Marathon Day

“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

I recently heard this quote from ultrarunner Max Joliffe. It perfectly encapsulates my state of existence these past few months. So badly, I want to run, and I want to run far. This year, I’ve set two goals for myself: 1) run a marathon; 2) run 100 miles. 

I knew both would be a challenge, but I (my spirit) was ready for it. Unfortunately, every effort to train for these longer distances has been met with resistance. Despite putting in the work — training with intention, eating well, sleeping well, finding ways to manage stress — my body continues to fail me. 

Being the hard-headed person that I am, I’m determined to figure it out. My marathon is today, and though my fitness is not where I hoped it would be, I’ve managed to quiet the niggles that I feared might prevent me from even starting the race. 

I’m happy I feel good enough to attempt the 26.2 miles. I’m not so thrilled that I’ll need to walk some of the distance to keep my injury risk low. My plan is to run for 8 minutes and then walk for 2 minutes. Not ideal, but hopefully it will keep me injury-free. 

Unfortunately, a cold front is moving through Colorado, so I’ll be starting my run in 20 degree weather. The past few weeks have been warm and sunny, so the cold is definitely going to be a shock to the system! Looks like this marathon is going to be great mental and physical training for my 100-mile race. 

I’ve heard it said that ultramarathons are all about troubleshooting. If nothing else, this training block has been a crash course in troubleshooting. I suppose I’ll take that as a win.

On a more positive note, I exceeded my fundraising goal for the Parkinson’s Moving Day walk. Thanks again to all those who’ve donated! Your support truly means the world! Looking forward to walking with my dad, family, and friends in just a few short hours.

Marathon Day Reflection

Three days post marathon and my body feels mostly recovered. The run was a sufferfest, but I managed to walk away without any major injuries. Here’s a quick recap: 

Going into the race, the only thing that really concerned me was my right hip. It flared-up on my long run the weekend before and I could still feel a bit of tenderness on Friday. I woke up at 3:30am on Saturday morning so that I could eat, stretch, and be ready to go by 5:30am. Surprisingly, my body felt good; no pain in the hip, shin, knees, hamstrings, or feet. 

The run went well until mile 12, when I started to feel a pinching sensation in my left hip. I stopped back at my parents house to refuel at mile 13 and took an extra minute to stretch. 

Things felt ok for the next mile, but the pinching eventually came back. I held on until mile 18. At that point, no amount of stretching relieved the pain in my hip. It hurt when I ran and when I walked. 

Having dealt with the pain for 8 miles, I started to worry about the damage I was doing to my hip. I decided to walk the next mile to see if I could get things to calm down. No luck. The pain only amplified. 

I questioned if finishing the race was the smartest idea. Discomfort I could deal with, but this felt different. Every step felt like it was tearing something in my hip. I was afraid. I couldn’t face another major setback, not with a 100-mile race on the calendar in just six short months. 

I decided to call it quits around mile 20; that is, until I saw Skye and Ava who had come looking for me to take some pictures. I caught up to them and after a brief chat, I decided to finish the damn thing. I made a few more attempts at running, but mostly walked it to the finish line. 

I mentioned above that these past few months have been a crash course in troubleshooting. This race was the cherry on top. Despite the race not going as planned, I’m proud of my effort. I showed up, gave it my all, and came out the other end mostly unscathed and with some important lessons that I can take with me as I continue toward my moonshot goal of 100 miles. 

Onward and upward, with patience and determination.