One of my biggest obstacles to overcome when I made the decision to walk in my first half marathon was fear. I was afraid of so many things. Would I be able to stick with a training plan day after day or would I quit when the going was hard?
One of my fears was that I couldn’t walk 13.1 miles. I had walked for years but I had never walked that far. I was overweight and out of shape. What was I thinking of when I signed up for this?
Another one of my fears was that I wouldn’t have enough time to train. I had allotted four months to train before walking my first half marathon, but was that enough? I wasn’t sure, because all of the things involved in training were so new to me. I wondered if I could fit that much training time into my busy, daily schedule.
The major fear I had before the race was that I would finish last. I would be so embarrassed. What if I couldn’t even finish the race?
It would have been so easy to let fear cripple me. However, I read advice from fellow walkers and did research on how to train for your first half marathon. These are things I learned:
1. 13.1 miles may seem like a big number, but when I started this journey I thought 3 miles was a long way to walk.
2. I did have time to fit training into my busy schedule. I could get up earlier, turn off the TV or computer, walk on my lunch break…..If it was an important goal, I would make it happen. As each day went by it got easier and easier to find time to train.
3. I tried to remember that this was only my first half marathon, and that I shouldn’t worry about how fast I would walk it. I made it my goal to walk 13.1 miles, get myself across the finish line, and no more. I could worry about speed next time. Besides, no matter how long it took me I was going to set both a distance and a time personal record.
Don’t let fear stop you! YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
