The Long Journey Ahead

OK, so I already started training but I need all the time I can get. You see, I haven't run consistently since college and that was nearly a decade ago. In college I ran sprints and our "long" runs were a mere 20 minutes. My longest races in those days were 5K "training runs" where we had to beat all the distance runners to the 1K mark and then hold on for dear life the rest of the race. Ah, those were the days. Of course I was svelte and in shape back then. The difference now is I think I'm svelte and in shape but my body begs to differ. Begs, pleads, stomps, and carries-on...

Did I mention I'll be taking a "break" from training to have another bypass surgery? Oh yeah, details details. Blech. My original bypass graft has failed and the only way to fix it is to try another bypass. I have the option of running through hell and then having surgery in the fall or getting it over with ASAP and running through hell anyway. The latter please, ala mode. Thankfully, my surgeon knows me well. He asked if the calf pain is something I could live with. "I'm training for a marathon." He laughed, shook his head and said, "of course you are." He operated on me as a college athlete and I was an even worse patient back then. Me and my not wanting to take too many pain meds so I could run a week after surgery AND pass an NCAA drug test! Now I get to relearn to walk AND try to increase my mileage by no more than 10% each week! I do love a good challenge and if anyone can suck it up and get it done it's me.

Here is where my journey begins.

I wasn't planning on running a marathon any time soon. It was one of those "one day" dream goals with no concrete plan or deadline backing it up. I have my good friend M to thank for turning that dream into a reality. She made a comment that she'd like to do the marathon but really wanted a training partner to help her get ready. I, of course, readily agreed and here I am. Naturally, once the decision was made I instantly conjured up spreadsheets, training schedules, pace charts, and sample workouts. Yeah that's how I roll, organization is my forte.

To get us off on the right foot (haha I crack myself up sometimes) M and I entered the Race for Justice 5K on April 13th. I hadn't run all week and had worked the night before and ran a dismal 31.20. M, in her first race ever ran a speedy 27 minutes leaving me in the dust! Way to go girlfriend! I am happy for my friend but I have the fortunate disposition of being the most competitive person on the planet. This, of course, has the nasty side-effect of perfectionist thinking. I am a perfectionist but my therapist says that perfectionistic thinking is actually a thinking error so it is not good for me to think of myself as a perfectionist.

Hrmph.

Fine, I will grudgingly concede the point that nobody can be perfect. But somebody has to set the standard, agreed? Well that somebody might as well be me. So now I have reframed my perfectionistic thinking into setting the standard. My goal is to set the standard for the perfectly imperfect way to train for a first marathon as a former sprinter.

After that 5K I buckled down, laced up, and hit the roads. Yesterday I shaved 3 minutes off my time and am looking forward to another improvement in the next race on Mother's Day. I ran the Melpomene's annual race by the Mississippi River. Once I figure out how, I'll post a picture of me modeling the sweet yellow t-shirt. Perhaps I'll start an album of race t-shirts, I'm sure I'll have quite a collection in no time.

As race-day approaches I'll be entering longer and longer events to get my mind back in race-mode. Or at least keep it there.

My sister H, the marathon veteran and distance running superwoman, has also signed up for the marathon. I am looking forward to actually running with her this summer. It seems throughout our lives we have always watched each other run but have yet to actually enjoy the experience together. Maybe we can talk S, the little sister that is big, into running with us and then oh boy watch out! I imagine we'll spend more time laughing than running but runners need strong abs, right?

Thanks for sharing in my journey, I aim to entertain, amuse, and induce random fits of eyeball rolling. Leave a comment, or ten. I take requests.