patience is something I lack ...

The other day I got a message from another runner that said, "Keep waiting to see you post that you are running the Richmond full after your stomach bug race last week."

Huh? Did you all think that I was considering it? Am I really that predictable? (G seems to think so.)

Here's the thing. I kind of lack patience. And I don't like to let an opportunity pass me by. Take for instance, my marriage, family and all that jazz.

If J had asked me to marry him as we were boarding the plane home from England (where we met), I would have said yes. I knew it was right. I was trusting my gut and my gut rarely fails me. Instead, J waited a whole 10 months to ask and we were married just after we had been together for two years (again, I would have done it sooner if I thought the parents would have approved.)

Then there is that matter of having children. J and I managed to wait a whole two months after our wedding to jump on that bandwagon. Dizzle was born a month before our first anniversary and she was subsequently followed by two more children, each 22 months apart.

Need more proof? Well, let's see. I graduated from an Ivy League college in three years, primarily due the the fact that I was over it. I was done with accruing debt in the form of school loans and I wanted to start my "real life."

Oh, and then there's was that time that I ran my first 5K and followed it immediately by my first marathon. Right. That was a smart idea. Totally just skipped over the distances in between, because really, "Why wait until tomorrow for what you can do today?"

So, you get it. I don't like to wait. I don't like to see others doing the things I know I am capable of while I sit on the sidelines. I am not one to let opportunity to pass me by. It's just who I am.

So, of course, I played around with the idea of getting Marathon Redemption at Richmond. I mean, who wouldn't? My training partner is running. I've run the course tons of times before. I wouldn't have to travel for it. I'm already trained. It was almost a no-brainer. But, it's not like I emailed the race director to find out what it would take to switch from the 8K to the marathon, or anything (OK, maybe I did). But, after some contemplation and some advice from a good friend, I decided NOT to switch. And here's why ...

1. I have been looking forward to this 8K for an entire year. It is my favorite race distance (and my favorite 8K course).

2. My 8K PR is old and this course is notoriously fast. I have a much larger base that the last time I ran this distance and I am ready to crush my previous times.

3. By running the 8K, I get to be course support for J (who's running the half) and G (who's running the full). Since the 8K, starts at 7 a.m., I should be finished within 10 minutes of J starting his race at 7:30. So, once I cool down, I can run back on the course find him and run him to the finish (which I am super pumped for). Then, once I have dropped off J, I can run the course backwards again to find G, who starts the marathon at 8 a.m., and run her in as well. It's a perfect plan.

4. I am hosting Katye and Erin. And a completely exhausted post-marathon runner doesn't always make for the best host.

5. I am already registered for another marathon, SunTrust National Marathon, where I WILL get Marathon Redemption.

Now, all I need is a little strength to stick to my guns ...