Week 2: Find a Way

This week's long run plan was 9 miles at 10:45 pace. Completed it in one hour and 35 minutes. Faster than the target pace for the morning, but definitely slower towards the end. My legs didn't do what my mind was telling them. 

26.2 seems unattainable.

However, one of the things that I know from training for the half, is that distance is something that has to be worked up to. Anyone can do a marathon if they want to. It's just a matter of training. Finding time, making time, learning about the process, deliberate workouts, support from family, etc. etc. I'm lucky in that I have a husband who supports my crazy self challenges.

Recently I finished reading Diana Nyad's  auto-biography, Find a Way.  In it, the endurance swimmer recounts her harrowing journey of swimming the 111 miles from Cuba to Florida in 2013. While that feat alone seems insurmountable, the fact that she had to try 5 times to complete her mission seems unthinkable. And these weren't five times of swimming a bit and deciding that it's not going to happen today. Each of her attempts were mammoth athletic and death defying feats in-and-of-themselves. Nyad was attacked by the deadly box jellyfish, swam off course resulting in miles of wasted energy and time, besieged by dangerous storms all while swimming for hours, sometimes days and THEN deciding it's not going to happen today.

An uncomfortable 9 miles seems ridiculous.

Nyad's book is brimming with motivational poster quotes that I continue to think about, but in this journey I find these 4 guidelines not only instructive, but lifelines for me.

1: [ ] You are truly the only thing you have complete control over.

2: Know everything possible about the elements, the obstacles.
Knowledge is power.

3: Surround yourself with brilliant and honorable people.

4: Unshakable faith. Go so far as defiance.Refuse to accept limitations and mediocrity.

I'm scared. It's only a few weeks in and I'm terrified. I'm scared to have announced that I'm doing this because now I feel like I can't back out. And I'm scared that at some point I'm going to be stung by a metaphorical jellyfish, or that my body/heart/or mind will decide it's not going to happen today.

But I remain defiant. 10 miles is on tap for this weekend after having moved into our new house.

Here we go indeed.

Week 1: Here we go...

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

After 8 miles. 

Well it's official.

I've started training for a marathon. Even typing that makes me puke a little. It seems over ambitious for a theatre performance major. "I don't athlete" is a mantra that has served me well for many years. But I just ran 8 miles this morning and felt awesome - so maybe I do athlete. A little.

Dad, in 2006, with Maggie and Lennon

I've had the notion to run a marathon ever since my father was diagnosed with cancer some 10 years ago. He died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 9 years ago yesterday. The cancer journey is often compared to running a marathon, and in my head I wanted to attempt it as a way to better sympathize with his struggle, a way to grow closer to him. At the time however, I was in no condition physically or mentally to undergo such a feat. Now just 5 months shy of turning 40, I think I'm ready.

My best friend, biggest fan and love of my life has helped construct a plan of attack based on Run Less Run Faster (Pierce, Moss and Murr, 2007). The book was recommended to us by some of our favorite marathoners so we're pretty confident about the program. We had an "unofficial" week of training two weeks ago, I had a week of summer camp in the Flint Hills a week ago, and we started in "officially" this past week.

The program consists of timed track workouts, additional aerobic workouts on "off days," easy paced and fast paced combo workouts and one longer run a week. After one of week of this, I feel strong and committed. It's hard, and I think it's meant to challenge you, but I also think as a goal oriented individual it is right up my alley. It gives me very specific work outs and times that I need to hit. Plus, swimming is a requirement (or we have it set up to be part of our training) so that is a plus. Noticed a tight calf muscle that has a bit of lump so will watch that over the next few days, but no pain and my legs felt strong today. I'm optimistic but aware that there will be no short cut to what I'm after - 26.2 miles without stopping and feeling strong at the end.

So, as Lu Ann says, "here we go." #40before40