I’m experiencing some major race envy tonight. My Ragnar Relay (I know, I won’t shut up about it) is in less than 3 weeks and I absolutely cannot wait for the challenge!! Several of my teammates are all running half marathons this weekend (good luck guys!!) and I’m seriously jealous. Let’s face it, I like winning medals.

My most recent medal.

My last race was in August and I’m experiencing severe withdrawals.

So it got me thinking…what really DRIVES you (or me) to race and what gets us through a half or full marathon?

For me, I feel it’s:

1. Miles 1-6: Pure adrenaline (I feel like this stage is the biggest reason I love racing. The adrenaline rush is awesome and just being surrounded by your kinfolk is inspiring. 😉 )

2. Miles 7-10: Training (at this stage, the adrenaline has started to wear off and you fall back on all those training runs and trust your training and legs to carry you through the “heart” of the race.)

3. Miles 11-13.1: HEART! (this might be the most rewarding part of the race, your legs are getting tired and your mind starts telling you to stop but it’s this part of the race that really counts. Where you push yourself those last few miles.)

The same can be translated to a full marathon. Where those last 6 miles are pure heart.

After ‘Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon’

So, I’ll be cheering loud and proud for all my Ragnar buddies to race strong and fast this weekend!