I was hoping to write about my high school cross country experience as well as my first half-marathon before getting to this post, but our kitchen remodel is stretching interminably and has sucked up too much of my time. (Does it even count as a kitchen remodel if you don't blow past your completion date and your budget? One wonders.) But marathon training begins today regardless of the chaos around me, so I am stealing a few minutes to mark the day.
I registered for the Jack & Jill Downhill Marathon in North Bend, Wash., set for July 25, 2021. (Many local races are still being rescheduled in the wake of covid, but I am crossing my fingers that this event will continue as planned.) After sustaining a leg injury while training on my own for a half-marathon last June, I knew I needed the help of a coach to safely tackle another goal. I spoke with several certified coaches in the Seattle area and decided to work with Lisa at Grateful Heart Adventures. We have been focusing on post-injury recovery and building base miles since September.
When it hit me last night that my marathon training was about to begin, a wave of anxiety instantly washed over me. What am I thinking? How am I possibly going to pull this off? A voice in my head assails me with doubts quite frequently, and it did not hold back. How can my 40+ year old body get fit enough in only a few months? Will my calf injury allow me to train properly? Even if I make it to the starting line, can I actually run 26.2 miles? Can I fit this into my hectic life with four kids? How will I get the nutrition I need when I don't bat an eye at eating half a box of lemon Girl Scout cookies for lunch? And the daily hydration targets... it's all well and good during a pandemic, but when I have to start leaving the house again, how long before I have an accident in public because I can't find a bathroom in time? I thought I had a few good years left before needing adult diapers, but after spending all day guzzling from a water bottle roughly the size of my 8-year-old has me not so sure.
A few months ago, I was listening to a podcast (I think it was an episode of Run to the Top) where the host was interviewing a guest who had signed up for an ultramarathon on a whim, not even having been a runner at that point. He urged the listeners: if you are contemplating a race, just sign up. Don't wait another moment and talk yourself out of it. He posited that goals with an element of uncertainty – goals that you feasibly could accomplish but also carry a legitimate risk of failure – are the most motivating. As the voice in my head likes to remind me, this path definitely has the opportunity to go off the rails at various points. Luckily there are a lot more voices in my real life who believe in me and encourage me along the way.
So... here we go.
Marathon Training: Week 1, Day1
Workout: Active Rest Day (35 min strength training, 30 min gentle yoga)
Mood: Holy sh*t what did I get myself into?
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