Buyer's Remorse

We've all felt it. That kind of sick feeling you get in your stomach after you've made a big purchase. Whether you bought something and now have to find a way to pay for it, or you saved up and wonder if you bought the right thing .... it's all the same result.

Buyer's Remorse: A feeling of guilt associated with doubts about the advisability of a purchase decision that one experiences after making an expensive purchase. (BusinessDictionary.com)

I haven't bought anything, per se. But I did make a commitment and will have to pay the piper. I have signed up for the ING Miami Marathon racing on January 31, 2010.

As soon as I clicked "register" I thought:

What have I done??

I have started and finished three full marathons and after the last one swore I'd never do another. I haven't been very fast - my best to date is a 5:45. That's a long time to be out there slogging through the miles. It's tough mentally and physically. And don't even get me started on the Saturday morning ice baths.

I should know better than to use the word "never".

I have a friend who has been very inspirational to me. She is a wonderful, dedicated, funny, determined.... a truly great person from the inside out. It also happens that her full marathon time was slower than mine. Until she ran NYC Marathon last year. She trained in a different manner, lost a considerable amount of weight, and absolutely CRUSHED her previous fastest time. She also killed mine. Which got my competitive side thinking ...... I can't let that happen .... maybe I have another marathon in me.



Since then, I have lost 45 pounds, competed in two Oly-distance triathlons (#3 is Sept 13), and run three half marathons. I've cut 30 minutes off my half marathon time so that now I can complete one in about two hours. Which means an under five hour marathon is possible. Because of this, a little tiny voice in the back of my head has been chanting, "do it. do it. do it. do it."


And it's that little devil that made me click on the Register! radio button. Even knowing what lies ahead (the training, the sore muscles, the blisters, the early Saturday mornings), my buyer's remorse lasted only a few moments.


But the satisfaction of running, completing and obtaining a PR at the ING Miami Marathon? Ahhh, yes. The satisfaction will last a lifetime.