Marathon Madness Monday: Week 1

My training for the 10/10/10 Portland marathon commences today.

Today I begin an 18 week journey that will prepare me to run those grueling 26.2 miles. It’s hard to believe that the human body is capable of such a thing. But I’ve done it before, and I will do it again.

And this time around, I am such a smarter runner. Oh, how naïve I was back in 2006. I didn’t know about the wonder that is Body Glide. I didn’t know about the importance of a proper taper in the final weeks of training. I didn’t know how painful those 26.2 miles were going to be - especially the last 6.2.

It will be different training for this marathon, knowing what to expect on race day. I imagine it’s probably akin to the way a mother feels as she prepares for the birth of her second child; she knows the pain she is going to experience, but at the same time, she knows it’s all worth it in the end.

As I train for this race, I will be in good company, albeit virtually. Lauren & Amber are both running the Portland Marathon with me, and Gracie is running a marathon around the same time. It'll be comforting to know that I have friends who are going through the same trials and tribulations of marathon training.

It will be a different experience from my marathon training in 2006. When I trained for the 2006 marathon, I was running away from the heart ache resulting from my break up with The Charioteer. I was running to cope. I was running to create a physical pain that would take the place of that heart ache.

This time, I am running for me. I am running to prove to myself that I can do this again - I can run 26.2 miles.

Let me tell you – it’s a much better feeling to run for yourself v. running to escape something.

I know the next 18 weeks are going to be challenging, but the masochist in me is looking forward to watching myself grow as a result.

Each Monday, I’ll do a brief recap of the previous week of training. I will try not to bore you to tears as I know now everyone shares my passion for running!

Here’s to the start of a healthy, successful training program!