Last November I ran my second marathon after training less than the lead up to my first and in less-than ideal conditions. Somehow, the result was better.
My first marathon in Memphis in 2017 was a sunny, beautiful day with just enough chill in the air to be comfortable. I ran it with some of my best friends and my family there to support me. And I had trained long miles in preparation for my first stab at the famous distance and was hoping to earn a BQ.
The result of that marathon was a time of three hours, thirty minutes and fourteen seconds. I had ran nearly five minutes below the qualifying time but would learn later that my time would miss entry to the 2019 Boston Marathon by just seconds. (For details on entry to this prestigious race and how one can qualify but not get in please click here.)
I was deeply disappointed. I had another marathon looming but had hoped it would simply be a practice run before Boston. Instead it would be a second chance to qualify and that meant besting my own personal record and the new qualifying time for my age group of 3:30:00.
This time, I would be racing in Tulsa. I had trained far less. I had far fewer supporters on the course. And the morning turned out to be cold and gray. The story of those successful 26.2 miles through Tulsa was published on Oklahoma Sports and Fitness Magazine’s website and you can read that story here but here on the blog after a day that I struggled to get myself out the door for a run, I wanted to mention the few things I believe made all the difference in shaving nearly four minutes off my marathon by doing seemingly less.
I strived to enjoy running again instead of thinking of it as a chore.
I may have been running less, but each time I set foot out the door I was working hard to remind myself that it was my choice and not something I was forced to do. I skipped runs. I slept in. I sometimes said, “I’ll go tomorrow.” These are all things that would have made me feel terribly guilty in the past but I believe were vitally important in reminding myself why I really do like running. And when I did run, I made it count.
I started eating a lot better.
In the past couple years since graduating college I’ve done a much better job at eating more vegetables, fruits, etc. in general. But in the past year I took my eating habits to the next level by working hard to purchase organic food, consume more WHOLE foods (not packaged!), and fix more creative meals that incorporate a wider variety of the good stuff (sugars and carbs included!) I owe part of my better eating habits to Jackson, but also to the cookbooks Run Fast. Eat Slow. and Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. for showing me how fun eating better can be!
I shook off the nerves.
Nerves can absolutely be good for you. But if you let them eat at you to the point that you’re stressing about the race more than you’re enjoying it, then it might be time to take a second look at why race at all. So for this run, I took all the pressure off myself. I knew it’d be nice to run a PR and re-qualify. But I reminded myself there are plenty more opportunities to do so and promised myself I would enjoy the miles ahead.
If you’re finding it hard to get out the door and keep those promises you made to yourself about running (or any other kind of training) please, please cut yourself some slack! Remind yourself why it’s important to you. Fuel your body what it needs to do what you want it to. And stop stressing and try to enjoy it!
What are your running/racing/fitness goals for the year? How are you putting yourself in a position to achieve those things?