Running tells us the good news about ourselves.
As you’ve read from my blog posts, the past several weeks have been quite a challenge for me both mentally and physically. Struggling with a knee injury, several bad runs and just an overall self-defeating attitude towards the marathon had really taken a toll on me. Last Sunday it all came to a head at about 13 miles into our 18 mile run. I was faced with a runner’s worst nightmare; the wall. That’s when your body tells your brain “um, it’s time to quit now. You cannot move another inch.” If it weren’t for my most amazing running partners, someone would have had to pick me up on a curb somewhere between Matthews and Washington. I completed those 18 miles and gained some more insight into how I can overcome that wall if it makes its presence known again.
I decided after that run that part of my training was going to include getting as much sleep as I possibly could last week. I was worn out both physically and mentally. And that’s exactly what I did; no cross training and only 1 day of running during the week. I slept until I absolutely had to get up. And it worked wonders!
This morning was our first 20 miler. We woke up to thunder and lightning so we had to postpone it for an hour. Just as we got started I realized I forgot my ever-so-necessary knee brace. I contemplated going back and getting it for about ½ mile and decided there was no way I could successfully complete 20 without it. When I got back to the car my legs started cramping up and it began to rain. I argued with myself the entire drive back home as to whether or not I would persevere through this. My bed sounded much better than fighting pain in the pouring rain. Without thinking I grabbed my brace and headed back out. Thankfully they were only a couple of miles into the run so I only lacked about a mile really. I finished strong! What a difference a week makes! Between rest and my legs just plain getting used to running more miles, it was like I was dealing with a totally different body! We had a great time running in the rain. We were drenched but it actually felt pretty good. We got back to our cars just as the next thunderstorm was hitting us. God granted us that perfect little 4 hour window to complete our goal.
Prayerfully my self-defeating attitude is now under wraps. I have no doubt in my mind now that I can complete 26.2 . The good news my body told me today was that it was getting stronger. And each week for the next 4 weeks it will only get stronger. Of course, this week is back to normal training but I believe I’m more capable of handling it now. I’m finally excited about completing this marathon. I look forward to the final 4 weeks of training.
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