Doin' It All For the Sticker...

"Doin' It All for the Sticker" has been my motto for the past two months. I'd say it's one step up from the song, "Doin' It All for the Nookie." I'll admit, it was quite shallow in the beginning. Ya know, almost a "Keep up with the Jones" kind of thing where you plaster stickers on your car to brag to people about what you've done or where you've traveled. But over the past few months, that has all changed.



For years, I've admired the 26.2, 13.1, Runner Girl, and Swim-Bike-Run stickers on stranger's cars. I've drooled over them sitting in the carpool line, and I've daydreamed about being "that" girl at stoplights. Running a half marathon has always been on my bucket list- I've even signed up for the Rock-n-Roll half and the Army Ten-Miler only to throw money away because my feet never struck the pavement for training runs. Instead, after visions of what could be, my car would veer into the nearest drive thru, or I'd dart home to get an afternoon power nap and prop my feet up.... Until now.

I'm a big talker. I am a "yes" person, and I'm always full of crazy ideas. I often overschedule myself, have too much on my plate, and then end up being a flake. But that's just who I am. I'm a dreamer.:) During girl's weekend, my best friend and I were messing around on facebook... admittedly probably trying to stir up some action being that it was our last night together and we were bored with our computers. We both posted, "Disney Princess Half Marathon?"... And let's just say that most people laughed at the thought of Lucy and Ethel doing a race. Even we did. We were being sarcastic, and we knew it... until it hit us- "Screw all those non-believers, We can do this!" (Although if I was a betting woman, I would have bet against us at the time- but trust me, my lesson was learned when I lost $200 which was equivalent to $10,000 when you are a college student to a bookie at Tech.)

From the very beginning my motivation to run 13.1 was weight loss. I thought to myself, if I bust my butt running, I will fo' sure lose this weight. Wrong. Sadly, the scale hasn't moved, but my heart has. I've increased my endurance, been amazed by friendships, and learned to love a sport that I pretty much suck at. My friend Danielle has stayed on the treadmill after her workouts to motivate me to finish mine (and Bitch has lost seven pounds and looks a-maz-ing), long lost friends have posted words of encouragement to me, and my college roomie even spent her Saturday afternoon encouraging me every step of the way through a ten mile run.

So, yes, I'm doing it all for the sticker. This whole running thing is a challenge, and it's hard for me. I'm learning to love running. And when I cross the finish line, I know that all my blood, sweat, and tears will have been worth it. Because not only have I set out on a goal and accomplished it, I've finally followed through with a dream and have become proud of myself. This isn't pride from something that my kids or my husband have accomplished, it's about something I have done. And that sticker will be a reminder every day- and even more importantly, the 13.1 will be slapped on my car for me, and not for anyone else.:)