My 21.08 km Training Starts Now
You know, because I refuse to call it a half marathon. From here on out within the walls of this blog (I’m not exactly sure where they start and end) running 13.1 miles will not be referred to as a half marathon. I mean, nobody every called a 5K a half 10k , or a marathon a half ultra marathon.
Who was put in charge of naming this race?
Actually, if you know what the origins of the half marathon 21.08km run are, I’d love to know. A google search didn’t help too much.
For those of you who haven’t heard yet, I’m going to be running the Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon Run down the Strip in Vegas with Mrs. NoMoreBacon. I’m stoked, and a little scared, but mostly stoked! There are going to be tons of cool people there. I don’t want to leave anyone out of my unofficial list, so I’ll just say that this amazing person is pretty much running the show, tutu and all. 13.1 miles for a non-runner is quite the endeavor. Seriously, it’s like a big freaking deal! That’s why I’m so adamant about not calling it a half anything! Because it’s a WHOLE lot for me to take on.
I’ve come up with some alternative phrasing that we can use instead of half that four letter word. (nerd alert: I actually did the math on all of these)
- 52 1/2 laps around the high school track.
- A double 10k
- From the Vegas sign to the Wynn and back.
- A quadruple 5k
- 10 1/2 Kentucky Derby’s (basically that means finishers are ten times stronger than horses)
- 231 football fields
- 138,336 strips of bacon
- 26,200 steps
- The height of the Stratosphere Tower 60.26 times over
- 13 miles farther than I used to be able to run
- 192 times around the bases at Fenway (or any ballpark for that matter)
- The exact distance required to win a shiny medal and justify one of those fab Vegas buffets!
I really am excited about meeting tons of cool people and achieving a goal that, at the moment, seems a bit out of reach. I just need to trust the process and trust myself. I know I can accomplish great things. Now it’s time to put my head down and DO WORK!
Do you have any alternative words for half word-that-shall-not-be-spoken marathon that you’d like to share? Leave them for our entertainment in the comments!
29 Responses to “My 21.08 km Training Starts Now”
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HELLZ BELLZ YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am thinking of it as 4 and a bit 5kms. I am so excited that you’re coming. So excited to meet you…SO excited!
Michelle @Eatingjourney´s last blog ..Releasing My Anchors- 2 Year Blog-Anniversary
you totally make me LAUGH and I love this as well.
caint wait to meet the mrs no mo…
MizFit´s last blog ..My first run in my Vibram Five Fingers
Had me laughing as usual. Don’t have one to add yet, but my favorite was “13 miles more than I used to be able to run”
MrsFatass´s last blog ..having the guts to hit publish
You so have this! It’s going to be the hardest, most fun thing ever! Nothing beats the feeling after you cross that finish line!
Can’t wait to meet you guys there. It’s going to be AWESOME!
Roni´s last blog ..The 4 Day Diet- Be Thinner By Friday… and Back Where You Started on Monday
I am training for that which should not be mentioned too!! I am terrified. Especially since I’m not training as well as I should be! Good luck my friend!
Tonyne @ The Unlikely Success Story´s last blog ..Check Out My New Look!
Voldemarathon? Like that one?!
I’ll be seeing YOU in Vegas, my friend. And at the craps table too. Well, at the craps table in between running, food and post-run beer (ahhhh, enter thirst quench here).
Super stoked. AND SUPER EXCITED that you will be doing something so epic and have one of your biggest supporters/love of your life right next to you doing it! It’ll be one of the greatest experiences of your life (even during the double 10K).
Also, I fully expect tears of pain, victory and joy at finish line. I will be covering my face with towel.
Jess´s last blog ..Vulnerability and Failure
Ryan, it’s called the most amazing, inspiring, exhilerating, awe-inducing, if I can do this I can do anything, feeling you’ll ever feel. Once you push through this limit, just as you’ve pushed through all your other limits, you’ll be primed and ready to accomplish any fitness goal you set out for yourself.
BTW, what training plan are you using?
mac´s last blog ..What’s For Dinner—Salmon And Fennel With Roasted-Lemon Vinaigrette
How about Just long enough? I’m training for a 5k, small beans for you guys, but huge for me. I’m envious, I can’t wait to try the Country Music half in the spring.
A 5K is no small beans girlfriend! We all have different goals. We’re all in different places in our journey’s and what I do is completely independent of what you do. Good luck on your 5K! You’ll do awesome!
That’s funny because I had been thinking much the same thing lately – that it’s totally unfair to call running 13.1 miles half of anything.
I’m excited to meet you and all the other awesome folks who are going to be there. You’ve still got plenty of time to train, so I know you can do this. It’s going to be a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. And just think of the after-party that we’ll all have!
Brandon´s last blog ..It’s Official- I’m Headed to Las Vegas!
Well, I’ve been walking 40 laps around the swimming pool each day which is about 1 mile. So in the last 2 weeks I have pretty well done a 13.1 mile walk. I would have to say a good name for it would be “a stroll around the backyard”.
P.S. we ought to get one of the timeshare deals so the whole fam damily can go to it.
I love the double 10K. For some reason that seems more attainable to me since I’ve already run a 10K…that they called a quarter marathon.
I signed up for…one of these things in October. I’ll be doing the Rock n Roll here in Denver
Calling it a half is sort of like saying you’ve got half of a hole. Both of them are completely ridiculous, since you either have a hole or you don’t and you either go 13.1 miles or not. I usually refer to my upcoming event as “that thing I signed up for when I was delusional or heavily medicated.” It seems an apt description seeing as how I’m not a runner.
Ed´s last blog ..What Works for Me- Counting Calories
What if we call is a Quarter Ultra Marathon??
Oh, guess that kinda defeats the purpose.
Tricia´s last blog ..Medicated
Why, oh why am I scared to fly? This I would love to see, whatever you want to call it.
Kimberley´s last blog ..Fun Times
My name for a 1/2?
Long-ass-way-I-never-in-13.1-lifetimes-thought-I’d-ever-be-able-to-do Run. Yo.
But I did it. And you are going to kill it!
I love this post. 13.1 miles is a long way and for some of us should only be done once in a lifetime.
Go Ryan!
Skyler Meine´s last blog ..The Workout J-Lo- Your Friends and Your Grandma are Doing
Lets call it our Big Adventure. We’ve had so many this is small beans!
That being said, you would be the only person to talk me into this and it’s a long ass way to run!
I’m so excited for you all! (And a little jealous, too!) Congratulations and I know you’ll kick ass!
SeattleRunnerGirl´s last blog ..My New Normal…Again
It’s just like a half ironman. I mean, 1.5 miles swimming, 50 miles biking, and 13.1 miles running shouldn’t be a half anything. It’s double an OLYMPIC triathlon which sounds MUCH cooler.
I’m signing up for one a few weeks prior. I just can’t justify the dinero to do TWO vegas trips in one year. Have fun! You can totally do it!
Quix´s last blog ..Fast Food- Snickerdoodles- and Hungries- Oh My!
Can I come?
Steve´s last blog ..Awesome by August – Week 2
Mine is 13 trips to the park and back…I will be walking that on 12/5 Either here or in Vegas but I am walking none the less
Jules – Big Girl Bombshell´s last blog ..What if I stopped the What if’s
They should just rename the whole…13.1 mile thingy…”THE MizBooRun”. Although I’m rather partial to the Voldethon or the 138,336 Strips of Bacon. (Does that mean I get to EAT 138,336 strips of bacon afterward? Cool! Although that might even be too much bacon for me.)
Pubsgal´s last blog ..Weekly Update- 7-21-10
The marathon distance is pretty epic and has quite the story on it. I’m pretty sure that they literally just took (dare I say) half the distance and then made that a race too.
That’s why they call it a half marathon the same way they’d say you ate half a Whopper and not that you just ate a Whopper Jr.
If you have netflix watch “Spirit of the Marathon” it’ll get you pumped to run. It’s on instant play.
By the way, the half marathon medals are just as big as the whole marathon medals.
Awesome! Good luck! I’m going to be running my first half in September!
Eric´s last blog ..My Two Little Girls
Don’t know why, but I havn’t read your posts for a while. I am now reminded why I need to. You rock Ryan, you set a goal for yourself and you do it! Always positive and full of enthusiasm, LOVE IT!! You will do great!
You have to jump on the Pikermi bandwagon! (A town halfway between Athens and Marathon). I’m bummed I can’t make it to Vegas with what seems to be the rest of the blogging world, but I’ll be running my own double Pikermi the weekend before. Have so much fun!!
[...] and improving his time drastically on each and every one he started to get bored with just a measly 26.2 miles. He had to try longer distances. I didn’t even know it was possible to run more than [...]
You are going to do amazing at the race. Doing a 1/2 is one of those things that’s been in the back of my mind lately, but I’m just not there yet…