Well, race week is officially here. I have spent the last few runs mentally preparing myself for Chicago. I have spent time reflecting on the six months leading up to this point. I had trained for and ran half marathons before so I figured marathon training would be much of the same with some extra miles. I was WRONG! Marathon training was so much different than I expected, While out on my training runs, I tried to think of how to describe it. Then it hit me. Marathon training for me was much like pregnancy.
When you first sign up for a marathon, it's nothing but excitement. Your still giddy from that drunken night when you entered your name into the lottery. I pictured a slightly tougher schedule than half marathon training but nothing I couldn't handle. I thought about where we were going to stay in Chicago, pre-race meals, the race day outfit. You know the important stuff. Then I realized I needed to figure out which training plan to use. So, I read books on different marathon training options. Everyone has their own theory on what works best.
When training for a marathon, your mileage increases. Then all of a sudden parts of your body start hurting for unknown reasons. All of a sudden you turn one night in bed and wonder when you fought and clearly lost the fight with an alligator. There are times I would waddle around the house because my muscles were tight, my hip hurt or my foot hurt feeling like much like I did 7 months pregnant with twins. Then my hip started hurting a lot. If I took a few days off it would start to feel better but once I started to run again I was back to this pain. I wanted to give up and I started to despise running. When visiting my local running store for a new pair of shoes, he suggested they refit me since it had been 6 months since my last fitting. It turns out, my gait had shifted and the type of shoes I was wearing were no longer what I needed. Fast forward a week in my new shoes and I felt like a new person! It all comes down to the shoes in life.
Oh, the emotions that come along with marathon training. I can usually keep myself composed but during both pregnancies, tissue or diaper commercials had the ability to make me cry. The same thing started happening as I got into my training. Tears of doubt, tears of joy, tears because my favorite running pants were missing for weeks, or tears because it was raining. You name it, I could go from normal to a hot mess in about ten seconds.
Pregnancy for me was as much about mental preparation as it was about coping with physical changes. I found the same thing to be the case with marathon training. I was preparing my body to take on a large physical challenge. There are times where your body is tired and can keep going but your mind tells you to stop. But you need to keep pushing through. When I was delivering our oldest, I pushed for 3 hours. There was a point where I was said, "she can just stay in there". Obviously the doctor didn't find it funny but when I had tough runs, I had to remind myself that if I was tough enough to push for 3 hours, I can run a marathon. It's about mentally picturing yourself crossing the finish line. I have watched the course preview video three times already and have committed the final stretch headed into Grant Park into my mind for these final training days. Darn it, here come the tears again.
While training for a marathon nutrition is important. You need to feed your body proper fuel if you expect it to perform. But sometimes, I just really wanted a cheeseburger. Sometimes, I felt like I was eating for two in order to keep my body properly fueled. The good thing here is that I didn't gain weight. I actually lost a few pounds and my body fat percent dropped a bit. It took me almost the whole training cycle but I think I finally have my fueling strategy down.
Then there is the exhaustion. Sleeping in was no longer an option, especially as the training runs got longer. I had to drag myself out of bed in the morning while it was still dark out to log those miles. All, while my hubby said how he was going to enjoy laying in bed for another hour or two. Sure, rub it in. When you start logging longer miles your body just gets tired. I am looking to reduced mileage this week and getting a little extra rest.
After you have a c-section they give you these fancy compression socks to wear. Yep, I hated those. They were these ugly white things that the nurses joked about being from Victoria's Secret. Not funny nurses. I find myself wearing them during and after long runs and saying how they are the best thing ever invented. At least running ones come in fun colors. It's funny how your opinion changes. I am rocking my hot pink ones as I write this.
During my first pregnancy, I decided early on that I was never going to get pregnant again. I feel that way about this marathon thing too. Like it is never going to happen again. I told myself that during my first half marathon at about mile 8 that I was never going to do this again because it wasn't fun. See how that turned out for me huh? 6 more half marathons have been completed since that.
Despite all of the challenges training for a marathon brings, it is one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I have shown my kids that nothing is out of reach if you work towards them. I realized that I am a lot tougher than I ever gave myself credit for. My fellow runners are the best as they have shown me support and celebrated successes during my training. I may have lost some people along the way that couldn't be happy for me but that's ok too. Right now, I am going to enjoy the next week as I prepare for one of the most EPIC things I have ever done. I am going to soak in all the marathon has to offer on Sunday because you only run your first marathon once. I am so glad I took a chance and entered the lottery for Chicago. Chicago is one of my favorite places and I have a lot of special memories from our visits to the city so it makes sense to run my first marathon there. Have a great night all!
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