On training for a marathon...

Earlier this year, I signed up to run a marathon. In hindsight, I think I must have suffered from a moment of temporary insanity. For years, I've held onto the notion that running a marathon would be the ultimate test of wills. A marathon would be a defining moment in my life and the way I could prove to myself that no matter how hard life gets or what battles I face, I am strong enough to withstand the storms. Or in simpler terms, if I can run a marathon, I can do anything. 

But my goal was only focused on the outcome, finishing the race, completing the marathon.  I thought the race would be the test of my will. I was expecting my spirit to be broken and subsequently rebuilt from the 5 hours I will spend running around DC on October 27th.  But I've been training for five weeks and I can honestly say, I hate it. I hate the training. Every day, my thoughts are consumed with running. The longer the runs get, the more of my day I spend actually running. My knees ache constantly. It has been a continual learning process of what foods, how much sleep, how much alcohol, what shoes, and so on and so forth, will affect my runs. 

My life now revolves around this training. If I don't run in the morning, the run looms over me all day, a dreary reminder not to indulge too much because I know I'll have a bad performance on the pavement. If I run in the morning, my thoughts are focused on the next day's run. And for a single girl in a metropolitan area, training for a marathon has totally caused the weekends to lose their luster. 

I was expecting the marathon to break my spirit. But it seems, I was wrong. The training will do that. The marathon will revive it. 

Tweet

Pin It

Pin It