May. Mayo. Maj. The weather in Chicago is becoming more beautiful each day and that means the Chicago Marathon is getting closer by the minute. I really should be starting some sort of training, but unfortunately, life gets in the way. Busy with work. Busy with the kids. Busy taking care of my mom. BUSY. Like so many women, I wear many different hats. I’m a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a career woman, an entrepreneur…the list goes on and on.
I am frequently asked how I am able to do so much. The answer is and always has been: My incredibly supportive husband. I couldn’t do half of what I do without him. But like all good over-achieving perfectionists, I keep piling more and more responsibilities on myself rather than delegating as I should, and quite honestly, preparing for this little thing called the marathon has taken a back seat. Like back-of-the-bus back seat. Again, The Great Procrastinator. And this is obviously something I can’t ask him to do for me. Oh yeah, and I haven’t exactly told him yet.
I am, however, still preparing mentally. Seriously. I’ve been doing some mental math. I can easily walk a 15-minute mile. That’s about as quick a stride my 5’ 3” frame can handle without actually running. But let’s see…a 15-minute mile means four miles in an hour (brilliant!), and that means 26 miles in 6-1/2 hours. Now WAAAAIIIITTTT a minute (or 390 minutes, to be exact). The “official” marathon finishing time is six hours, 30 minutes, and 59 seconds (see, I’ve been doing my research). So technically speaking, I can WALK the marathon and still finish in official time. Sure, a marathon is 26 POINT TWO miles, but if I can run a block here and there, and maybe if I can control my fifty-something year old bladder, I can actually make this happen…whether I get to that pesky little training thing or not. Phew! Feeling better already!
Are you a procrastinator? If you start your training early, how do you stay motivated throughout a long training season? Have you experienced any injuries from training too hard or too soon?