My First Marathon

Running a marathon has always been something I wanted to do, even when I didn't like running. A coworker recently asked me why I wanted to run a marathon, and... I couldn't really put my finger on it. I guess I thought that maybe, if I could run I marathon, I would be the epitome of accomplishment and discipline and fitness (read: thinness).

Now, if you take a look at the graph below, you will realize that I certainly never attained the discipline necessary to properly train for a marathon. If I had stuck to my plan, the majority of my training weeks should have been in the 40s, with a few in the 50s. I had two really good weeks in July, felt accomplished, and proceeded to slack off.
As the weeks ticked by, the panic never set in. This was both a curse and a blessing. Panic would have motivated me to get out there and run more often. Log more than one 19.5 mile long run. Eat more than Coldstone and Snyder's cheddar cheese pretzel pieces. (Yeah, I never became the epitome of thinness. Surprise!) On the other hand, panic would have motivated me to get out there and log more miles, which we all know can lead to injury. It would have stressed me out. It could have lead me to believe that I couldn't run a marathon, so why try?

But I knew that I could. Lots of people run marathons. Big people, thin people, old people, young people, fast people, slow people. So I arrived in Milwaukee with a very level head. I was going to stick with my pace group so that I could reach my goal of 4 hours and 30 minutes. I didn't race well (I ditched my pace group to run faster in the early miles, then they caught up to me, then I couldn't keep up with them) and ended up finishing in 4:38, but apparently it's not awful to only finish your first marathon 8 minutes slower than your goal time. Hooray!

So what's next? Well, in the weeks before the marathon, during the marathon, and immediately after the marathon, I had decided that I wasn't going to run another one until I got much faster. I must make my long run pace faster by a minute per mile. I must run a half marathon in under 2 hours. Etc etc. Then I realized that even if I was that fast and logging 50 mile weeks, I would only be saving myself 50 minutes per week. And given the amount of television I watch, that's no excuse not to train for another marathon. Unless I don't want to.

But I do!

I still can't explain it. I now realize that being able to run 26.2 miles doesn't necessarily require discipline. Training won't make you skinny if you eat your weight in ice cream every Sunday. But it will give you a sense of accomplishment.

What do I want to accomplish next? A sub-4:00 marathon. I know that's crazy, trying to take 38 minutes off my time. But I'm signed up for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, which is in June. Eight months away. I've got plenty of time to train. And hopefully publicizing my lofty goal will help the panic kick in a little bit, and I'll be able to maintain 50 mile weeks in the spring. Hooray!