Thursday, March 14, 2019

Cincinnati Running

Three months into my training for the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, I am tired.  Specifically, my legs are tired.  It has been over a decade since I have run a marathon, so I must have blocked out how much time the training takes...and just how much you have to run!  It's kind of like when you get pregnant for a second time, and then you are like, oh yea, this really sucks!  I forgot!  I love running, but putting in miles every day gets to be a little much.  Yesterday I begrudgingly laced up my shoes for the fifth day in a row (with no breaks, one of which was a half marathon, which I raced).  I am having mixed feelings about this training.  I am excited about working toward this big end goal, but at the same time something that I think of as a hobby and stress release is starting to feel a little like a job, and like I said, my legs are tired!  Yesterday's run felt a little like the rolling hills of Cincinnati; it had its ups and downs.

The biggest up was the weather!  Cincinnati is known for its unpredictable weather, and February and March are my absolute lease favorite months because they are so grey and gloomy.  However, yesterday was beautiful!  It was 70 degrees, and there was sunshine!  Instead of putting on gloves and my ear-warming headband, I actually wore shorts.  My first down came with how slow I felt.  As my Garmin beeped each mile, I was disappointed with the times I was seeing.  Even though I know it is a result of being worn down, I am a little too competitive for my own good, and it started to get in my head.  The biggest down came as I was waiting at a crosswalk for the walk sign.  I was patiently waiting, stretching my calves and bouncing around a little bit, as we runners do, and then the walk sign lit up. As I took one step off the curb, a car came flying through about one foot in front of me, clearly running a red light.  I jumped back, and my heart skipped a beat.  I got that feeling you get when you almost hit a deer, and then once the adrenaline wears off and you start thinking about it, you realize you just almost died.  I started to get angry at this lady for almost killing me, and just then I saw something across the street that perked me up.  There was this dad (he was kind of a hot dad, if I'm being honest) taking a walk with his two little girls.  I happen to have a weakness for hot dads and cute little girls.  The best part was they stopped their walk and started cheering for me!  All three of them were clapping and yelling. "go runner!"  As I waved and smiled at them, I was grateful to them for turning my mood around.  So I ran up a gigantic hill, and I was home.

I'm not sure if this is some kind of metaphor for life or anything, but I guess my lesson is that even when tired, you just have to keep trudging along, even if it's slow and up hill.  You just have to look for the sunshine and for positive people (and hot dads!)

4 comments:

  1. I am so impressed that you are doing this after a decade of not running a marathon. My heart skipped a beat too when you described the moment of the car running the red light. Be safe and good luck. I love the honest voice in your writing.

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  2. Thank you! I do still run a lot, but marathon training is a whole different thing.

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  3. You are cracking me up with your “weakness” - but I find you to be quite strong. I think you nailed the lesson - look for the sunshine even while trudging uphill.

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  4. Running a marathon??? That's an impressive goal! Congratulations in advance! And like Fran, who commented before me, I think you totally nailed the life lessons!

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