I challenge you to a foot race.

I have always had the goal of running either a half or a full-marathon by the time I turned 25. This always seemed like a great goal for a few reasons. Let me list them out for you:

1) I would get in super-awesome shape.

2) People will think I am a bad-ass.

3) All those people would be right, because I would be a bad-ass.

4) I will never turn 25, so I don't really need to worry about this anyway.

Ahh, youth (I can say that because I am almost 25, right?). I must admit, all of the above are fabulous reasons, however the fourth one carried the flaw because last year I turned 24 which means this year I will turn 25 and since I do not want to let myself skimp out on a goal (and since I would love to be a bad-ass), I have registered to run in the Country Music Marathon and Half-Marathon which takes place on April 24th right here in my new hometown of Nashville.

I started training in November. I set out with the idea that I would start training and then decide if I wanted to run the full marathon--26.2 miles--or the half-marathon--do the math people.

My first run was awesome. I felt fantastic. I was a little winded, but pretty good overall. I thought to myself "this is going to be cake." I asked my friend, “How much did we just do?”

“Two miles,” she said.

That is when I decided to do the 13.1 (can't forget the .1) miles of the half-marathon.

Training was going great but then it started to get cold. VERY cold. And it is way more fun to play in the snow or lay by the fire than it is to go running in the cold. I had made it up to running 7 miles and was even getting used to running in pants, two sweatshirts, a vest, scarf, hat, gloves and with snot running down my face.

Then I think I hit the proverbial wall. I flaked out. I didn’t run from the 3^rd week of January until the middle of March. I just didn’t really feel like running anymore. I think it was the Winter Blues, because when the sun started shining in March, I threw on my running shorts and shoes and set out to see just how far I could run.

It was on this day that I discovered the magic elixir that is 5 Hour Energy. I was stopping at the Mapco to grab a Gatorade and Power Bar and on a whim, grabbed an orange flavored 5 Hour Energy shot. I got back into the car, peeled the plastic covering off of the lid, read the instructions (Drink half for moderate energy….), shrugged and in a nod to my days as a college freshman, shot the whole thing down, then grabbed my Gatorade to chase it.

My drive to my favorite running spot (i.e. the flattest place I could find in Nashville) is about 15 minutes. Around minute 8, I felt the 5 Hour Energy kick in, and I was suddenly shaking with energy. After the first 5 miles of the run, I stopped at the car, swigged some Gatorade and took a bite of my Power Bar and realized I still had SOO much energy! So, I put my headphones back in and just kept right on running. That little drink kept me going for 5 more miles for a total of 10. More than I had ever run in my life. Magical, really. Plus—5 Hour Energy is completely legal, right?

So the following few Saturdays looked something like this: 5 Hour Energy; run, run, run; amazing runners high during which I call everyone I know and make a million plans for that night involving dinner, drinking and dancing (Me: "I feel so great and I just have so much energy and I just want to go dancing!!"); then crashing so hard I end up on the couch for the remainder of the night unable to move. Good times.

Now, here I sit in bed after a six-miler with two bags of ice on my knees and one week until the 13.1 (you can't forget the .1) miles of the Country Music Half-Marathon. The past few months of running have taught me a few things. Let me list them out for you:

1) Running is great therapy.

2) If you just keep your feet moving, you'll go farther than you ever thought possible.

3) A good song goes a long way.

4) Running is a great way to explore a new place.

5) The first couple of miles always suck.

6) You will have good runs and bad runs….don’t let the bad ones get you down.

7) Sometimes, you just have to walk….and that is ok…it’s like running, just slower.

Today at work I was talking with my friend who has already reached the bad-ass stage. He is the kind of runner who gets up early before work and goes running for fun. You know, a fun little 8-miler before work, no big deal. Anyway, we were talking today when I was heading out to go on my run after work, and I was not really looking forward to it. I asked him, "Why do we do this to ourselves?!?"

He said, "Because think how good you will feel when you are done."

And he is right. We do it for that feeling that comes right at the end of a run. Because let’s face it— the act of actually running sucks: it is brutal on your body and can make you feel physically and mentally miserable.

But right when you are finished, and you are gasping for breath and thanking God you are still alive, you remember why you ran in the first place--for that feeling that comes right when you are done. The feeling of invincibility and of all of your problems fading away. The feeling that you really and truly are a bad-ass. 5 Hour Energy isn’t the drug--running is, because you do start to become addicted to that feeling. Runners truly are just a bunch of addicts who will go miles for their next hit. And I think I have joined their club.

So stay tuned. The race is about a week away, and here is the best part: carb-loading!!!!!!! Come on Olive Garden never-ending pasta bowl—let’s do this.