Friday, October 14, 2011

Marathon running for type A personalities



I admit it.  I'm a type "A".  My happiest world would be one where everything is planned out and in everything I do, I reach the goal I set, which in most cases would be perfection.  To put it nicely, thinking this way is unrealisitic.  And to put it in a "just get to the point" kind of way, it's downright crazy.  I only point out my ridiculous tendencies so that you know the kind of thoughts I was fighting during my first attempt at 26.2 miles.  But don't worry, you can breathe a sigh of relief because in the end, I overcame my perfectionist self, and realized that regardless if I completed the race in the exact time I wanted to or in the exact "way" I wanted to, I RAN A FREAKING MARATHON, and I should be extremely proud of that accomplishment.

The race was unlike anything I've every done and really, I don't think there was anyway I could have known what it was really going to be like before I was right in the middle of it.  Going into race day, I was very confident because I had a great group of Nashville friends I trained with and we had been very dedicated and consistent with our running.  Coley had created a great weight program for me that I had been following religiously as well, so I felt ready to go.  Emotionally and mentally, I was also in a great place because I had an amazing support system with me the day of the race.  Coley, his parents, my parents, and my dear friend Christi were all there to cheer me on.  And boy did they ever!  If you need an education on the "L" train system in Chicago, you can ask any one of them because they owned those lines in order to find me at various points during the race.



Overall, the race went really well.  There were a few things that threw me off my game, and if I had it to do over again, I would make a few changes that I think would have helped me reach my time goal.  Before the race started, my two race buddies and I weren't even able to make it into the start corral.  So we ended up crossing the start line with the 12-minute per mile folks, which made it a bit challenging to speed up to my desired pace early on.  At mile eight I dropped my Gus (the energy boosting gummies I ate consistently during all my training), and though I don't think it actually made that big of a difference, it really messed with me psychologically. So, note to self, next time I will be in the start corral with the pace group of my choice and I will have a better system for my chewies :)

In the end, I crossed the finish line at 4:21ish.  About 6 or so minutes slower than I had hoped for, but still not too shabby for my first experience!  And the major mark of success- I have the itch to run another one!

Most important, I had the opportunity to visit a great city, and spend time with great friends and amazing family.  I feel so fortunate to be healthy enough for this accomplishment, and to have the kind of support system that makes it worthwhile!