So I've officially registered for the Gasparilla Marathon!! This leaves me feeling very scared and very excited all at the same time.

Scared because I've never run 26.2 miles all at one time. Running 4 hours at one time (or maybe up to 5) is unchartered territory for me. By race day I will have only run 20 miles at one given time. Everyone says that the real race both mentally and physically begins after 20 miles. Yikes. So that last 6.2 miles could bring any number of things. I don't know what's going to happen. I could trip and fall. I could have a heart attack. My legs could cramp up and basically decide not to carry me one additional step. I could throw up. Or, and most scary of all, I COULD GIVE UP. I have to realize that this is within the realm of possibility. I am a person that is very careful about almost all decisions that I make in my life, I carefully weigh the pros and cons, I do my research, I logically move toward the best decision after careful consideration of all factors. Running the marathon was a big decision for me. I was planning to wait to register for my first until 2007 but I figured that I needed to motivate myself to improve my endurance for triathlon season so I decided to do it. So finishing the marathon is something that will be a stretch for me. Definitely a challenge. And I have a feeling that this will be a mental challenge almost as much as a physical challenge for me. So I'm working on my positive thinking that come race day when I finish mile 20 I will dig down deep to find my strength and confidence to get me through the last 6.2 miles and across the finish line.