There were two thoughts engaged in a duel for the dominant place
in my mind as I ran in the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon last weekend. The first thought was regrettably, “How did that backstabbing bottle of Pinot
Noir somehow convince me that signing up for this race on a whim, with no time
to train, was a good idea?” On the other hand, as I looked around, I
confidently thought, “Therefore, since there are so many effing people
watching, I need to lay aside every mental and physical encumbrance and run this
race with endurance.” (See, I totally paid attention in Sunday school.)
It was a mental battle between “WTF?” and “You got this!” My positive outlook and my
sense of despair seemed to flip-flop with each passing mile marker.
Sadly, my pace resembles that of a water buffalo more than an
actual athlete, and accordingly, the idea of running competitively is somewhat
lost on me. But I do enjoy running, or what is more commonly referred to
in my case as “labored jogging.” Running
is one of the few things that can change my mood, eliminate anxiety, and ground
me when I feel as if I am about to spin out of control. It is
also the mental space in which I come up with my most brilliant ideas,
diabolical plans, and ponder the things that everyday life so often crowds
out.
My
day-to-day schedule is packed, which makes it difficult to maintain running (or
exercise in general) as a priority. Having a goal to focus on is a good
way for me to hold myself accountable and push myself beyond my slightly lazy
tendencies. I’ll be the first to admit, after a crazy day at work,
a glass of wine with friends (or a bottle by myself) sounds like a far superior
way to unwind compared to dressing in my uglies and pounding the
pavement. This is a key reason why I started signing up for
different events, to keep myself in motion.
It
really began about 7 years ago when my friend Nicole and I decided we wanted to
conquer the hills of San Francisco and run in the Nike Women’s
Half-Marathon. I’m pretty sure bragging rights and the nearby wine
tasting had something to do with our event selection. However, the primary
reason we chose this race was the promise of a Tiffany’s pendant guaranteed to
all participants (we had our priorities straight!). Nicole
and I trained together for an extended period of time, but when our lottery
numbers weren’t chosen for the Nike event, we lost some of our
inspiration. As it turns out, the idea of heading outside on cold
rainy evenings in the dead of winter had lost its appeal once the shiny piece
of jewelry dangling at the finish line was removed.
No
big deal. I’ve learned that no matter how well-trained or ill-prepared I happen
to be; on race day I can always seem to find plenty of motivation. If you mix
my stubbornness with race day adrenaline, it becomes a potent blend. Often,
this wonderful combination is what carries me through. My fatigued muscles/blubber might be waving a
white flag in surrender, but my mind will not even entertain the idea of
conceding to my body’s plea for relief.
Mental toughness has rescued me time and time again when I have showed
up to battle otherwise unarmed. If one
stops to think about it, it really is extraordinary how the mind has the
ability to require more than the body has to give.
The
other aspect to me being able to perform beyond my ability is the energy of the
audience. When thousands of people are
running alongside you, and thousands more cheering you on from the sidelines,
the collective result is invigorating.
All
that said, for me, the most crucial ingredient is having running
companions. Last fall Nicole, Colin and
I participated in the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon (no need to mention
why this event was appealing). I thought it was a suicide mission. No training, the hot humid Florida weather,
a recovering hamstring, stuffing ourselves with food and drinks in the
days/hours leading up to the event… this is not exactly a recipe for
success! Towards the end of the race,
when my pace was slowing, Colin said that the boardwalk we were approaching was
the end of the race, and that we should sprint the last leg to improve our time
and finish strong. I agreed. Unfortunately, Colin, my life long friend, was
a liar. We still had over half a mile
left before this hell-path ended, and my jello legs were now committed to a
dead-run. While the betrayal is
unforgivable, the end result was pretty spectacular. I had a similar experience with my friend,
Tina, with the 15k Shamrock run. I had
not done anything physical or remotely healthy all winter when we signed up for
this annual March tradition. Being the
flaky, irresponsible person I am, I never even looked at the course. Tina, being the intelligent, clever person
she is, failed to mention that on this particular snow-and-hail filled day,
that we would be running uphill for
the majority of the race… Again, maybe I need to make new friends, but I must
say, it did feel gratifying to storm a hill I don’t even like to drive up.
Being
able to produce under pressure is not the same as being prepared and
strategically working toward achieving a goal. While I was able to bust 13.1 miles out of
my ass with no real training or preparation last weekend, it came at a cost. For instance the chaffing that occurred from
my larger-than-I’d-like-thighs rubbing against each other, and against the
seams of the new clothing I had never worn was dreadful (big no-no to wear
something for the first time on race day).
At one point there were volunteers passing out sticks of Vaseline. Let
me tell you, I wasted no time smearing that all over my inner thighs and
underwear line.
P.S.
I’m sorry to all of you who were inadvertently flashed as I lubed myself up
mid-jog.
Also,
I’m pretty sure the runners who trained for the race also recovered much faster
and had less overall soreness throughout the next several days.
My
accomplishment did however give me a profound sense of gratefulness… for having
a cardiovascular system, lungs, and body that is healthy enough to even
participate; and for having friends that cheer me on and push me when I’m
growing weary (Tina, you rock!).
All
in all, it was a good reminder of how important training is an all aspects of
life. We need to do our work ahead of time, so when the moment arises, we are
prepared. Even though we may obtain
the goal by sheer adrenaline and mental discipline, when we go about things the
right way, the journey is substantially more enjoyable, there is less chance
for injury, and the recovery is quicker… or at least you can avoid rashes on
your thighs and showing your vagina to all of Portland.
