Today began my marathon training. Let me just say that I know I'm going to love this! Here's just a little recap.
Doing anything for the very first time can be scary. It was scary when I started college. It was scary when I changed career paths and started dog training. It was scary when I married Hans. Going to marathon training for the first time when all I've run is a 10k ranks right up there. I didn't know what to expect. Would I be out of place? Would people hear that I'd just run my first 10k and look at me like I shouldn't be there? So, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived and saw people from all walks of life. I saw super-fit, elite runners as I expected to, but I also saw people who did not obviously run a marathon every month. That made me feel much more comfortable.
As I walked into the stadium where we were having our first meeting I made a decision. One of the reasons I signed up for this team was so that I could meet other runners like me, and I wasn't going to put that to wasted. My plan was to greet as many people as I could and to find someone to chat with. Everyone was so warm and welcoming that this was not an issue. In no time at all I was chatting with a group of ladies about our previous running experiences and why we signed up for the full marathon versus the half (they had already run a half), and I was relaxed.
After a brief informational meeting it was time to run. I wasn't too concerned about the distance since it was only 4 miles, and I normally do at least 6 on Saturdays, but I was worried about being last in my group or doing something really stupid. Well, those fears were put to rest by two things. First, a girl passing me almost ran into a poll. With so many people, it was sometimes difficult to see what you were coming up on. I guess she got distracted and she almost face planted. Before you judge me, I did NOT laugh at her. Rather, it sparked a great talking point. The pole girl ended up running on ahead, but another girl next to me continued to chat. For this run, at least, I had a running buddy (of the human variety).
As we chatted an ran the four miles passed quite quickly, and before I knew it we were back where we started. My running buddy and I exchanged emails and phone numbers, and then I returned home. I'm looking ahead at the training schedule, and I am stoked! I'm realizing that my birthday is only a month before the marathon, and our run that day is 12 miles. The following week we're running 20 miles!!! I am so looking forward to everything, and I can't wait to provide y'all with more updates as we go along.
Woohoo! Excited to see how your training goes!
ReplyDeleteGreat, I like to read about people that start training for Marathons! I've been doing a few myself.
ReplyDeleteI use the website www.fromthecouchto5k.com for great information.
happy Running, Carrol