I first toyed with the idea of doing a marathon back around 2004. It was mostly a fleeting "hmmm maybe" type of thought. Soon after I found out I was pregnant with Simon and knew it couldn't even be a thought or consideration. Not devastating just, oh well. While walking in a March of Dimes walk on the same day as the marathon, I saw myself admiring and envying the runners, but thought that it never could happen so I just let the thought leave.
Once Simon was born, it seemed like all life revolved around his care and learning how to care for him and pretty much all other outside life came to a halt if it couldn't include him. Over time, Dave and I both realized that we needed to find ourselves and what we enjoy again, separate from the rest of our lives. He started doing his music again and I started running. I hated being out of shape and how I felt and running was the easiest exercise to fit in, even though it was still difficult with the unpredictable life Simon led. After talking to a mom who also has a SN child as well as other younger children, she said buy the shoes and enter the race; spend some money and you will find a way to fit it in. So that's what I did. I signed up for a 5K and began training.
On the race day of the 5K, I rode the bus with a woman who had run some marathons and some half's and just said, "if you can do a half, you can do a marathon". I had never run more than 5 miles, in my life. The idea was planted. I ran the 5K and had a good time and felt proud but didn't really have a marathon in my sights, just that "hmmm" thought again. It didn't seem so impossible after all. But was it?
I made the goal of training as if I was training for a half marathon. I figured if I could run 13miles by the time of marathon sign ups I would go ahead and sign up for the marathon. Why not just sign up for the half do you ask? Yeah, that's just not my style. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it all the way. I had my feet checked out before I did my first 8. Luckily I have a great podiatrist who just gets it and though I have tendinitis and bone spurs he gave me the all clear, saying my feet are as good as they get right now and surgery was at least a couple of years away.
I ran 8 and then 10. I started learning more about the need to fuel after 10 miles. When it was time to do my 13, I had a physical done. The doctor found a bigimeny and I had to halt training until after my echo was done. I had to wait a week for the echo and then another week for the results. I was able to run, he just asked that I take it down a notch. My heart structure was fine and I was able to run again. I was taking heart meds in the mean time and with his permission I weened off while making sure to cut down my caffeine. I'm a diet coke fanatic and I knew it was time to let it go.
With my training stalled, I had to start easing back into higher miles. The first few months of every year is Simon testing and doctor visits time and that made it difficult to get my miles in. I still had plenty of time, but not as much time as I was hoping to have under my belt.
I finally ran my first 13 by doing the first half of the marathon course. It was snowy and muddy and a tough run, but I completed it.
My whole goal during this journey was to make sure I stayed healthy and injury free so I always approached each run as finishing the miles and not finishing them fast. Week by week I followed my training plan but remained flexible in the way I have over the years of being Simon's mother.
Three weeks before the marathon I finally squeezed in my 20. That was the final week of higher miles and now it was time to taper and mentally prepare for the Marathon. I was pumped and ready. and the rest is well, history. Now, I'm pretty much hooked...
If you want something, commit to it. Cultivate it. Do not accept anything else. And to quote NIKE "Just do it!"
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