathon, but the odds of me being ready by 2.14.10 are zero. Actually, less than zero. A LOT less. But, hey, that’s okay. We’ve all got to start somewhere.
In the past, I’ve written about my get-in-shape misadventures and I’ve never been able to follow through, mostly because I don’t ever have something to work toward. Losing weight is a goal, but it’s not really tangible. A day won’t show up when I say: HA! I’m done! There isn’t a hard deadline. With things like 5Ks and, now, apparently a half marathon, there’s an actual date I can look toward. So, with that in mind, I’ll be adding my running adventures to my law school ones. Apologies for the complaining that is bound to happen. I’ll try – as always – to put a positive spin on things.
Key word there: try.
If any of you other law students/lawyers have been driven to marathons – or any other sports – to maintain, or regain, your sanity, feel free to chime in and share your stories. Or if you want to mock me point out how ridiculous I can be, that’s cool too.
Cheers.
Ricky Nelson said,
October 26, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I wish I had your bravery. Years of non-existent athleticism has taught me to shy away from public exhibitions of my athletic prowess.
Mariel said,
October 26, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Bravery. Hmm. I guess I could go with that. It’s a lot easier when I put it into terms of food. Srsly. I don’t think I’ll ever be one of those people who exercises “for it’s own sake.” HA. Instead, I’m planning a FANTASTIC dinner that evening full of joy and happiness and goodness. Of course, there’s all the good-for-you benefits of running, but a big steak and some pasta are more motivating.
idwsj said,
October 26, 2009 at 5:35 pm
What the heck is that thing in the picture?!
It’s kind of cute.
Good luck with the marathon training!!!! That’s super exciting. That’s…a whole lotta running.
Mariel said,
October 26, 2009 at 6:18 pm
lol, It’s a sloth. They always look like they’re smiling.
Caffeine Degenerate said,
October 30, 2009 at 4:15 am
I usually hate running by myself. It’s tedious and boring.
So, why not run after something?
I actually played competitive Ultimate Frisbee (it’s a real sport, I promise) right into the first month of school until I tore my ACL. It’s obviously a team sport, so besides personal goals, it always helped to feel accountable to the rest of my team and the overall goal of making it to Nationals. Two players (I was one of them) got hurt and we barely missed the cut, but the lesson here is work out with other people, just like you’re doing. It can’t go wrong.
Fridays From The Frontline » Clear Admit: Law School Admissions Blog said,
October 30, 2009 at 7:18 am
[...] the three expressions one most often would find on her face having during class, and decided to run a marathon. Columbia ‘12 Soleil found the vocabulary used in student evaluation reviews entertaining, [...]
Sara said,
November 1, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I’m also training for the Austin Half Marathon. In September, I could barely run a 1/4th of a mile. Now, I can run 5 miles in 50 minutes. You will be amazed how quickly your endurance will increase. The first 2 miles are rough though. Good luck!