It's crazy to wake up one day and think that running 26.2 miles would ever be fun, but for whatever reason, I did. And the whole process wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. Some of it was, and some of it felt like I was actually going to die that day. But despite all of that I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world.
I think the best decision I made was to run a team marathon. You need five people on a team and you all have to finish together. Not only did it provide endless running company even when we didn't talk for over five miles, but it also provided an incentive to not skip a run. It's hard to roll over in bed at 5:00 a.m. when you know four other people will be blowing your phone up in twenty minutes because they can't find you, or making fun of you in the group chat all day for being sick. From this, I learned how important it is to have good friends who not only keep you accountable but, in doing so, keep everyone laughing.
The next biggest thing I learned from training is that you can do a lot more than your body thinks you can. I know I definitely thought I was dying a few times on runs because my arms felt weird or I was out of breath halfway up a giant hill, but somehow I always caught my breath, or always made it up the hill, no matter how impossible it seemed.
And, even when things seem impossible or when you feel like you can't possibly run another step, taking a quick stretch break, walk break, or water and orange break always seemed to put things in perspective to keep going. You might suddenly remember, "Oh, we're 2/3rds of the way done!" and that keeps you going. You just can't let yourself stop.
But, when you do stop for oranges and water, it feels like Christmas. After about every five miles on training runs, we stopped for a quick refueling break to get some water back into our bodies. After mile ten, this always felt like a lifesaver because that runners high that carries you after mile five always seemed to drop off before the second wind hit you at mile eleven.
And, the weirdest thing about training is that I know this sounds weird, but sometimes you forget that you're running. Getting through the first five miles is usually the hardest, but after that, for the most part, the miles just seem to keep flying by and suddenly you're done with the run.
I've been told several times that training for the marathon is the worst part. But, I guess I'll have to find that out for myself this weekend at the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon.
