I Said Yes!

“Just think how much fun you could have.”

I looked at my husband and shrugged, “FOUR DAYS.  I don’t like leaving the house to socialize for two hours.  This is FOUR days!”

“You could make a lot of friends,” he encouraged.

I looked at my husband with my most pained look.

“Okay,” he nodded, “Forgot who I was talking to.”

“And the kids!  The race starts Friday morning.  Which means we would be traveling on Thursday morning.  Bobby has football practice and a game.  Cate has soccer practice and a game.  It’s a home Eagles game.  And who is going to watch Declan?”

“We can figure that stuff out.  Just think about it.  I think this would be something you would really enjoy.”

Recently a friend texted me to ask if I would like to join her Ragnar relay team.

Knowing that I like to run she reached out to me.

The Ragnar Relay a 12-person relay where a team rotates runners at designated stops on the course from a team van of runners that then drives to the next stop on the course to get ready for the next runner to rotate.  The race takes about 36 hours and is 200 ish miles long.

The distance is not a problem.  I enjoy running long distance and am currently in another training cycle for another marathon.

It was the prospect of FOUR DAYS of socializing!  FOUR DAYS of being away from my home.  I have never traveled for a race.  There are a ton of races available right here in my area.  I have never stayed away from the house without my kids.

And there have only been two days in seven years that Declan was not in the same house as me at bedtime.  Could I really leave?  Did I want to leave?

I started with a hard, “NO!” to my husband and walked away.

I am an introvert to the core.  I feel awkward in social situations.  I have the worst time trying to come up with something to say.  I didn’t even want to try to think about how I was going to get through FOUR DAYS of socializing – WITHOUT coming home to de-stress in between.

On top of that, the Ragnar is six hours away.  So that is one day travel up, two days running, one day travel back.  Car rides of conversation.  What would I say?

My favorite things to do are long distance running, reading and writing – none of those have ever involved other people.  Until now!

I really enjoy running.  I have never run a Ragnar.  Outside of the socializing and travel, the team running sounds like it would be a really cool experience.  The course I would be running would be through the Adirondacks.  Some pretty cool scenery!

The friend that invited me is an introvert as well.  We’ve talked about our socialization preferences (or lack thereof) and are content to be listeners to other talkers.  Maybe I could just sit next to her and blend in?

My husband and I looked at the schedule and penciled ideas for childcare and support.

I don’t want my fears or social anxieties preventing me from enjoying something I think I would really like to experience.  Running with a team to achieve this monster distance in beautiful country.

And I love to run!  Running helps me de-stress.  So, it’s kind of a perfect scenario.  People, people, people – running, running, running.  Could I make this work?

After hours of thought, I decided to go for the experience.  I said yes to the Ragnar Relay 2018!

And who knows?  Maybe this team is a whole bunch of introverted runners that enjoy the silence of running like I do?

I guess I will soon find out.  Because I said yes to something that partly involves me going WAY out of my comfort zone!

I have a few weeks to mentally prepare – keep you posted!