Ready for "the rest of the story?" Call it karma or fate. I'd like to call it evidence of God's hand at work!
I first saw the Yosemite Half Marathon advertised a couple of years ago--on my birthday! Seemed liked a great idea, but it sold out almost immediately. Why Yosemite? We grew up 90 miles from Yosemite, and my Daddy pastored a church less than an hour from there. We went often. John and I went to Yosemite often while dating. My sister got married in Yosemite. We've lived in New Mexico for almost 14 years, and we have not been to Yosemite since we moved.
Earlier this week, I shared a post about the Yosemite Half Marathon on Facebook. I meant to tag my sister and ask if she wanted to meet me there. But I forgot to add a comment. My aunt asked me if was going to try it. I responded:
I would love to. Not sure I can afford the entry fee or the travel. The last one sold out in no time. Anybody want to sponsor me? Since I'm slow, you'll get more for your money!We laughed, and I thought that was the end of it. The next morning I got an alert from Facebook Messenger from an old friend, Sharon Moyer. (Old as in we knew each other 30 years ago--neither of us are old, right?!?!?). She asked:
Julie...if you are serious about the Yosemite race, I am willing to help. I have a timeshare at Bass Lake. It's a two bedroom condo. You can use it no charge and I'm willing to pay the entry fee. You just have to get there...I just about fell out of my chair! After a quick call to my husband, I graciously accepted her offer. She asked me to wear a pin honoring her step-father Roger Williams who had recently passed away. She was getting ready for his celebration of life when she saw my post. I told her I would be honored to run for him. Today, I got my official registration confirmation.
I've already had two people promise to be there to cheer me on. Maybe some of my other Nor Cal family and friends will be able to make it!
Now, I have 10 months to train! I've already started looking at training programs. The first site I looked at (Runner's World) said,
Believe it or not, if your long runs are up to three miles, you're ready to train for a half marathon.That's cool. I can run 3 miles! As bad as my last 10K was, I ran fine for 4 miles. I have ten months to train. And the course is all downhill! They allow four hours to complete the course--which is an 18 minute mile. That is an average speed of 3.3 miles per hour. I generally run between 3.5 and 4.0 MPH. The Disney Half Marathon (my dream some day!) requires a 16 minute mile (average of 3.75 MPH).
I also have ten months to save up and/or find sponsors to pay for the trip. If you (or your business) would like to sponsor me, let me know. I will be posting regularly (I'll shoot for at least once a week!) during training, as well as often the days leading up to and following the race. I'll be happy to add a shout out and/or #hashtag for you or your business.
What in the world have I gotten myself into!?!?!?
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How exciting!
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