These past 12 weeks of training have flown by in a whirlwind of sore muscles, ravenous hunger, and feats of physical accomplishments. Today on my long run I took a few minutes (miles?) to reflect on what I've learned these past weeks, and here's what I've come up with.
1. My body can do amazing things. I remember saying to others (not too long ago) there was no way I could ever run more than 6 miles. Turns out I can. Every week. And I increase that mileage weekly.
2. I have never know hunger like I know now. I am hungry all the time. In the last week alone, I found myself daydreaming about what I was going to eat for dinner while I was eating lunch. I am an insatiable food collection device.
3. You will discuss all manner of things with your pace group. Never has a group of veritable strangers come together so quickly as when facing an 11 mile run. Nothing is sacred, and all manner of topics are covered.
4. I have never discussed so many private bodily functions with complete strangers before. Poop. Farts. Pee color. Pee urgency. Sweat. Farts that are actually poops. Blisters. Blood. Nipples. Chub Rub. Chafing. Everything is fair game. There are people I know the potty habits of but have yet to get their name.
5. Mantras work. Really. Sometimes the only thing that keeps you going is telling yourself over and over that you can do it. I believe I can, so I do.
6. Chafing: it's a thing. Oh, the horrors of the chub rub. I have fallen victim of this, and it sucks. And now Vaseline is my friend.
7. It actually does matter what you eat if you want to run well. While my eating habits are far from good, I've had to plan meals out better to have energy for my run. Turns out that "eating healthy will make you feel better" thing is real. Who knew?
8. Nothing tastes better than a full breakfast after a long run. Oh, the post-run pancakes, eggs, etc. They are glorious. See also: Starbucks Bacon & Gouda sandwiches. Also see also: carb loading the night before a long run (i.e., pre-run pancakes).
8a. The shower beer is a thing, and it is amazing. Admittedly, my shower beer is actually a shower green tea lemonade, but the concept is the same. Taking a beer into the shower? Why is that a thing? Now I get it. It's totally a thing, and you'll only get it if you do it.
9. You will get seduced by all the gear. There is no way I need goodr glasses (I need prescription lenses), Garmin watches (I don't know if I'll continue distance running after this), or expensive recovery gear (my grid roller and a tennis ball are sufficient.) But that doesn't mean I don't want it. At least while I'm still at the running store.
10. It takes a village to run a marathon. (Apologies to Hillary for the stolen concept.) You need tons of support and encouragement to do this, or believe me, you'd never do it. The training is long, sacrifices are many, and the body is stretched to the breaking point. But people telling you that you can do this, asking how the week's long run went, and generally offering words of encouragement (even if they're sprinkled in with a generous helping of "you're insane for doing this" make you really believe that finishing this crazy race is possible.
11. There is no time commitment like running a marathon. What am I doing this weekend? Running. How does my Thursday night look for a get-together? Sorry, I can't. I'm running. Want to grab a drink at Cellar Door? Nope. No go. I have to run tomorrow, so I can't lose myself in the booze. Maybe after October 8th. At this point, I am simply looking forward to sleeping in on a Sunday morning and consuming a ton of red wine. But not yet. Not until the race is over.
In 62 days, I will be a marathoner. I can't even believe it.
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