For as long as I can remember, I’ve been terrible at making decisions. It’s a widely known fact among my family and friends that I WILL be the last person to put down the menu when we’re out for dinner.

I can change my mind three times before getting to the counter at Tim Horton’s; debate for weeks over whether to buy the black running watch or the purple; and spend 10 minutes considering what to wear to work in the morning.

For me, the decision-making process can be agonizing and since my indecisiveness does not discriminate between big decisions and small ones, critically analyzing the pros and cons of every decision I make is just what I do.

So when it came to deciding where to run my first marathon I was truly paralyzed.

The University of Calgary Marathon Training program is a destination training program and every year the team trains for a different goal race. In the past, members have completed marathons in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Santa Barbara, Calif., among many others.

This year, the team is training for either the Maui or Victoria full or half marathons. When I started the program I thought for sure I was going to run Maui. Spending the days after the race lounging on a warm beach and wading in the ocean seemed tempting enough to eliminate any indecision.

However, as time passed the decision became much more complicated. With the team split between the two marathons, I began to see pros to running either race.

On one hand there was a beautiful holiday, an even more beautiful race route and plenty of experienced teammates waiting for me in Maui. On the other hand, going to Victoria meant I would have three more weeks to train, I would finish my marathon with most of the other first-timers in the group and I would have family cheering me over the finish line.

For weeks I flip-flopped back and forth between the two options, changing my mind every time I thought I had settled on a race.

I began asking the multiple-marathoners of the group for their advice, often posing the question, “What do you remember most about your first marathon?” with the hope that their answers would provide some clarity.

While a lot of them talked about the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment they got when crossing the finish line regardless of where they ran, most of them said what they remembered most was the people. They remembered the people who they trained with, raced with and who helped them get there.

Even though most people set out to run a marathon for very personal reasons, to mark a significant milestone, cross an item off their bucket list or push themselves beyond their limits, very few people do it alone.

For me, the people who have got me to where I am now are my U of C team coaches, teammates and my family. My coaches have provided me with incredible knowledge and my family with a huge amount of support. But when I look back at the other races I have finished so far this year such as the Calgary Marathon 10k and the Stampede Half-Marathon, I see all of my teammates who finished those races for the fist time with me. And with most of them heading to Victoria for the October 11 race, I realized that’s where I wanted to be too.

It took me a few days to let go of my dreams of the sandy beaches of Maui but after taking the plunge and officially registering for the Victoria Marathon, I have no regrets.

As it turns out my boyfriend, one of my best girlfriends and my parents are all coming to watch me run, which is truly flattering.

With the flight, hotel and rental car booked, there isn’t much else left to do except continue plugging through my training. Victoria, here we come!

P.S. Check out the right sidebar at the top of the site for a countdown to my race! Only one more month until the big day. Ahhhhh!