Just One Marathon

Learning is Not a Spectator Sport

Twelve hours from now, I’ll know what kind of marathon I’m going to run. It’ll be approximately 90 minutes after the start of the race, and by then I’ll be learning if I was right or wrong to try to run this race at the pace I’ve chosen. 

Right now, on the evening before, I’m not sure. I know I’m faster – over short distances. But I’m not certain how my body will respond after 3 or 4 hours of pounding.

Though I’m nervous, I have this inexplicable feeling of confidence about tomorrow’s run. I think it’s going to be great. But I’m afraid that I’m over-confident – or under-experienced. Still, there’s only way to find out. Give it a try.

Yay, me

I haven’t skipped a run since I started training for the Wineglass marathon. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone who skipped close to a third of her scheduled runs leading up her last half-marathon just seven weeks ago.

 

Why? Well, the fact that I’ve got a new, inspiring goal is probably part of it. Having an awesome coach certainly helps, too.

 

But the bottom line is this: the marathon distance terrifies me. I have only run 42.2 kilometres once in my life, and I’ve run more than 30K maybe a handful more times. If I start missing training runs through the week, I worry that my long Sunday runs will become little more than an endless forced march through the land of muscle pain and gastro-intestinal discomfort. That’s not fun. And running should – at least intermittently – be fun.

A New Chapter

Every once in a while, my Dad asks me why I don’t blog anymore. I don’t have a good answer, other than the fact that life has gotten very busy. Lately, though, I’ve been getting the urge to post again, because I’ve taken on a new running challenge. And since today is my Dad’s birthday (Happy 70th, Dad!), it seemed like a perfect day to get started.

My latest running goal is to make a lie out of my blog name and run a second marathon. I’ve made that promise before, but this time is a little different. This time, I have a coach. Since coaches are for serious runners, and I am rarely serious, I am not sure how I ended up in this situation. I think it was the second glass of wine I had at my last book club meeting.* While sipping it, I got to chatting with one of my book club buddies, Barb, who in addition to being an insightful reader is also an awesome runner.  She told me she is just about to write her coaching certification exam. “That’s so cool!” I said, waving the unfortunate second glass of wine in the air for emphasis. “I should hire you as my coach. It’s a dream of mine to qualify for the Boston Marathon.” Before you know it, we were talking strategy and making plans to meet. It wasn’t until I got home later that evening that I remembered that qualifying for Boston would involve running at least one (and perhaps several) more marathons. Damn.

We both mulled things over for a week or two (well, I mulled things over ... Barb was pretty comfortable with the idea of coaching me). And the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became with the idea of giving the marathon one more try. My motivation has been pretty spotty over the past 12 months or so, and that has made me a little sad. I’ve been missing all the great benefits of regular running, but I just haven’t felt inspired or excited. Now, for the first time, I began to feel the excitement again, and to fantasize about crossing the finish line at another marathon.

So, here I am. I’m training again, and I have set myself a B-HAG (a big, hairy audacious goal) – to improve my marathon time by over 35 minutes and qualify for Boston. I have decided I’m willing to run up to three marathons to see if I can do it. After meeting once and doing some minimal speed work to test my capabilities, Barb things it’s possible that I could do it at my next marathon in October.  I can’t wait to see what happens next.

*We call ourselves “The drinking club with a reading problem.”  

Be It Resolved

I love New Year’s resolutions. I believe in their magical power the way some people believe in Santa Claus. I make them every year feeling completely confident that I will keep them, even though research says that 75 per cent of resolutions fail.

 Sometimes, I beat the odds and my resolutions succeed. I have lost weight, read classic novels, and improved my dental hygiene. I have returned phone calls more promptly and eaten more fruit. I have significantly reduced the frequency of cuss words in my vocabulary. I have run a marathon.

 

I’m not perfect, though. I still interrupt people (2008 resolution). I haven’t learned to sew (2006). I forget to unroll pairs of socks before putting them in the washing machine (2000 – present). Still, it feels important that my good intentions are out there, representing new levels of self-improvement I might achieve someday.

 

So, in keeping with the season, here are my running resolutions for 2009:

• Try a new race distance (30K at the Around the Bay race in Hamilton, Canada)
• Idiot-proof my locker at work by filling it with extra running gear for all the times I forget things.
• Find out what I'm actually supposed to be doing on those days marked "cross-train" on my running schedule. I think it has something to do with exercise.
• Run a half-marathon in 1:55 or less, and if I can do that ...
• Qualify for the Boston Marathon by running a 4-hour marathon.

I have a plan mapped out in my head for how I’m going to take a run at a Boston that goes something like this:

 

March:Run the 30K race

May: Run the National Capital Race Weekend half marathon in 1:55

September:Try for a 4-hour marathon at the Scotiabank Waterfront marathon in Toronto

October: Try again for a 4-hour marathon in the Toronto Marathon (3 weeks later)

November: Quit and never run again (Unless I BQ, in which case I will keep running until April 2010. Then I will quit and never run again)

 

I’m really nervous about setting this goal, because it’s one I’m not really certain I can accomplish. Am I actually willing and able to put in the effort needed? Do I have enough natural ability to achieve a really challenging time goal? I just don’t know. It’s scary – and exciting.