My wife likes to remind me of the fact that I’ve said in the
past that I would never run a marathon.
Well, at least not on purpose. It’s a lot of effort to train
for a marathon. Give someone training for one a few minutes, and we’re happy to
tell you all about it.
However, at some point in the last year, I changed my mind.
I’m not sure when the exact moment was; something tells me it was during one of
those long, humid summer morning runs. You know, the kind of run in Florida in
which hallucinations occur around mile seven or eight? Yeah, one of those.
That’s the only way to explain how this resolution was made. I’m guessing I
probably also made the mistake decision to tell my coach, Paul McRae. Anyone
that knows Paul also knows that if you give him the opportunity to make you run
more miles, he’s going to take it every time. Every. Darn. Time.
So, now I find myself just hours away from my first
marathon, the 26.2 With Donna,
and I’m searching for the right words to express what I’m feeling. Now that I’m
thinking about it, I’m relatively calm. I think that comes with the confidence
of hundreds of training miles and success at some half marathon races. Paul has
kept me on track (pun intended) with a schedule since late summer. I’ve tried
to run five times a week as much as possible, and push myself to meet the goals
of each training session. As with any achievement in life, creating a plan,
sticking to it, and giving yourself goals to reach and exceed are requirements
of a successful formula. I also have a great, supportive group of running
buddies (you know who you are!).
That said, there’s something else about this whole marathon training
business. It’s not easy preparing for it, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m ready
for the preparations to be over with. Running 30+ and 40+ miles a week
around business travel, kids’ activities, and life in general takes discipline, sacrifice, and sometimes, creativity. Most of my runs were completed between the hours of
5 and 6 AM. I practically gave up beer. Did you hear that, people? I gave up beer (gasp!) for the
opportunity to punish myself even more for three-and-a-half hours! I’d be so
tired some nights, I’d fall asleep mid-conversation with my wife. Then there’s
the sore legs, black/lost/disgusting looking toenails, and remembering to
replace your shoes more often than you think you should. Oh, and did I mention
the 20 mile long runs? Yes, that’s plural. Apparently, you stop at 20 miles so
you don’t get too close to running a marathon by accident. Well, that’s until
you actually mean to do it.
Training for a marathon has its costs. Time. Money. And, sometimes,
pain and misery. But we run on anyway. That leads me to my inspiration for this,
my first marathon. For all that I’ve put into this so far, it all pales in
comparison to the effort and strength that it takes to battle cancer. So, I’ll
simply give my all, knowing that someone I know is fighting that battle, and
every step I take is hopefully one step closer to a cure.
See you at the finish line.
#cancersucks
#finish4christina
#prsrunclub
No comments:
Post a Comment