Future Marathoner?

Crossing the finish line of my first trail run.  1st place women 19 - 29!  Resolution Run 10k Jan. 1, 2012

I’ve gone from non-runner, to triathlete, to runner, to now training-to-be-a-marathoner!  I have found that through this “journey” I am inspired the most when I have a goal to reach.  First it was my sprint triathlon.  After I completed my sprint triathlon I was so depressed because I thought, “What’s next?”  Now I find myself training for an event that about 1% of the US population as ever finished… a marathon.  In case you did not know, that is 26 miles and 385 yards!

I first got the idea to do a marathon after completing six 10ks from August to December 2011.  The 10ks all of the sudden felt progressively easier.  I wanted something more.  I downloaded a beginner marathon training plan in the beginning of December.  It was a 16 week plan, but I only had 3 months until the March 4^th Lala marathon.  Could I do it?  I wasn’t sure, but I thought I’d go ahead and start on the training plan to see how far I could get.

On January 1^st, 2012 I completed my first trail run.  In the 6.2 miles of trails we climbed 862 feet!  There were times that the trail was so steep that we were forced to walk.  I pushed myself and ended up coming in first place in my age group of 19 – 29 year old women.  It was one of the most challenging runs yet, but nothing compared to how I felt after crossing that finish line.  Again I thought, “What’s next?”

Today, January 21, 2012, I ran my longest run to date… 15 miles!  The emotions I went through during these 15 miles were incredible.  In the beginning I felt great!  In the middle I thought, “I can’t believe I’m really doing this!”  In the end my mind was riddled with self-doubt, “You can’t do this.  Look how tired you are right now.  What were you thinking?”  When push came to shove, I finished.  It was a brutal last .2 miles, but I did it.  

"Tough times don't last but tough people do." A.C. Green

 As a new runner whose favorite quote used to be, “This body doesn’t run,” I’ve realized how much running is a mental test.  This morning I wasn’t there mentally.  When you aren’t tuned into your run mentally it’s hard to keep pushing through the fatigue, the pain, the self-doubt.  

I still have a difficult time thinking of myself as a “runner”.  When does one officially become a “runner”?  Is it after completing a marathon?  Does one become a “runner” after a certain amount of months / years of running?  Will I continue to run the rest of my life?  Is it something that will eventually bore me?  Will races continue to excite / motivate me?  

So many questions, but that’s ok.  Running has completely transformed my body, my thinking, my beliefs, and I love it!  For now I am taking one day at a time, one step at a time, one mile at a time.

"Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts." Steve Prefontaine