Gatekeeping

I was talking to a runner friend earlier this month about her experience with someone and it got me thinking about the different types of people you encounter in every community. My friend was working towards the Boston marathon by way of a charity bib - meaning she was earning her spot through fundraising and a lot of it. She’s raised $11,000 so far, surpassing her fundraising goal and still going because the cause is dear to her heart. I admire this because let’s be real, fundraising is HARD. I could argue it’s harder than simply buying your way into the race with a qualifying time. There is more time, dedication and heart that goes into it. Because you’re training while simultaneously working hard to raise funds for a cause. She’s also doing all this on top of going to school and going to work. The person she spoke to, spoke to her like she didn’t deserve a spot on the race course simply because she didn’t have a qualifying time, and scoffed at the alternative of raising money to earn her spot.

For the most part, everyone I have encountered have been welcoming, supportive, encouraging and very helpful when I have questions and need help in my training. When I feel like I’m not enough, they uplift me and tell me I’m doing great, even when I feel like I’m not and I’m nowhere near their level. They do this because they see the work you’re putting in and that already speaks volumes. I love this in a community because it helps you feel like not only is there room to grow, but that they are not your competition. Only you are. They are simply there to help guide you and be your cheerleader as you embark on your own journey through it.

But there is always that one group of people of people who not only make you feel like you’re not enough, but that you don’t belong. I found these people in cosplay as well - the ones that scoff if you don’t make your own costume, that you added to cart, that you ‘took the easy way out,’ when the whole point is to just have fun. Well, the same group of people exist in running. The ones that don’t feel like you’re a “real” runner because you don’t have a qualifying time, because you don’t wear x brand of running shoes, you don’t use a Garmin watch, your training plan doesn’t involve repeats, tempo runs, etc. The list goes on. But the good news is, this is not the majority. Even elite runners I’ve encountered are more kind and encouraging than this. The snobs, it seems, aren’t even that elite. They’re the ones who just barely made the qualifying time, sometimes. 99% of the time, this stems from insecurity. They thrive off making other people feel small, to make themselves feel bigger. But a person who needs someone to dim their light in order for them to brighten their own, obviously isn’t impressive at all. Remember, it says more about them, than it will ever say about you. Don’t let them get you down because that’s what they want; misery loves company.

Listen, I have never been fast. I’ve never been good at sports, or gym class or anything ‘active.’ When I took up running back in 2018, I didn’t think I was going to make it or last this long on the wagon. Hell, I didn’t think I’d ever complete the half marathon I had signed up for in 2019 and I sure as hell had no intention of ever completing a full marathon, let alone a Dopey. I thought running was something you had to be good at. You had to work up to being crazy Olympic fast. Which is why I thought I would never succeed at this. But I learned as time went on, through many supportive people, that this is something I CAN do. Running is a self improvement sport. You don’t have to be faster than the person next to you. You just have to have the determination and the drive. You just have to WANT it.

Like I said, I have never been fast. But I work hard, practice discipline and am extremely determined once I set my mind to something. I learned from a community of supportive runners and Jeff Galloway himself that simply putting one foot in front of the other and going forward makes you a runner; not how fast you can run, how often/little/many breaks you take. There is no “qualifying” time that officially makes one a runner. What makes you a runner? You just run.

This year, I did the RunDisney Princess weekend a little differently. I took it slower and ran/walked alongside a friend to help her complete her 5k and her first 10k. I wanted her to have a good experience and love RunDisney as much as I do, without focusing on the time and wondering if she’s “fast enough” and “keeping up.” To me, if you are putting in the time and training, and do the work, you are doing more than enough. And another thing; that’s what I love about RunDisney - the people on the course! As you run through the sea of people, everyone has a story. I see families running with t-shirts on their backs honoring a passed loved one who couldn’t be here today and that’s why they’re running. You see the stories on the big jumbotrons while waiting for the race to start, of the athletes who overcame physical disabilities, health issues, and more, and their dream is to complete this, to prove that this obstacle in life did not define them. I see the cute elderly couples pushing through the course, hand in hand. Literally everyone has a story and that’s what I love most about these races. Everyone deserves a place on the field and they will not be boxed into a pace to define their worth.

So. Don’t let anyone EVER tell you that you shouldn’t take up space or have a spot at the table. YOU are enough and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise because you don’t meet their definition of what a “runner” looks like.

THOSE are the people who don’t belong there. Whether it’s a 6 minute mile or a 20 minute mile, it’s still a mile. I don’t believe in gatekeeping fitness just because you don’t have a “qualifying time.” You did something amazing and you deserve to shine, show off and celebrate your hard work. Be proud and wear those medals you earned!

I also want to say running has also taught me a lot about life since I started. It’s not cheap; it’s actually very expensive, lol. Listen, all these Disney races add up. All these sneakers you have to buy, both training and race day sneakers, add up. Race-cations take over your life. Running also is a form of therapy. You work out a lot of shit in your head during those long runs when you’re alone with your thoughts. You also learn a lot what your favorite songs are to put on repeat when you need to crush through a long run. But most of all, what running has taught me is that if I honestly put my mind to something, I can do anything. It taught me discipline and dedication when I set aside 6 months of my life to dedicate to Dopey training. To some people, running is just running, but to me, it helped me get through a lot of shit in the past few years. It helped keep me on track when I was going through a lot of mental health issues, it helped give me goals to work towards and it taught me how good it feels to see something through that you worked so hard for and didn’t give up on no matter how much you wanted to. That feeling of accomplishment when you cross the finish line, I will never be able to put into words but nearly every person I’ve convinced to do it with me has experienced it and can understand how impactful it is on your life. It’s a high you can’t replicate. And it’s powerful. It truly makes you feel like you can do anything and what other mountains can I climb? It’s that life-changing. I know to non-runners, it’s just running. But if you’re a runner, well, if you know, you know.

This applies to a lot more than just running in life, but the gist of this post is to say, don’t let anyone discourage you from working on your dream just because you don’t meet their definitions or standards. You will always be enough and you will find your tribe that welcomes you and gets you. All you have to do is be unapologetically you.

Goals for 2022 and 2023

GOALS FOR 2022

1. Work on finishing the house. Finish the bedroom, the spare room, get a real dining room table set.

   • Well, we’re still working on this, but we did make more changes to the house since adopting Banh Mi this year. He’s also helping us be better at maintaining the house so that he can roam around. Maybe this is practice for if we ever have to baby-proof the house by learning to bunny proof the house.

2. Complete the Dopey challenge/my first full marathon.

   • I still can’t believe I did this and that my first full marathon was along with a Dopey. I have no idea what I was thinking taking on this feat but I am so glad it’s over with and I can finally say that I did it. What’s worse, my friend Harrison talked me into the Brooklyn Half as part of his bigger scheme getting me to qualify for the NYC Marathon for 2023. This wasn’t an original goal when I started the year and somehow here we are. I have now successfully finished all my qualifiers. I honestly thought I’d never do it, but then again a few years ago, I also thought I’d never do a Dopey. I know some people are saying, “Why not? You got this after a Dopey,” but honestly, a full marathon on it’s own is still absolutely challenging and daunting to think about.

3. Workout goals: Reach a full split. Unassisted pull-up.

   • I don’t want to talk about this.

4. LEARN MY DAMN CAMERA ALREADY.

   • I don’t want to talk about this either.

5. Regular closet clean-outs.

   • I said I’d try to do this 2x a year and I did! I listed and sold a lot of items too on my Poshmark/Depop, and donated a lot too. I would love to make this more regularly but making the time to do this is challenging when you’re a super procrastinator like me, as well as having a million things to always (want to) do.

6. Work on being more sustainable.

   • I’ve been trying to cut down on my shopping. I don’t go to the mall as often and when I did this year, I often came back empty handed because there was just not a lot that piqued my interest. And when I did buy new items, I tried to make sure it was something I could style and wear with several different outfits, something I’d get a lot of wears out of. I’ve been trying to re-wear and restyle outfits for shoots as well.

7. Cut my hair.

   • I haven’t cut off all the processed ends but I did get my haircut at the beginning and the end of this year to cut off all the dead ends and reshape my layers. It’s helped to make my hair feel so much healthier and fuller, cut down on breakage, and accelerate healthy hair growth. Hopefully I can get rid of all the processed ends in 2-3 years time as well as getting it to grow again beyond what seems like it’s current terminal length.

8. Work on my CEs.

   • If I’m being honest, I did like 2. But next year I really have to do them, no excuses because it’s renewal year.

9. Get rid of backlog and post in real time again.

   • I’m all caught up! I’m wondering if I want to continue posting in 3s again for the aesthetics or go back to posting whatever again. I also hate writing captions. Sometimes I just want to post pics and leave it be. Why does everything have to have value to be important or get views. Why can’t I just see my friends’ cute lives.

10. Go on a vacation with just hubby again.

    • We went on a cruise this May and it was one of my favorite most intimate vacations. And I’m not talking about the $3x! We just were able to connect on a deeper level with no internet or other people in the way when left with just each other’s company. I would really love to do this again but I think it’ll be a little challenging with our financial status in trying to be more conservative and save next year after this December crushing us so hard.

GOALS FOR 2023

1. Connect more with my husband with more one on one time.

   • I really enjoyed our cruise vacation where it was just us. Honestly, I don’t know if we’ll be able to take a vacation together at all next year with our financial situation so I want to find more/different opportunities for us to be together and disconnect, whether it be quick nearby road trips, date nights, etc.

2. House train Banh Mi so he can free roam better.

   • Who had us becoming pet parents in 2022 on their bingo card? Cause I definitely didn’t. But I fell in love with this little mush and I’m hoping we can definitely better train him to responsibly roam around the house on his own because I really hate cooping him up in the hutch when I have to be gone all day. I can’t imagine being confined in a small space myself for too long with not much to do so I would like for him to be able to entertain himself around the house without making too much trouble.

3. Finish my CEs for this renewal period.

   • I just need to sit down, sign up for all the classes and remember to do it. I have til August and I know I can speed through them when push comes to shove.

4. Learn to drive stick.

   • I need to get rid of my car and get something that handles better in the snow. I hate feeling like I’m going to die in the winter when a bad storm hits and my car spins out. But I don’t want to buy a new car or even look at cars honestly. So the closest resolution would be for me to learn to drive stick so I can drive the hubby’s STI and he can buy whatever new car he wants. I’m terrified of learning to drive stick though. I’m worried I won’t pick it up and will suck at it but I guess we’ll never know until we try.

5. Complete a world major by running the NYC 2023 marathon.

   • I actually never had this on my bingo card either but through having bad friends, here we are. Everyone keeps saying I already ran an marathon once, so what’s so hard about doing it again? Everything. A marathon is just hard in general. I wanted it to be a one and done accomplishment because I found it so hard. But here we are. I’m really nervous about running this distance again so fingers crossed I can get through it.

6. Take a cooking class or some type of fun class with the hubs.

   • I’ve always wanted to do this. Just have no idea where I can sign up for them. I want to learn to make pasta or something fun and make a cute date night out of it.

7. Play video games more regularly with the hubs.

   • This is more for hubs than it is for me. But I do want to make more effort since he does a lot for me and puts up with all the photos I want to take and all the dumb places I want to venture off to. I really do suck at video games but for some reason he still enjoys it when I play with him so I want to try and make some time for him more often doing things he enjoys.

8. Declutter my closet, my house, my photo albums/storage.

   • It would just be really nice to really finish my house best we can by getting rid of all the clutter. And then hopefully we can build from there. So this is basically a baby step/stepping stone to finishing the house.

9. Work on my mental health and practice more gratitude.

   • I want to work on my anxiety and also stop overthinking and creating paranoid scenarios in my head thinking my friends hate me and get out of my imposter syndrome. I need to work on reflecting more on what I do have, instead of what I don’t have. I also want my weight to stop controlling how I feel about myself on a day to day basis, especially when I look back in retrospect, I realize I looked fine when I thought I wasn’t. I need to stop letting these demons win.

10. Sign up for swimming lessons.

    • One day when I head back to the tropics for a beautiful warm vacation, I would love to be able to just float in the water and relax. I would like to get in the water and not feel like I’m drowning. I have a fear or taking swimming lessons though because I don’t want to show up to a class full of kids and here my adult ass is, with my floaties on my arms, lol. But sooner or later, I would really love to be able to swim.

Year in review

I don’t know what’s wrong with me. The other day I was feeling down thinking I had wasted my entire year doing absolutely nothing. And then when I actually reflected, I realized I was just an idiot. I did A LOT. So much I forgot about it all. I was jumping from one thing to the next, it ended being a blur.

Running

I started off the year crazy stupid ambitious. I remember a year ago around this time, I was so stressed and anxious about Dopey. A big storm was about to pass through and I left work early to get a day head start on driving down to Florida. And it was a really good thing we did because had we left even half a day later, we would have been stuck in a huge traffic mess. The major highway leading down to Virginia was a standstill for over a day, if I remember. People were stuck in their cars overnight due to all the accidents from the snow. It was crazy. We had drove right through it before it got impassable. I was so relieved. And then the entire week at Disney felt like chaos. As much fun as I had in the parks during the day, it was a lot of stress getting enough sleep, waking up and getting to the races on time and completing them all. It was quite a journey. So much happened. But in the end, I successfully completed it. I still can’t believe it to this day I did it. It still feels unreal. I want to say it’s probably one of my craziest and proudest achievements of my life. Those 6 months of training was a roller coaster and I’m glad I got through it. I’m proud of how far I’ve come because completing this challenge was proof to me that if I worked hard, dedicated the time and energy to it, I can honestly do anything if I set my mind to it. Cause a few years ago, I would’ve told you you were crazy if I was ever going to be able to run a full marathon, let alone a Dopey 48.6 miles.

And then batshit crazy me ran all the way back to Disney in February to do the Princess Challenge AGAIN. I completed my 2nd in person Princess challenge and 3rd Princess weekend (first year I only did the half, not the challenge). I had one of the best experiences on this trip too having developed more friendships within the running community over the years and it was so nice finally getting to meet everyone in person!

I was also hoping to do a faster time than my previous half marathon PR on this trip but fell short. Looking back, all my runs since Dopey have been a little off and I'm realizing now it's because I was pushing my body to do so many long runs and so many races without properly recovering and resting. And then I took this summer off and realized I had to build myself back up again to where I last left off with my speed, stamina and endurance. I need to find a happy medium of maintenance training so I can avoid going too hard and risking injury, and not resting too long in between that it feels so strenuous starting up again. I need to work on that for 2023, to avoid the burnout, because I definitely pushed myself more than I had intended. In January, I only had WDW Dopey, Princess Half weekend and the DC Cherry Blossom 10 miler for my race season. Then it expanded to the Brooklyn Half, which then snowballed into the 9 + 1 qualifier for the NYC 2023 Marathon. Now that I’m sitting here thinking about it, I realized I ran 17 races this year! Holy hell. I only intended for 8, which I felt was overwhelming enough so it’s crazy how I went way over that. No wonder I felt burnt out. All those early mornings traveling to the city to get them done was tough. All in all, this was a very busy race season for me and I learned a lot about myself and what my body can endure. I learned a lot about running too and the work that goes into training for a full and how different it is from a half. I learned about how important hydration, fueling, stretching, proper training, sleep, nutrition and recovery are all key to a successful race experience. The most important too is your mental health. This is important to help get you through the hardest parts of training because those walls are real.

Fitness Journey

I should be more proud of myself for my non-scale victories and stop allowing myself to be disappointed by the number on a scale. Although! The number on the scale, when broken down, shows my fat percentage to be on a low end, and my protein/muscle composition to be high so I should be proud of the work I’ve been putting in. The weight gain, while discouraging at times, is actually very healthy and something other people strive really hard for so I should practice gratitude for what my body is able to achieve.

My non-scale victories I want to commend, is how hard I’ve worked over the years to maintain my active lifestyle. Because that’s truly what it is now, a big part of my daily routine so much that I don’t feel good unless I get some movement in. And I’m proud of how much I’ve done in trying different things to cross-train to switch things up and keep it interesting and fun. I go to the gym, lift weights, run, walk with my husband, practice Blogilates, hell I even did another round of Insanity this summer! I try to get in my steps everyday. I tell myself to be active for at least 30 minutes when I’m strapped for time but for the most part I try to work out for an average of 1-2 hours a day. I’m really proud of myself for making this a healthy habit.

I also was given the opportunity to work with Popflex and Crowned Athletics on several projects this year which I’m definitely very proud of to be considered for. I always get imposter syndrome about it, but I really appreciate when a brand genuinely reaches out because I align with their brand. This was a big milestone for me.

travel

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel and go on several vacations this year. I went to Disney World twice and participated in 2 race weekends, Disneyland, Bermuda and DC. Sometimes I get sad about not being able to afford Europe and Asia travels to explore new destinations but I’ve still been very fortunate.

This is also probably why I’m depressed about my financial situation. Had I not been so reckless with all these trips trying to chase a molecule of serotonin, this December might not have hurt as much with all the financial curveballs thrown at me this month. We just had to replace our washer and dryer since ours broke and it would cost more to fix than replace. And then I was due for my car inspection but interestingly enough, my check engine light went off and a month later, here I am, $4k in the hole to fix the issue. On top of our heating bill, regular bills and of course, the added costs and stress of Christmas. It’s been a little rough and overwhelming because it was a lot of financial hits all at once, especially in December. Although I shouldn’t complain. As financially stressful as it’s been, I am still very fortunate. I have my health, my family, and my absolutely amazing husband by my side helping me navigate all these issues. I sat there at Christmas reflecting and realized I need to practice more gratitude. I have not one but several places to go to for the holidays because I am fortunate enough to have healthy family connections. And at each gathering I attended, we were blessed with such an abundance of good food to eat at each.

We aren’t rich or anything, but we are happy, healthy, and honestly want for nothing. I am showered with love by friends, family and my amazing husband. I can’t stress this enough because I really need to get it through my head when my demons come to play and make me think otherwise.

Photoshoots

I got to continue building my portfolio and work with a lot of new people who have become very good friends of mine in a short amount of time! I cut down on pop-ups this year, opting instead to work more on my portrait micro posing skills, as well as re-do old shoots with my current hair. I also got to finally complete a video/shoot project I’ve been wanting to do for a long time but we couldn’t find a good location till this summer and it was definitely worth the wait because when it all finally came together, it turned out absolutely epic. Sometimes you don’t need a busy pop-up with a million things going on in the background all the time. You just need good lighting, a simple outfit, your best angles and poses and you can make anything work. I love everything I got to create this year and everyone I had the opportunity to work with, both old and new friends.

Banh Mi

Halfway through the year, somehow we became pet parents adopting a baby bunny after the hubby fell in love with them at a petting zoo. We’ve always talked about a pet but could never agree on anything nor have the time for one but somehow this worked out. Now it’s been 5 months since we had this little stinker and as mischievous as he’s been, just like a little child, we still are absolutely head over heels in love with him at the end of the day. It’s so funny how he has his own little personality and is temperamental sometimes but also lovable. Is this what having a child is like? No matter how much of a shithead he is, at the end of the day when I look over at his cute face I can’t help but want to kiss his stupid face. I’m glad bunnies have a life expectancy of 8-10 years but oh are we in for the biggest heartbreak when it happens. And to think, it’s only been 5 months with this baby boy.

Reflection

Did I peak in 2018? I mean, how much more can I do in 2019 to step up my game in everything? But you don’t know if you don’t go. I’m ready to jump into 2019 and see what great things lay ahead. Cheers to 2018 and it’s great gifts, and here’s to what the new year will bring us!

You know, I wrote this in 2018 at the first year of my blog and it’s funny because even sitting now, I’m like what can I possibly do in 2023 that will surpass 2022 because 2022 was a pretty big year, especially when it came to ambitious running goals. But life has a funny way of still surprising us as time goes on. At the beginning of 2022, Dopey was the farthest I dreamed. I definitely did not see me running 17 races this year and qualifying for the NYC marathon. I never had any ambitions of completing that but here we are. I’m actually nervous for what’s to come in 2023 because I feel like some of it is uncharted waters. I don’t have any other crazy goals of mountains to climb, but I am looking for a bit more stability. Before December threw me for a financial curveball, I was actually really proud because I had cleared myself of all my credit card debt and ready to tackle on my student loans debt when they were supposed to resume in the new year. And then all the shit hit the fan and I’m back at square one as I pay off these financial messes. Luckily the student loan pause has been further extended to the summer, so fingers crossed I can clean this mess again before then and hopefully stay that way. I want to be able to start saving again and plan for the future. This is probably why I’m walking into 2023 with a bit of caution. Usually I’m ready to jump in headfirst but this year feels more like uncertainty for me. I have no idea what this year holds and honestly it makes me nervous. I know it holds growth and growth always forces us outside our comfort zone, which explains why I’ve been feeling very uncomfortable in my life lately. I know it’s necessary for the bigger picture but is it wrong to want to stay in your comfort zone a little longer? Le sigh. 2023, please be good to me.

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RBC Brooklyn Half

This Saturday May 21 was my 3rd NYRR race and my first time running the RBC Brooklyn Half.

Man, all I have to say is that shit was REALLY HARD. Those Prospect Park hills are no joke. We got lucky with the morning starting with a thick layer of fog so no sun, but the humidity was INTENSE. You were drenched within minutes. The sun staved off for a few hours before we finally got onto Ocean Parkway.

I've done this distance so many times before but this particular day felt really hard. I couldn’t pinpoint whether it was just an off day for me, or the temperatures really affecting me more than I could consciously feel or whatever, but I definitely felt it during the race, after when I went to work, and the next morning when I woke up. All day today I felt like I got ran over. It’s insane. Some days are good run days and some days you're just not feeling it. Usually I can get myself in the zone and focus but this race was the first time in a while I just couldn’t click into it. I started out ok but somewhere along the line after mile 3, when we entered the park and the course started to go physically uphill, I personally went downhill and downhill fast, lol. It may be because I started out faster than my usual running pace and I got too tired too fast trying to keep up with my friends. At Disney, I’m able to run my own race but in a race with a bunch of friends, it may be harder if you’re not all the same pace. One runner will have it harder because they’re having to slow down to keep up with you and for a faster runner, it hurts to slow down and have to spend more time than expected to finish since you’re on your feet longer/more. For the other runner, they’ll have it harder because they’re trying really hard to keep up with their friends and thus exhausting themselves quicker as they try to catch their breath and maintain pace.

I thought maybe after we exited the park and we reached Ocean Parkway, where it gradually goes downhill and then is a much flatter course, I could make up for it. But at a certain point though, I couldn’t continue on anymore due to this same midfoot pain that I keep developing lately on my left foot every time I do a long distance run. It happened to me in January during the WDW races during both the half and the full and always around mile 11. I don’t know what it is but it's been my weakness at all the past races I've done. Maybe my body is telling me this is it, this is all I can handle, bitch, please stop. 😅 My friend Kevin was running with me the whole time and it was around this point I told him I couldn’t keep running and we slowed down and walked for a mile til we got to the next water station, refueled and then tried our best to run the last 2 miles to the finish line, albeit slower. I said this a lot during the full marathon back in January, but during this race, I really thought about quitting a few times. I kept going because Kevin was right next to me still going. One part of me was like what’s wrong with you? You’ve done this before, you can finish this! You can’t quit. And then the other part of me was like girl this is ridiculously hard, we are TIRED, we want to wave the white flag. It was a mind game back and forth trying to convince myself to keep going while the other self wanted to stop. This is why they say this is really more mental than anything. You really have to train your mind to be strong for this.

Above all though, remember to listen to your body! I didn’t stop but at that mile 11 when I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to speak up and tell Kevin I couldn’t keep running. I had to slow down and walk for a bit. It sucks because you’ll see everyone around you still trudging along and some are still going full speed, but you have to remember, everyone is different and it's more important to run safe than anything and slow down when needed. When I got to work later, my coworker told me she read one of the runners collapsed near the finish line, was rushed to the hospital and unfortunately didn't make it. 16 others were also taken to the hospital, 5 with serious injuries. Please remember it's ok to slow down! And it IS ok to stop if it's too much. There will always be other races, tomorrow is another day and your well-being are more important than any race. I thought about pushing through and keeping up the pace but I knew it wouldn't be worth the injury in the end and I'm glad we slowed down because my body is still feeling it even today. Usually I’m not this badly beat so I can tell this took a toll on me.

This race was very challenging and to be quite honest, the whole time I thought about how the NYC Marathon may not be for me. One borough was hard for me, I can't imagine traversing all 5, especially since NYC is very, very hilly. These race courses also don’t inspire me the same way running through Disney does. I didn’t care for the views on this course and I realized I might not really care for the NYC marathon views. I can do this on a regular NYC outing I do with my friends and family for good views and better photos. I might just strictly enjoy Disney running. There’s something about running to the castle that gets me every time. I’ve done it 4 times now and I still never tire of it. But the Brooklyn half felt like a one and one for me. Also the full marathon distance feels like a one and done for me, honestly. I don’t have the drive in me to do 26.2 miles a second time. I feel like personally for me, once may be enough. Le sigh. But I’m already currently 3 races in, already signed up for 4 more, with just 2 more needed on top of that to qualify. I already paid for the yearly membership at NYRR for these races. I guess I’ll finish out the qualifiers and then decide next year when the NYC marathon opens up if I want to do this. At least I’ll have the option. I’ll keep the door open for now, but to those of you who aspire to those 26.2 concrete jungle miles, seriously I applaud you all. This takes A LOT.