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The
Countdown to the Disney Marathon!
What a Journey!
It has been quite an interesting 6 months training for the
Disney Marathon. Today marks 4 days prior to the start of
the marathon on Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 6AM. I knew what
I was getting into when my two Sanibel buddies Evette and
Christine asked me to run the marathon with them nearly a
year ago…but it’s always a different story when
you are facing the race itself! Having completed three marathons,
one per year for three consecutive years, I took a couple
years off due to the illness and eventual death of my mom
over 2005-2006. So getting back into running long distances
had me a little worried—I am not getting any younger
and you are more prone to injury as you age! Right? Well,
I hope to shatter that notion and achieve a PR (personal
record) on this race.
What a year! I definitely learned a
lot from my training over the past 6 months. Here are a few
thoughts: |
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Sorrow
abated! Tomorrow
marks the 1-year anniversary of my mother’s death.
Being able to do this marathon one year later makes me
feel good. I know my mom would be proud.
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Great friendships were
made! Christine
and Evette from Sanibel, FL became two of my closest friends—even
though we do not live in the same state. The marathon training
bonded us! We were able to complete a number of training
runs together and kept in contact of our training through
email.
Not only did I become better friends with these two, but
I became better friends with Giulia who is an awesome athlete
who usually trains with the Ironman boys here in Oak Park.
Somehow she took pity on me and has pulled me through the
long, cold, dark morning runs in the fall/winter in Chicagoland.
We have had some seriously fun and funny times! What a
great friend!
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Mental break-throughs! For years, I ran
at 11:30-12 minute/mile pace. During my training this year,
I was finally able to break that barrier and bring down
my times into the 9-10 minute/mile range. Running with
people who were faster than me helped me to do this.
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Great support from
a great coach! My coach
Pete Alfino from www.milehighmultisport.com has helped
me tremendously with sticking to the training program,
making it fit into an active busy lifestyle. He also provided
much needed encouragement when various life issues would
get me down. Yes, I hope to break 5 hours in this marathon.
My coach got me through all the training necessary to do
that. We’ll see how it all turns out. Either way,
the journey was worth it.
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Strength gained! Not only
did I gain physical strength, but I gained mental strength.
Two 20+ mile training runs had to be done by myself. Coach
Pete said it was good for me because it made me stronger.
He was right.
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Marriage strengthened! Because my husband is also training, we were able to do a lot of training
runs and workouts together. It was a great way to spend
time together. Because my speed improved, it was not such
a burden for him to run with me. Of course, I really appreciated
his support too.
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Injuries overcome! As usual,
this training time was not without a wide array of aches
and pains. Over the course of my training these past six
months, I faced, treated, and overcame shin splints, a
jammed big toe, severe debilitating back pain, and recently
a very bad cold with accompanying fatigue and cough—leading
to throwing out my neck during a coughing spell. Because
we have a wide array of natural treatments available to
us, I was able to utilize proteolytic enzymes, vitamins/herbs,
chiropractic, Prolotherapy, heat, massage, infrared heat,
and good old fashioned TLC to keep me on the road. I can
tell you first hand that these things work! |
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In
summary: Getting to the starting
line is half the battle! I made it that far! I hope to cross
the finish line in under 5 hours—as
an accomplishment for myself and for my coach. If I don’t
do it, it won’t be for not trying. I feel ready. I feel
prepared. I am excited to be doing the race with my two best
buddies and my husband. Lasting memories have been and will
be made along this training journey and the race itself.
We’ll
be leaving in a few short days—I hope
to get some good photos from the actual marathon race to show
you! Say a little prayer for me on Sunday if you think about
it! See you on the road!
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