As I take a moment and break from the busy life that Brad and I are currently living, I can't believe it's mid-October and less than 1.5 weeks away from 26.2. I don't know how that happened. It feels like just yesterday that I was starting this training and was running short distances in the hot and humid summer heat. Now I'm approaching race day just shy of 2 weeks away. It's been an interesting experience not to run this past week. Since July, running has been my source of stress relief, time of reflection and rejuvenation and it's felt weird the last week to not run. All I want is to get out there and run to get the huge burst of energy that I do every time I think about doing this race! I am missing my runner's high.
I started realizing that the majority of my latests posts have been negative - woe is me and "I can't believe I have this injury" yada yada. I need to change the way I've been thinking and need some positive energy back. At the gym this evening I started to change my perspective and started thinking about how far I have personally come in this training. What is meant to be will be and I need to start thinking about this whole experience more holistically and positively - without solely focusing on the outcome (which I have been doing lately). I want to do this race more than anything and I know I'm going to do it. But when I start to get mopey about possibly running some of the race in pain, or not going as fast as I would have hoped, or not finishing the training as strong as I would have wanted, I need to keep everything in perspective.
Running has given me so much confidence and has made me feel great about so many different aspects of my life. I've never had a fall season when work is the busiest and Brad and I are both busy with social activities and graduate classes, that I haven't been completely stressed out. This is the first fall where everything feels like it has just fallen into place and I'm able to get everything accomplished without the stress. This is hard to believe, as running was a HUGE thing to fit into an already busy schedule. Somehow, someway, running has made everything else manageable.
I have so much gratitude for my wonderful husband...my coach. He has truly been my source of strength and motivation. When I've felt so discouraged the past few weeks about this injury and not being able to run, or when we ran 20 miles in the rain, or when I routinely put my alarm on sleep mode at least 3 times every long-run Sunday, it was him that pushed me. Without his encouragement and his ass-kicking every once in a while, I definitely wouldn't have made it this far. It has been such an incredible experience to take myself out of my comfort zone and to challenge myself to a new level all while having the guidance of someone who has been through this before. He understands what it is like to run a first marathon, to deal with a running injury, to cross that finish line, and to experience all of the emotions and accomplishments that are part of being a marathoner.
As I reflected this evening on this entire experience and how I have lost that positive energy over the last week, I wanted to remind myself by writing in this blog that no matter what happens, this has been an unforgettable experience. I am forever thankful to my coach, "Coach B" for getting me this far and for encouraging me to train for 26.2.
After reading your last few posts, I'm glad to see this one. Having dealt with an injury in late July, I can relate to the frustration and depression.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that the entire experience is unforgettable. I've had so many positive things happen in my life as a result of training for the MCM. Even before we complete this race, we have memories that will last a lifetime.
Good luck & see you in Arlington!
Thank you so much for your comment and your inspiration! You are so right. This has been such an unforgettable experience. I really enjoyed reading your blog! See you in a little over a week! Good luck resting the next few days :)
DeleteI stumbled across your blog after you left a comment on another blog. First off, congratulations on completing your training! I, too, will be running my first marathon next weekend at MCM. And like you, I've had a few worrisome aches after my 20-miler. Just hang in there. I think the biggest challenge (at least for me) is knowing when to relax. I have IT band issues in my right knee, and out of nowhere, my left foot starting hurting. I immediately worried that it could be plantar fasciitis. So of course I freaked out! Now I'm letting myself skip a couple of runs, and I'm focusing on stretching.
ReplyDeleteYou've done the training. You're going to be fine. See you at MCM!
Glenn - thanks for your note! I was just reading your blog (you are much more hardcore than me) :) I hope the taper gets better for you. I've also had some random pain in the sole of my foot after long runs but after a few days it went away. Rolling my foot on a tennis ball seemed to help at times. Look forward to seeing you at the race!
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