It’s been a minute since I posted…not sure why. I’m still running the marathon. I’m still training. I’m also still living a life outside of it all and the juggling is not, as they say, easy. I’m preparing tonight to run my longest long run outside of the actual 26.2 I will run on marathon day, 20 miles. 20 actual miles. So let’s recap the last month…
August was a a bitch. Plain and simple. The miles got longer and my time got shorter; my 4 year old was done with day camp and vacation bible school and therefore with me all day. As I’ve talked about before, she will only sit in the stroller for 3 or 4 miles. After that she becomes a whiny, nagging, hysterically annoying child and the run is over. My darling 2 year old will hang for mile after mile as long as there’s a steady flow of Goldfish and water. So on days when I had to get 6 or 7 or 8 miles in, it was damn tough and many times it just didn’t happen.
This “being a full time mom” part of marathon training was something that floated across my mind a few months back but didn’t really register until the managing of it had to happen. I tried a few times to get up early and run before my husband went to work however he’s out the door by 6am and if I had to do 5+ miles, I would have had to be up at 4 am and with the way our house work, that wasn’t an option. I know it sounds like I’m making excuses and I kind of am but the thing is, they’re legit excuses. Please also consider that I’m a SLOW runner so while some of those willowy Insta runners can knock out 8 miles in like 25 minutes, I can not. So I have to allow the time and as all moms know, time is the ultimate commodity.
Yea, that was August..lots of juggling and managing but also? the mental fatigue kicked in. I just didn’t want to anymore! I didn’t want to find the time, I didn’t want to run the miles. It became daunting and frankly boring and I found that I was constantly trying to talk myself out of going for that run. THEN, 2 weeks ago I ran 18 miles. 18 freakin’ miles and it was hard as hell and I really did think “This is how I die” but as I sat in the ice bath my wonderful husband had waiting for me, I took a deep breathe and really understood what I had just done. I had completed 18 miles…another 8 seemed so doable. I can run this marathon. I can do it. So I’m gonna.
But guys, I also will say, this is my one and only. I’ll run 5ks, 8ks, 10ks, Halfs. I’ll do donut runs and turkey trots and chocolate chases and all sorts of stupid dress up races. But I’m never marathon-ing again. Famous last words is what I keep hearing but I swore back in college I’d never drink Jager again AND I HAVEN’T…so…yea, I can keep a promise.
So while you’re enjoying your morning coffee I’ll be cursing my way through 20 miles. Oh and then a 5k on Sunday cuz why the hell not 🙂
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| Looking ready is half the battle.. |
