Marathon Recaps – coming soon!
Boston Marathon 2008
Boston Marathon 2009
Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon 2009
Boston Marathon 2010
Other Race Recaps
Wicked Half Marathon 2010 (Salem, MA)
So why train for a marathon?
I think every marathon runner has a slightly different answer for that.
Here’s how my journey went…
* Technically I was on my high school track team, but it was mostly for social reasons. I was pretty lazy about it and really didn’t care about improving. (During an indoor meet, I was supposed to be the second leg of a relay, and because my friend was talking, she missed the start – I remember being happy I didn’t have to run!! We probably drove our coach crazy).
* During college I actually started to enjoy running all over Boston and appreciated the stress relief it provided for me. Starting with doing 1 or 2 miles at a time, I very gradually began to run more and more. Being able to increase my mileage and seeing myself get stronger was such a huge motivator to continue. I always wanted to get to that next step and be able to go one more mile.
* My mom has always been a huge inspiration to me. Growing up, I watched her run so many races, and she has completed 14 marathons so far – some in 90 degree heat and some in the pouring rain. Seeing her do all of those races gave me the confidence that I could do it too. She was always encouraging without ever pushing running on me. I doubt I would have ever run Boston in 2008 if she wasn’t running it too. I still remember the first time I ever ran 10 miles (the point at which I really believed marathon training was possible for me) – she was with me, talking me through it the whole time.
* At some point during college, the stress and other external influences really got to me, and I gradually went from having normal/relatively healthy eating habits to restricting myself too much and using exercise to control the stress in a negative way. Training for my first marathon actually helped me get from a low to a healthy weight and have a much more healthy body image and outlook on eating and exercise. I began to view running as an athletic activity rather than as a means of being thin. I also knew that if I wanted to be pushing my body that hard physically, I needed to start being nicer to it.
Among the other things I hope to accomplish in my life, running a marathon was a goal that I wanted to achieve. I loved that I could follow a training plan that allowed me to run for enjoyment and as a means of achieving that goal, rather than anything else. Watching my strength and endurance increase was so exiting to me – for the first time I really felt like an athlete. Developing the runner part of my identity was crucial in my journey to health and balance.
* Training for a marathon teaches you so much about yourself and allows you to grow as a person. I saw the attributes that developed in the context of my running translate to other parts of my life.
Determination and Motivation are tested a lot – like when you get up early on a snowy Sunday to run 19 miles when you’d just rather stay in bed, or when you’d really rather not do the “tempo” part of the tempo run and just keep jogging along…marathon training helped me develop a greater sense of self-discipline.
Self Confidence is huge. If you don’t think you can do it, you probably won’t.
Toughness builds over time. It really is all relative – 20 degree running weather will start to feel warm, running 5 miles will start to feel like nothing, and soreness will start to feel almost normal. Mentally, well, let’s just say you really get to know yourself during a 3 hour run alone! Through training I learned how to talk to myself in a more helpful way – sometimes with positivity, sometimes with humor, sometimes with the painful reality!
* Similarly, I love applying mental skills to athletics, and distance running a perfect sport for that. The mental side of running fascinates me, especially how my thoughts and attitudes can dictate my performance. Some of my favorites are self-talk, goal-setting, mental imagery, and finding optimal arousal level. (This needs it’s own post later!)
* Running in general really helps me clear my head. 99% of the time I run in the morning, so it really helps me set my day up for a lot of things – feeling awake and energized, being hungry for good, real food, feeling confident to take on the day. Generally it just makes me feel awesome to get a healthy start!
Hopefully that explains a little more about WHY I first decided to train for a marathon and why I continue to run. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments!
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