July 1st 2009
“My hair is curvy.” – Z.H. That’s what he said, and it cracked me up. Out of the mouths of babes, right? I think it might become my mantra. Today I watched as he tried to conquer the high dive. He climbed up the stairs […]
“My hair is curvy.” – Z.H. That’s what he said, and it cracked me up. Out of the mouths of babes, right? I think it might become my mantra. Today I watched as he tried to conquer the high dive. He climbed up the stairs […]
My Life in Something SmallCurrent mood: confidentCategory: BloggingSo, since the last time I posted, I have: a. fallen in loveb. written a master’s paperc. started training for my second marathond. seen the mountains in two seasonse. returned to yoga after a long absencef. graduated with […]
So y’all probably think I am insane. I ran 26.2 on hilly, rocky, roots everywhere terrain with named hills like “The Wheels Fall off” and “Devil’s Spine”. That was the 6th annual running of the Umstead Marathon. It’s not a qualifier because it generally takes even elite runners more time to get through the hiking trails and up and down never-ending hills. And this was my first marathon.
Prior to running a marathon I never considered myself a runner. An athlete, yes, but I only ran if it was after a ball (soccer and field hockey), someone was chasing me (soccer, field hockey, tag) or it started raining when I was on a walk. It just didn’t really interest me that much. Then, when I got into triathlons I began running a very minimal amount. Everything was in 5k races, so I only had to go 3.1 miles. the first time I ran that far without stopping I definitely felt it. Now I think of that has a mere jog in the park.
I started training for this in November, and dedicated 18 weeks to building up stamina and speed, sticking on cross training and weight training, adjusting my diet to compensate for long workouts (like 8 miles + strength training) and then, on Saturday morning at 6 a.m. on 3/7/09, I was up and trying to determine if I was really ready for this. They say when you start tapering is when you start doubting your own ability to physically accomplish this and that was the truth. Never in my life have i wanted to run as much as I did during those two weeks. I had stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol and yet I was as jittery as if I were downing several large pots a day. I would run five or six miles and feel like I should be doing 10. It was crazy.
So Saturday morning at 7 a.m. found me watching sunrise in Umstead Park. This was the great part. Even though I was chilly (was wearing a sleeveless top in preparation for temps in the mid-70s). My last long run had literally been in the snow so I was drinking mroe water than normal, knowing that I would dehydrate faster than if I had been training in warm weather all along.
At 8:58 a guy finally called out “Hey, y’all, looks like we’re set to start in-” (here he looked down at his wrist)- “two minutes! Should they get up by the start line?” he asked a coordinator, who nodded. “Get near the line!”
At 9 a.m., they yelled go and we were off. Definitely the most casual race I have ever been in. there were no timing chips, no fancy signs everywhere, just a single banner that said finish, a cabin full of food for later, and people heading out on mountain bikes to support us, our numbers carefully safety pinned to the front of our shirts. I had gel packs tucked into the convenient zip pocket on the front of mine. 🙂
It wasn’t until about Mile 10 or 11 that I really began to question the higher purpose of running this marathon. What was I trying to gain? Insight into my life? Better procrastination techniques in regards to my master’s paper? Some kind of Buddhist revelation that would forever change how I saw my fellow man? It was all kinds of complicated. And ridiculous. And I kept on going.
I think that what makes a marathon great. Is that you are given this opportunity to push your body far beyond what you would consider normal limits. I ran until I could run no more and then i kept running. And when I finished I was literally delirious from the moment of having accomplished something that people strive to do, of having dedicated myself to long runs and early weekend nights, and occasionally running in the dark or the rain or snow or whatever it took to get in mileage for the week. I ran when I was on vacation, when I was at friend’s houses, when i went home for Christmas. I ran and ran and trained and trained and did it for this. For this morning and early afternoon of proving to myself that I could do something amazing.
Actually normally I don’t blame things on Friday the 13th. I mean, what are you going to do,right? Weird things happen to me all the time and Friday the 13th only rolls around occasionally. But this morning was an exception. For starters, i was going […]
Ideally I should be writing my master’s paper right now. Actually scratch that. I should be writing my master’s paper every waking second I”m not working on something more important. Like blogging or constantly updating my Facebook status. So here it is. Blogging. I’ll be […]
So I’m heading towards running my first 26.2 in just a few weeks. Which is frightening on so many levels I have a hard time describing it. So I’m sticking to what I know about. Which is that I’m hungry, I’m tired, and stretch a lot more than usual (if y’all can believe that). But I also, strangely, feel more euphoric than I ever have. I have finally discovered the runners high. For me, that apparently only happens when I have run at least 7 miles and sometimes takes until 9. Depressing. But doable. And I get to eat afterwards. And during on some runs.
I’m way past the halfway point now, and it’s too late to drop out of the race (though it’s undetermined as of yet if I will drop in the race). I’m beginning to listen to my body more. I think the last time I legitimately did that was when I danced, and there were good reasons behind it. I listened when I felt tired, and went harder when I felt great. I ate really well, and slept a ton, and soaked my feet every time I danced. And somewhere along the way, in college, that went out the window. I just stopped, and have rarely gone back.
So training for this event has brought all those memories back. I’m soaking my feet at least twice a week (I have a huge box of salts!!). Yesterday I ate, and ate, and ate some more. When I run I’m focusing on what my body is telling me, and using the muscles, paying attention. If my quads hurt, I try to move the effort to hamstrings and rest them. If my back hurts, I spend a little more time stretching and hope that someone offers me a massage! I wonder, if everyone took time to think about it, what they would realize about their bodies.
Most of what I’m grateful for in this training is time. While it seems ridiculous that my free time is running, it gives me a chance to think through things, to figure out what’s going on in my life, my work, and my head. Losing so much this year it was hard to look at what I had gained, but with each breath, my head is clearing and I feel better. Even with last week (when runs did not go well and I spent way too much time thinking), I can feel myself getting stronger, moving towards something bigger than myself.
since I talked about things that made me laugh. While walking, riding, driving, eavesdropping, you name it. So that’s what I’m using today’s blog for. 1) American Idol auditions- they started last week, and I can’t stop laughing. Or simply sitting in stunned silence. Ever. […]
Harriet Aronson Burton, August 14, 1916- January 12, 2009 She was one of the most important people in my life. I understand that not everyone is close to their grandparents, and not everyone even has a chance to get to know them, but I did […]
Not me, y’all. Seriously. If it were me I think I would just hide out in my house the rest of the week and hope it didn’t catch fire. No, these are different near death experiences. The first one happened last night, and the one after that I’ll talk about happened more than 30 years ago.
So last night I was at the stoplight of Franklin and Estes when the light turned green. I go, and immediately almost run into a car turning into Caribou coffee. Really, almost. As the person went before me, I saw in the glow of my headlights her leaning forward over her steering wheel, eyes bulging, a crazed look in her eye. And I thought (whether or not this is true), that this girl was willing to die for a cup of coffee. There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that she was, which was actually kind of weird. Because who would sacrifice themselves for a cup of coffee? Would I? Have I?
It made me think about all the times I’ve been in a hurry and pulled out a little too closely in front of someone or someone’s done the same to me, that I held my breath running a stoplight, or that I ran across the street instead of waiting for a crosswalk sign. I think I actually do it a lot more than I even realize because I feel like I’m taking for granted that something is going to stop me from getting hurt.
Now, on to the Near Death Experience that is actually really important and everyone should know about. Apparently last fall (thanks UNC for NOT advertising speakers), a guy came to campus who had survived the 1972 Munich Israeli massacre. He said that for years he had not talked about it, but that his children convinced him to tell the story, that he was one of the five survivors from the team. At 4:30 a.m. on September 5th, he and his roommate awoke to gunfire and the seizing of 11 hostages, none of whom would make it. I did not go to hear him speak but my friend Laura did, and this morning I was telling her about the Near Death idea, and she brought that up (Thanks!). She said that when he started talking he spent a lot of time talking about his room in the Olympic VIllages, how he had picked it when he got there and what it was like. She said that she sat there wondering why this was significant then she realized. If he picked a different room, he would not have survived. It was that decision that seemed small and insignificant at the time that ended up making all the difference. If he had chosen a different room, he would have been one of the hostages. They were able to escape because their room was in a location that allowed him and his roommate to leap out the window and essentially run.
I think maybe this week I’ll try and pay better attention to the chances I take and be more conscientious of why I’m taking them and if that’s such a great idea.
For real. I had this amazing New Year’s, weekend, and last night I was on my way home from it. On 40- it’s dark, kind of misty but everything seems to be moving along. I’m on the phone with Tim, and we’re catching up and […]