Marathon Training Begins

Today marks the beginning of my 30 week marathon training program. If someone had told me 6 years ago that I would be training for a marathon, I never would have believed them. I was not a runner back then and I really despised running. When I was in high school, I used to walk most of the mile when we had to run it in P.E. class. I never understood the draw towards running until I became a runner myself. I blame my college roommate for turning me into a runner, but I do not consider blame to be a bad thing in this case. I slowly began getting into running during my first two years of college. There were many days that I would rather just lay in my bed than drag myself out for a run. I was a very slow runner and would often finish a run several minutes after my college roommate did. I did not care if I was fast or slow because there was nothing that could make you feel as good as you did after a run. There were plenty of days when my body was physically spent after a run, but the runner's high often masked any pain that I might have felt that day.

I quickly discovered that there were so many benefits to running. To this day, running is still the best stress reliever that I have. No matter what is going on in my life, I cannot help but feel happy or good about myself after I finish a run. If you are a runner, then you will understand just how good you feel after you run. You can easily get endorphins from any other form of physical activity, but there is just something about running that sets it apart from any other sport. The camaraderie between runners is a bond that most athletes in other sports do not share. Whether you are out for a run in your neighborhood or running in an actual race, runners are the friendliest people that you will meet. People always smile, wave or say hello when you are out running. And just when you think that your body cannot run anymore, there is always someone there encouraging you to keep going. I think that runners are so kind to one another and really push each other because they understand just how grueling running can get. Running is really an individual sport and sometimes you need someone other than yourself to motivate you.

I ran my first 5K 4 years ago and I never thought that I would really run much more than 3.1 miles. In the past 4 years I have run in 33 races and put in countless miles of running on my own each year. I have run in 1 XC race, 18 5K races, two 4 miles races, 5 8K races, 3 10K races and 4 half marathon races. I never thought that I would be able to complete a half marathon and I ran my first one 3 1/2 years ago. During this past spring, I ran in 3 different half marathons. Being able to finish a half marathon is such an incredible feeling and I felt so proud of myself for such a huge accomplishment. I proudly display that 13.1 mile sticker on the back of my car to remind myself of just how far I have come as a runner. After this past spring, I was in the best shape that I have ever been in throughout my entire life. I knew that it was time for me to try to conquer something bigger and better. I spent the summer letting my body recover from all of the half marathons and continued to run casually. When school began this school year, I found myself coaching cross country and really pushing my body as a runner whenever I would push my athletes. I am now as ready as I am ever going to be to conquer 26.2 miles.

It has been on my bucket list for 2 years now to be able to run a marathon. I know that this is not going to be an easy task to accomplish. I know that there will be a lot of blood, sweat and tears along the way. I don't know if my body will actually be able to run 26.2 miles when race day comes, but I won't know if I never try. My only goal for this marathon is to actually be able to finish it. I won't be upset with myself if I have to stop to walk during any point of the race. My only goal is to be able to run across that finish line and have that 26.2 medal put around my neck. I can see myself crossing the finish line now and I know that this is something that I am ready for. Today was the first day of my 30 week marathon training schedule. The first few weeks of my training are pretty low mileage so I am going to focus on my speed until New Year's. From January to May, I am only focusing on my endurance. I know that I am a slow runner, but I do not care how long it takes me to cross that finish line. I kicked off the morning with a 2 mile speed run and completed it in just 17 minutes. That might sound slow to some of you, but I do not think that I have ever run that fast in my entire life. After my 2 miler, I met one of my coworkers for an easy 4 mile run in the rain, which we completed in 42 minutes. The rest of the week will consist short runs and I plan to really focus on improving my speed this week.

6 miles complete in 42:00 and only 209 days until conquering 26.2 miles!