I hated running in high school and never considered myself a runner other than the 3 mile runs in field hockey. When I came out to Chicago for college I was fascinated by all the runners.
I picked up running the summer after my sophomore year in high school. I was away from Joel for the summer and wanted to prove to him that I could run when I saw him 3 months later. Plus, I was working and living with a crazy family for the summer, running was my only time to myself. Seriously, they were crazy & the only time they didn't pest me was when I was running!
The following 3 years I ran consistently 3-6 miles, several times a week. I loved my time on the lake shore path, sunshine, rain, sleet, & snow--I was there. I was incredibly inspired by runners of all ages.
I was not content just watching the Chicago marathon or hearing stories about it & put running the Chicago marathon on my life goal list. My body was not getting any younger and inevitably kids may soon post pone any type of training plan, so Joel and I registered this past spring to run the Chicago marathon. Before this point, the farthest I had ever run was 6 miles.
The training planned started at 5 miles, so this should be easy, right?
Honestly, I never imagined the journey to be so difficult. I admire anyone who has ever run a marathon. It's not the 26.2 mile distance that I admire, it's the hours and hours of training they have done to prepare for the race.
It's not fun to wake up early Saturday morning to spend hours running. Some weeks training takes up an incredible amount of your time! Your short runs take 2 hours, your long runs 5!
My hardest run was my 16 miler. We were on vacation at Bethany Beach, DE. Even though we started at 6 am, the humidity was nothing like Chicago humidity. I was dropping buckets of sweat on the ground. I sat down after we were done and could honestly barely stand back up. Never had I felt so weak. Joel was stuffing potato chips in my mouth for salt. I HATE potato chips!
My most painful run was our 20 miler. At mile 18 I honestly did not think my feet could touch the ground anymore. They hurt so much! It was the kind of pain your feet feel after walking in the mall all day, but multiply that by 10!
I have learned so much about my body. I have learned I can push myself and achieve goals I never thought were possible. I have learned when to drink, what to eat, how long to eat before runs, and how much to eat during runs. I have learned how important the right sneakers, clothes, and socks are to my runs.
I am part of a group of "marathoners". It's a running clique. And I'm a part of it. We talk about upcoming runs, shoes, and what happens to our bodies at different mile markers. Fun, right?
Marathon runners warned me marathons were addicting. I never understood what could possibly be so addicting: was it the 6am runs, bloody feet, or was it waking up in the middle of night to tight muscles whenever you moved. The only part of marathon training that was fun for me was eating whatever I wanted after a tough run!
I think I understand it now. The marathon part is the addicting part, not the training.
It's the hundreds of people who have never met you and come out to say "Go Amy" along the path. It's the simple high fives the little kids give you along the route. It's being another face in a crowd of 45,000. No one knows your job. No one knows your house. You are just another runner who is running an incredibly long race. It's the signs that make you laugh along the way. It's the incredible joy you feel when you cross the finish line. It's the pride, yes, it's true, the pride you receive from telling people you ran a marathon!
No comments:
Post a Comment