These past weeks (months!) have been interesting to say the least. I just realized that there is nothing easy about marathon training. Still, I am glad to be taking on this challenge now. My short runs were challenging and I thought that was the most difficult part of my week until we saw that the weather was going to be super cold for the long run.
I'm one of those people who needs to talk myself into every run I take. I kept telling myself: "you've done rain and cold." Then we found out that there would be no rain but wind and 34 degrees. It felt more like 24 degrees out there. These are the days my friend you need to have a REALLY good reason to train for a marathon.
Let's start with what I did wrong. I usually prep my clothes and gear the night before as well as set my alarm clock for both wake up and leave time. I was so eager not to be late that I left without my hydration belt. Thank God I had an extra water bottle on my bag! The problem was that I forgot my energy shots. Thank God my buddies had extra ones so they gave me two packs.
I made the decision to run with a group of people so I did. I run by myself sometimes but I find it way more interesting to run with others. I tell you what, the warmth of the human spirit makes the most horrible weather conditions much easier on the soul. Yeah we felt like we were freezing but at least we were not alone. The most difficult part of the run was around mile 6. We hit an open area and the wind was fierce. Thankfully we had a bathroom break and then we just kept going so we got out of that frozen area. We also saw another group of runners who made us laugh a little bit. I repeat, nothing like the human spirit to help us get through the most challenging runs in life.
Here is the glorious photo at the finish. Inside of a warm car!
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| 17 miles done! |
I haven't had a "My Weight Loss in 60 Seconds" video in a while but I have been struggling with the numbers game. Yes, I'm the person with gives herself a Scale Intervention and I probably need another one. The fact is, I don't like to be out of control. I did have a moment of enlightenment when I got home from my long run. I bought a long sleeve shirt from my running group and I chose a Small. I thought about the years I wish I could fit in a Small shirt but I wasn't here yet. Now that I have arrived, I realize that it's not about fitting in a certain size. It is about learning discipline, diligence, persistence, self forgiveness and how to restart over and over again.
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| Here I am: clean after the run and with my new shirt. |
When I cross that finish line in 5 Sundays, it will not matter what I weight. Heavier on my mind will be runs like the one from Saturday. I will remember that painful first run after I had my third sweet baby through the wonder of a c-section. I'll remember that what matters is what comes from the inside, so this heart will not be discouraged by shallow things. It's old lesson for a new day Cintia. You are NOT what you weigh. Keep running girl and by all means, keep a smile on your face!
Previously in this Series:
• Marathon Training Basics (Video)
• Weeks 1-10
• Weeks 14-20
• Week 21
• Week 22
• Week 23
I agree, while running solo is nice, running with others is so much more fun and helps keep your mind off things (like the bad weather from this weekend)!
Running with friends or with a group of soon-to-be friends is so much better than running solo, especially on those longer runs! You've done such a great job! Keep up the fantastic work!
thank you for the encouragement friends!
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