Addicted

I’m addicted.
I know you’ve seen it happen before… A friend of a friend is doing a race and they ask you to come along. “Sure” you think to yourself.. why not? I’m in decent shape, and it would be fun to do it with a bunch of people..
Oh and the race happens to be the same date as your cousin’s wedding? Eh.. You can still make it there in time- you think… Plus, when will you ever have the chance to do this race again with these people? Probably never.
Ok.. so maybe your being a little selfish.. but hey, your an only child.. so its just in your nature.
So you sign up.
That race comes and goes.. it’s an obstacle race, so you get muddy and casually run through the 5k with no problem at all. You make it home just in time to get off “most” off the mud, put on a little dress you borrowed from your friend and look halfway decent and RUSH to the wedding reception.. Without raising too many flags.
But then you think to yourself, “Hey didn’t do too bad for time considering, maybe I should sign up for a regular 5k race.”
And you do.
You do one for charity- breast cancer.
You don’t train.. since, well, it’s a 5k.
You set a time goal and just barely make it by the skin on your nose.
Maybe you could be a runner?
So you talk about someday, in the far off distant future- running a marathon- knowing full well you don’t actually have the balls to sign up for one.
But at some point, you think.. maybe I should start off with a half marathon?
Again you push that off until an amazing friend comes to visit for just one night. You go out, drink a whole bottle of wine each and talk about your lives, your dreams, your ambitions. This particular friend has done many races- and earlier in the year completed a half iron man.. She’s amazing. So the conversation continues.. and somehow she tells you that she will drive over a 1000 miles to do a half marathon with you.
And you start to think, that maybe.. just maybe.. with a friend by your side you might be able to do it.
So within the next week, you find a race.
You sign up
And shortly thereafter, you start to train.
After a month or so, you get this feeling that your friend might not actually be able to do the race with you, so you email her.
And she can’t.
But part of you knew that and already came to terms with it.. Really your just happy that she gave you that little push you needed to have the balls to sign up.
You continue training.. and prove to yourself, week after week.. run after run, that there is a good chance you will finish. Maybe you’ll even be able to come in under 2 hours.
Though you never really feel like a runner.
Until..
You go spectate at the Boston Marathon.. and miss the bombs by 1 1/2 hours.
You feel sad, angry, and scared..
Your race is just one month away.

The race comes..
You finish
and your family is there to support, be proud and catch you at the finish line.
You miss your time goal by 1:27
It is then predicted that you will sign up for more races by the end of the week.

Nah… that won’t happen.

Less than two days later, you start looking at more races.

Yup.. Your addicted.