Mileage (miles per workout): 3 - 4 - 3 - 5

I imagined the learning curve for this week was going to be steep.  I am doing this distance running thing for the first-time so I have a lot to learn.  That being said, this was the hardest week I’ve had so far.  Since the end of the ‘pre-training’ program only had me running 30 minutes, I completed just over two miles.  I still needed to go one more mile to make the first three mile run.  The lap totals were just going to get higher.

I remember strictly during my first three mile run this week that I thought I was going to die.  My legs were going to stop working and I was going to collapse in a sweaty heap on the side of the trail in need of medical assistance.  Okay, so maybe I’m being a little dramatic.  But things sure seemed bleak at that moment.  Very bleak indeed.  I had no idea how great I would feel after that first run.  Even my post run shower felt fantastic.

Towards the end of this self-imposed torture, I was helped by an unknown man.  This man was obviously a runner.  He ran with that running authority I can’t quite explain but hope to have by the time I run the marathon.  “Good job,” he said to me as we passed each other for the second time.  Those two words changed my whole perspective on how my run was feeling.  It made me look forward to seeing the second half.  There was only one way to take those words.  “Good job for running.”  I like that.

At this point, I am having a hard time calling myself a runner.  I still feel like a bumbling fool having a miserable time.  The actual running is the work.  To me the best part of training comes after the run.  The runs give a sense of accomplishment and stretch the perception of myself.  Even more so when I run a personal best length.  I am starting to look forward to the days I do run and feel like a lazy lump on the days I don’t.  But I know I need days off to rest, recharge and avoid burnout.

Here are some tips and tricks I have learned so far. 

First: Pick a song you know well enough to be able to sing.  Listen to it just before you leave your house or car.  You can use this song as a way to combat boredom or distract yourself while running.  And you can look at everyone around you running with headphones and tell yourself, “Self…they aren’t training for a marathon and you are.”

Next: Leave the watch at home.  My goal is to finish the marathon in any length of time.  I thought I could ignore my time but that didn’t happen.

Lastly: No one cares what you look like because they are too worried thinking about themselves and how miserable they are.

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Continue reading - Week Two