I realize its a little late in the game to be starting a marathon training blog, but i started writing it durring a particularly nasty 7 mile training run that i thought would be a good idea to start running at noon on a perfectly hot summer day. Lets just say that the imaginary blogging was enough to get me through (that and some trees on the way back)
So heres my story, I am a typically lost 20 something personal trainer running her first Marathon. I have been in the fitness industry for about 4 years now and as of september I will be oficially back in school on a pre med track (although my first classes are all math and its been about 7 years since i did any of that) I decided to run the chicago marathon my first year in chicago (7years ago) and I have made several failed attempts this year I am going to do it if it kills me (which it wont, statistically people do drop dead in these things every year but with 40,000 people that is a sad given, although i did give my running partner a 2min cpr tutorial last night.....more later) In other words come rain or a whole lot of shine (please please please not too much shine) I will be there Oct 11 with my running partner. And so here we are with ONE MONTH to go.
First piece of advice: GET A RUNNING PARTNER!!!!!!!!!! or a
running group or a running army. I have made it this far this year
only because of Megan. In the beginning it helped that I used to be
her trainer and I still felt professionally responsible to show up,
but now she is my dear friend and i could not imagine training with
out her (coincidentally it was megan who signed us up for the whole
shebang instead of the half, there was some debate in the beginning
about that and then one day she went ahead and signed up so of
course i did too, peer preassure)
Advice Part 2: Have a goal. This is of corse what any good trainer
will tell you. A goal is something to think about when you are so
ready to quit you are reaching for the credit card in your pocket
to hop in a cab. Mine is 2 part: 1 FINNISH. 2. I am running
for the ALS foundation to raise money for a rathar horrible desiese
which claimed the life of a very beloved uncle this past year. To
me the marathon not only represents his struggle but my whole
familys. (lots of people run races for charity and it is a great
motivator when you think about how lucky you are to be able to push
your body to such extreame when so many of our loved ones fight for
a few steps)
Last night was 15 miles. it took 3hrs. honestly thats not great, on
marathon day that would put me at about 5 hrs on the course. I know
my Goal is to finnish but the faster you are the less likely you
are to dehydrate or overhydrate or succumb to heat stroke and all
that fun stuff. I blame my stomach, i keep having
"issues" Megan of course is fine. which is just one
example of the humbling experiance it has been to be an exercise
professional who is compleatly out of her element. I keep trying to
figure out if i have more slow twich or fast twich muscle fibers it
seems that i am lacking in both since i am quite a slow runner but
not super awesome at this endurance thing, although i seem to
recover pretty fast so its probably that I have more slow twich
fibers and I have never really trained them before.
That was an example of what it is like to be Megan, I go off on
little tangents and sometimes before you know it i realise that I
have been talking about anatomy or muscle fibers for the last two
miles...God Bless her, I would kill me. Speaking of how annoying I
can be in the course of a three hour run, For some unknown reason
last night I decided that it would be a good idea to make sure
Magen knows how to revive me in case i suddenly fall over
dead....this resulted in a quick and to the point CPR tutorial 30
pumps at least two inches in, dont worry about the ribs, two life
saving breaths if you can, make sure to cover the mouth compleatly
and pinch nose, if you dont feel comfortable with that just keep
pumping untill someone arrives to take over.....Did i mention i am
crazy? really i just thought it might be a good thing to
know....just in case, i dont think it will happen. poor megan
Advice part 3: Run with someone who will tolorate you for hrs and
hrs at a time, Its amazing how many of your personality quirks come
out the longer you run, I blame exaustion on lowering your usual
filters.
I suspect thats why those who run alone do, the peace and
tranquility of not running with someone like me....but who would
give them cpr?
15 miles last night, every new distance is the fartherst I have
ever been, and I learn something about myself every time. 1 month
and some change to go. I will be there Oct 11 hopefully with my
family wating for me at the end . I am terrified and excited.
Remember when I said I was your typicall lost 20something? Training
for this marathon has been a bit like running down a path somehow I
feel less lost.
untill next time
-M
*please do not take my cpr decscription as accurate, its a blog and
i cant even spell ; ) I recomend the red cross!
