Ah, the sweet essence of forgetting.
In 2022, I completed the Honolulu Marathon. It was my first marathon, and the goal was simply to cross the finish line.
When it was all over, I distinctly remember thinking (and saying aloud to anyone who’d ask) I will never run a marathon again. I had done it! What an accomplishment it was, but damn, it was a challenge. And now, I’m done.
The marathon idea originated in 2016 (give or take a few years). I’d just begun, to use the common phrase, “getting into running”.
If I’m being frank, it was a time when I hadn’t accomplished much past graduating from high school and falling in and out of love with people, aside from myself.
I was in my beginning stages of flouting about, figuring it out. I like terming it that way because imagining this phase as a colorful, star-filled galaxy of dreams and ideas, possibilities of future you’s (me’s), is much more beautiful and metaphorical than the reality. (*If you’ve watched Death of a Unicorn, imagine that!)
Plus, in my version of this phase, “figuring it out” never dissipates. We’re allowed to become dust before we must decide exactly who we are, and we are always allowed to change our minds; we just fill our pockets with versions as stardust along the way.
One of my “stars” was running the Boston Marathon, which is a grand feat.
Now, I’m not sure if the Boston Marathon is still something I dream of doing.
One of the things I learned from finishing the Honolulu Marathon in 2022 is that an accomplishment doesn’t have to be dressed in grand accolades to be marvelous.
Setting benchmarks for ourselves is what accomplishment is all about. For an elite runner, the Boston Marathon might be the ultimate goal because it represents the next step (their benchmark). The point is, we decide what we wish to accomplish and what accomplishments mean to us. Not everyone else.
Back in 2022, after crossing the finish line and for about six months afterward, I told myself I’d done it (“it” being accomplishing a challenging task), and I was content never to run another marathon.
It’s 3 years later, and I find myself craving the ache of the marathon once again.
I know what really pushed me to register was this taunting inner, absolutely absurd voice, saying, “I am getting too old” (obscene to say, here’s a list of the oldest marathon runners). But, the loudest thought, the precipice of my decision to run again, ‘I’m not capable of doing it.’
The thing is, other people can believe I’m not capable of something (mostly) I’m okay with that. However, me telling myself I’m not capable, without even trying, is not something I will accept.
Last time, the goal was to cross the finish line (admittedly, without pooping myself). This time around, I also have a completion time goal.
I ran the Honolulu Marathon in 2022 in 6 hours and 59 minutes.
During the race, I remember passing the half-marathon point with my fastest time to date, but of course, I was only halfway done. At that point, I still had 13.1 miles left to complete. I want to say, everything went downhill from there, but in running, that might imply an easy descent, whereas this was quite the opposite. It was hot. There was no shade. I was tired as fuck.
Where I had run the entirety of the first half, the second half I employed a run-walk combination, or more accurately, a walk-run method, because by then I was doing more walking than running. This dragged my time, but I finished! And I’m proud of it.
But I can do better.
In 2022, I trained for the person I was in 2022.
I used the Marathon for Mortals training plan. I followed the run/walk a marathon plan, which is exactly what it says it is—a method to complete a marathon using a 3-minute run, 2-minute walk approach.
I made a few mistakes, here they are:
Following a training plan, but then not adhering to it on the day of the marathon.
I had been training in Colorado, and for those who don’t know, Denver’s elevation is 5,280 ft, which makes running challenging. When I arrived in Hawai’i and began running at sea level, I felt fantastic. And because I felt fantastic, I exerted all my energy right from the start (in the first half of the marathon), but then I had difficulty in the second half when I attempted to step back into the way I’d trained (I switched it to a 2-minute run and 3-minute walk).
I followed a training plan, but I wasn’t always exact.
There were runs I missed, or there were days when I was running on my lunch break and just didn’t have time to complete the full run time that was supposed to be allocated for that day (for example, a 40-minute run would be cut to 30 minutes).
Now, I stand by two main points:
- Running for 30 minutes out of 40 is better than not running at all.
- It’s most important to listen to your body.
Injuries can occur for multiple reasons, one of which I’m particularly mindful of is overuse.
I know I’ve held myself back in the past because I didn’t believe I was capable of pushing myself just a few feet farther. When it comes to physical excretion, I’ve found my comfort zones. I’ve been on a run, and my mind starts talking to me, saying things like, “Hey there, we could slow down and walk now, you know.” Then I stop, and I’m walking, but I’m not sore. Nothing is aching. Sure, I’m tired, but I’m not out of breath or anything like that. I’m just pulling myself back into a comfortable place, even though I could go farther. I could keep running.
Taking my marathon training to another level is teaching me to be mindful of my body in completely new ways.
When that inner voice starts prodding, “Hey, you could stop now,” I check in.
How do my feet feel? How do my calves and hips feel?
How’s my breathing? Steady.
Is my core tight and my posture correct?
Do I feel any tightness, aches, or sharpness? No. Alright, I’m still running.
I’m learning quickly that I’m far more capable than I give myself credit.
My goal for this year’s marathon is to complete the 26.2 miles in roughly 4 hours and 30 minutes. That’s about two and a half hours faster than my run time in 2022. Ambitious, but not impossible.
To get me there, I am once again turning to the Marathon for Mortals training plan. A friend recommended the book to me the first time around, and I recommend it to anyone, not only those setting out to run a marathon but also those getting into running in general.
This time, I’m using the “run a marathon plan.”
I created a colorful training board that hangs in my kitchen. I use it to track my runs and workouts.
I created this board because I was finding myself falling into the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality with the book being tucked away on a shelf (I mean, I already have to do the run; I can’t be bothered to open a book and turn the pages, am I right?).
This way, my daily task is harder to forget (i.e, ignore).
Plus, the board is satisfying. I can check off each completed day and track progress over time (hello, dopamine release!).
Although I’ve been running once or twice a week and riding the Peloton two or three times a week since I registered for the marathon in January (proof that I’m not accelerating my body from 0 to 100), the 20-week plan has officially begun (a couple weeks early, oops).
Lessons have come from mistakes and rewards. I’m no longer the same woman I was in 2022. I have collected stardust dreams and ideas for the future that have both been imagined and forgotten.
The version of myself today is one that is more focused on the present moment. How am I showing up each day? What do I notice in the world, and myself? I love what running has given me. I love what I’ve given myself in just believing I could.
I look forward to sharing more reflections with you throughout the coming weeks. And please, share any advice or experience you may have with me. I love to read it.
two weeks of Training in Photos
A Note: This post was 100% human-made. At no time did I use A.I to write this article. Images you see on this post were captured by me (or my partner) unless otherwise stated (credited/linked). Thank you for reading!
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