Marathonus Interruptus
I had hoped I’d be able to finish recording all my Panama stories by now, but I’m moving pretty slowly, and I need to interrupt the travelogue to tell you about the other Big Thing: Marathon Sunday. Yup, this Sunday is when 22 weeks of training and complaining culminate in one 26.2-mile race. From my office window, I can see all the tents and port-a-potties going up. It is not really helping my nerves.
For a long time, I wasn’t at all worried or concerned about running a marathon. The hard part is honestly in the training, and since I train with the ever-awesome Chicago Endurance Sports, I knew I’d be training safely. But now that I look back on it, I think another reason I wasn’t concerned was because the actual marathon was so very far away. It’s hard to get really nervous about something that’s five months away.
The last few weeks of training have been tough. I started a new job in July, which changed my schedule more than I’d anticipated. Then I moved in early September and then took off to Panama for a week, both of which disrupted my training schedule. I still think I’ve trained pretty well, although not nearly as well as I had planned. And now? Now I actually have to run this fucking thing.
So I’m a lot more nervous than I thought I’d be, and I can only hope that nerves will convert to adrenaline on race morning and give me some extra energy. The weather forecast is anything but optimal, with temps that will climb into the mid-80s by the time I hit the last quarter of the race. I’ve been running in similar weather all summer, but hello, weather gods? It’s early October in Chicago. Feel free to arrange a last-minute cold front, okay?
For those of you who already have plans to come and cheer me on, you will probably at some point have to shut me up, because I’m going to keep thanking you forever. On the last few long runs, when the only thing in the world that I wanted to do was stop running, I imagined what it was going to be like running in a huge crowd with you waving at me from the sidelines, and it kept my legs moving a little bit longer. It probably sounds really cheesy, and I guess it kind of is, but having your own personal cheerleading squad is pretty fucking awesome. Thanks in advance for suffering road trips and parking nightmares and huge crowds on my behalf. Running has taken over my life the past six months in ways anticipated and surprising—like the four months of physical therapy, the multiple visits to the orthopedic surgeon, the epic naps that inevitably follow the longest runs—and, after all that, it will be a lot more fun to share the final goal. Those double-digit runs by myself? They sucked.
(If you can’t make it to the Windy City this weekend, you can follow my progress by signing up for Runner Tracking. All text messages, crossed fingers, good juju, and prayers that I won’t collapse at mile 18 are greatly appreciated.)
I’m as prepared as I’m gonna be. An experienced marathoner-friend reminded me today to have fun, because there’s only one first time.
Posted 4 October 2007
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are you prepared for my laura-post-running-energy-emanating and jaq-hormone-induced weepiness after you cross that finish line?
hopefully kellie & i won’t miss you like we did at the mini (emmit won’t be there to distract us this time).
you’re going to do great and you’re going to have fun. and then you never have to run again if you don’t want to. at least until the next insane urge to do, like, a triathalon or some such craziness takes hold of you. make sure it’s somewhere nice with beaches & kellie & i will follow you there, too!
see you tomorrow!
I’ll be rooting for you from Indy! Good luck. I don’t know you you do all that you do!
You just pay extra special attention to the crowds up in Greektown, mile 16 or so, OK? ;)
I hope you got my text in time–B and I just looked up your time at Runner Tracking, and are very impressed! We also hope that you were smart enough to take tomorrow off! You earned it!