Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Slow and steady wins the race. That's a message from the Tortoise and the Hare, one of Aesop's fables. The hare is obviously the quicker of the two, and so during the race he slacks off and takes a nap, while the tortoise plods along slowly and and steadily to beat the hare to the finish line. You can also take away the message that you shouldn't be overconfident, but I like the persistence and determination of the tortoise.  It's where I'm at with my training.

Tortoise and Hare, Copley Square, Boston

When I talk about training for the marathon with other people, they always assume I'm a fast runner.  Isn't 26.2 miles enough? I have to be fast, too?

I've blogged about how it feels to be a very slow runner.  My first post ever, "I am a penguin," was about me just starting out with a training group (before any races!) and how slow I was. I hated being slow, but then a stress fracture in my leg taught me that speed isn't really important.

But it's hard to face the comments -  "You aren't a runner, you are a jogger," or "how can you run that slow? you might as well walk" - and the fact that when we started, the training group didn't even have a coach for the marathoners for our pace group or any slower pace (yet they had one for the walkers and the run/walkers).

Then my husband tells me, "Get over it."   Really, I think I have. I'm in a great pace group with other people at the same level, and they are a lot of fun and very supportive.  It's really all about finishing the race for us.  Slow and steady gets us to the finish line. That's how we win.

So my message is for the rest of you who don't think you can run or that you are too slow to be a runner - Get over it! You are runners, and you can do it, and you will be glad you did!

I'll leave you with some words of wisdom from others:

• from Runner's World Magazine Quote of the Day: "I often hear people say 'I’m not a real runner.' We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I've never met a fake runner." —RW's Chief Running Officer, Bart Yasso
• I am not a jogger. " I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."
• "You might be a penguin if......you have to politely (for the third time) tell the men in the police car moving behind you that no you do not wish for a ride...[or] ...during a race, you keep turning around to see if there is still anybody behind you."
• Find your inner penguin.
• On my husband's running closet door (yes he has a running closet -where do you think all his shoes go?):  "Every run is a gift. Run long, run strong." - Ryan Hall. 

Now off to bed so I am ready for my 8 miles in the morning.  Happy running!

Shoes! And Jelly Beans!

Got some new shoes today! And some jelly beans!  I have been using Gu in the past for half marathons, but considering that I will be likely be out on the course for five hours or more for the marathon, I wanted to try the "sports beans" because they might be a little easier on the stomach.

What do you use for nutrition during a race? 

Don't Panic

I woke up this morning with a terrible headache. It started around 2:00 am and then I'd wake up every hour until 5:30 am.  I was supposed to run this morning, and it was extremely important because I didn't run yesterday due to being just plain exhausted.  Beyond caffeine exhausted. Like new baby exhausted. 

There was no way I was going to be able to get out there this morning. My head hurt so much I felt like I was going to throw up.  A few ibuprofen (the duct tape of medicine!) and my head was bearably numb, but I was still nauseous. I'm either getting sick or there's some big storm coming (yep my head can predict storms, what of it?). 

Now I'm panicked. I can't miss two days of running in a row. I'll fall behind. I'll get fat. I'll lose my motivation! 

The rule of thumb is to make your long runs no longer than half of the mileage for the week. So I just need to figure out how to fit in 8 miles this week so I can feel comfortable running 8 miles on Saturday. But if I don't, then I don't.  It's important to stay healthy when you are training. When you train for a race there's always a risk of pushing yourself too hard and then your immune system can be compromised.  I always get a sinus infection a few weeks before the half marathon I'm training for.  So I'm really wigged out that I'll get sick in the middle of my training. It doesn't help I have people coughing germs all over me lately.  And little petri dishes running around my house spreading the germs incubating in their little bodies. 

The lesson I've learned in training is that you need to be flexible. There will be weeks where you can't train, either because you are sick or because of vacation or something else that gets in the way. The best you can do is pick up where you left off and keep going. 

Don't panic. If you get back on track you'll be fine. 

I hope. Right now I feel like a zombie that ate some bad brains. Ugh. Blech. Where's the Advil?