First, thank to my coach and shoulder to cry on, Andrea, for the title! :) This has been my mantra as of late!
So I am currently running anywhere from 30-35 miles per week right now. That means I do a 4-5 miler 2x per week, a "mid-distance" run of 7-9 miles and a "long-distance" run of 16-18 miles. Whew! I have to be honest, I didn't think I could do it! But I have been keeping up which amazes me! Last night I did 8 miles. I was tired from work, etc etc and didn't want to do it. But I just laced up and ran. If you can manage to distract your mind, it's amazing what your body can do!
Speaking of, I get a lot of, OMG I can't believe you are running a marathon, I could never do that! Well let me just speak to you for a minute......I said that exact same thing. Indeed I did. And here is the thing. I am not an athlete. Let me repeat, I am not an athlete. Sure I am now, but I wasn't born with great running ability. I am stubborn, and I do possess this persistent determination, and that my friends is what you need to run a marathon. I am convinced of this. When I distract my mind, I can run for miles and miles and not be tired. You heard me. It's not because I am this talented athlete, just b/c I am STUBBORN! Damn right! I want that 26.2 sticker on my car dammit! So to those of you who say you can't run a marathon, a half marathon a 10k a 5k or a mile I am here to tell you that you can! It's mind over matter and I am scientific proof! Now whether you want to do it is a separate issue. I will say that this venture takes time, patience, blood, sweat and tears. But it's so rewarding to know that you can push yourself to do ANYTHING!
This weekend I have to run 18 miles. I am not gonna lie, I am terrified. But I am going to finish, even if I have to limp back to my car. It's going to be the same for the race. I am going to finish even if I have to crawl across the finish line dammit! Mind over matter. I have an 18 miler, a 14 miler a 20 miler then the taper! Oh yea!
I have to admit, the post-marathon life looks so good right now.......but I know after a few weeks after the big race I'll be back hitting the long distance runs....stay tuned!
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HTFU!! Best mantra ever! :)
ReplyDeleteDon't be afraid of the distance - just take break it into pieces: 5k's, water stops, landmarks, 1 step at a time. And trust your training plan! You WILL be a marathoner in a few short weeks! 26.2 baby!
2 more pieces of advice (since I seem to love leaving you advice): 1. stop at all water stops (or at least every other) and WALK through them. Yep, walk. I think it was Hal Higdon who had his fastest time by walking all water stops. You'll get a quality drink (no choking as the cup explodes in your face) and start running again once you reach a certain point (i.e., at the end of the table, after 2 swallows, after 5 steps etc). 2. after the marathon REST. Don't be running any crazy distances for a month -- read Higdon's recovery plans. They help and will reduce injuries.
I'm so proud of you! And I love living vicariously through your blog!
Andrea I am glad you also stop and walk to drink! I don't know how people run and drink! I can't wait to rest after the marathon! I read Hal Higdon's post marathon plan, and it sounds glorious!!!!!!!!
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