Friday, December 26, 2014

I Ran a Marathon. Whoopee. (The marathon aftermath)

I ran the Portland Marathon on October 5th.  For the next week I felt the usual post-race letdown.


They say that you are a different person when you finish a marathon than you were when you started it.  I felt that way after my first half marathon, but the marathon just felt like a really long run.  I wasn't feeling particularly successful or proud of myself.


I mean, these days everyone runs marathons, right? My facebook feed is filled with people who run a marathon every weekend--some for FUN--run long-distance relays and triathlons, and barely need a break.



All I did was run one measly marathon that took me over 5 hours to finish.


I had really hoped to break that 5 hour mark, even though my training clearly showed that was highly unlikely.  And that 3 minute PR? That can easily be explained by not needing a bathroom break this year. Remember this?


I was sweating out of pores I didn't know existed.

Nope, no great feelings of success.  In fact, I was feeling so bad that I ended up in the ER with a falsely diagnosed heart attack 2 weeks after the race. (A combination of work and life stress didn't help of course).


Ok,  so the doctor wasn't *quite* so cavalier. It *was* scary though.

I decided it was time for some perspective.  I started looking around online to see if it is still special to run 26.2 miles.  Here's what I found. (Please keep in mind that these are "facts" I found online, so they are 100% true! )


Source DARE, it says.


Source That's still a small percentage.

Here's the thing:  maybe some people have been swimming, biking, and running since they were zygotes. And maybe the average recreational athlete is a good 25-50% faster than me in races.  And maybe some people have had major transformations in their weight, their health, or their looks.

Maybe all that's true.  

But in the end, none of that matters.  You know why? 

Because running makes me happy. 


And that's what makes me a runner. 

Oh, and also a 2 time marathoner.

Whoopee!!!

How do you identify yourself? How long did it take you to own that identity?

UPCOMING POSTS: VOLUNTEERING AT BEAT THE BLERCH, A YEAR IN REVIEW, TRYING SOMETHING NEW AND IMPROVED IN THE NEW YEAR


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