Fear, excitement, anxiety, exhaustion…the week before a first marathon can be an emotional roller coaster and my cadet Jodi has been going through them all, which is why I’m glad it’s my 8th.
Not to say that every marathon doesn’t come with new emotions, but because running is so mental once you know you can cover the distance those initial fears become much less.
Instead this time they are replaced by an overwhelming joy at getting to see Jodi cross the 26.2 finish line.
As I sat with my husband last night and he said what I believe many people think “it sounds insane that someone would run 26 miles after having only run 20 before that”.
The truth…it takes a big scoop of courage and dash of crazy to ever do a marathon.
HAVE YOU MET MY CADET?
When Saucony asked me to select someone to coach for their first marathon as part of the 26 Strong program, I immediately thought of Jodi.
She’s not only been a huge supporter of mine in the marathons I run over the years, but she’s a huge supporter to pretty much anyone who crosses her path.
{shirt twins!! want to join us??}
Not wanting to pressure Jodi into a first marathon I opened it up and without surprise in came her emotional heartfelt and dedicated response to how she would handle and commit herself to every aspect of marathon training.
I knew that this busy woman who will give so much of her time to others deserved to have something amazing given back to her and it’s been a true pleasure and joy to watch her throughout this entire process.
Last week Jodi posted her final thoughts as we come down to the final days before the Honolulu Marathon and I laughed because I thought yes I remember that feeling luckily this time around for me it’s marathon number eight and my only goal is to ensure that Jodi crosses that finish line with a big wonderful smile.
Make sure you are following this inspirational woman’s journey on her site and Instagram!
Below is Jodi all smiles after her first ever 20 mile run with some company from her daughter {also wonderfully named Amanda}…she used a short 2 mile loop due to the ice!!!Here are some of the amazing insights she has gleaned over the last few months.
They are not kidding when they say marathon training consumes your life…and I have learned a few things along the way:
I ache and hurt in places I never even knew existed.
I am tired…a lot
I am hungry…a lot
Time flies when you are running….I do not count my runs in time….I count it in miles…and it always amazes me how many hours slip by on the long runs on the weekends!! {If I pay too close of attention to the time, it freaks me out that I am running that long…I mean seriously, running 3-5 hours at a time…okay, for those of us locally…that’s the time it takes to drive to Bismarck {3 hours}, Billings {4 hours} or almost to Fargo!!!!! Holy crap. Don’t tell me that wouldn’t freak YOU out too?
I have no desire to do anything else.
My life consists of getting up, working, eating, working out, eating, resting on the couch, eating, and SLEEPING!!! {Did I mention eating?}
They say it takes a village….oh man…no truer words…I could not be doing this without all of the support of my family, friends, Coach Amanda, and social media buddies!!!
Epsom salt baths rock!!!
Anytime I run 13-14 miles I am relieved…it’s like, “Oh thank God, it’s a short long run this weekend.” And then I remember…”Oh crap…that’s STILL a freaking HALF MARATHON!!!” DUH JODI
I am so proud of the many milestones I have hit on this journey and hope to recap them sometime…in my next life when I have recovered.
I am tired…a lot {have I mentioned that yet? Okay, I’ll stop!}
I am hungry…a lot {have I mentioned that yet? Okay, I’ll stop!}
I have learned to say no to a lot of things lately and I apologize to friends and family or anyone who has been affected but I have learned that it’s okay and what I need to do. I have cut way back on blogging, social media {shocker I know}, reading, cleaning my house, etc. I honestly miss it all so much but I just don’t have what it takes right now.
Fueling within the first 30 minutes of a long run is super important, right Coach? Normally I can’t stand to eat or drink anything for at least 2-3 hours after a long run but Coach has stressed to me how important it is to at least get a green smoothie in me right away…and of course she is right…it helps tons.
Crappy eating isn’t as fun as it used to be. Don’t get me wrong…I still love burgers, pizza, etc and I eat it…just not that often. With running, you honestly pay for it one way or another with digestion issues. I have learned when I can have crappy food and when I can’t! Very important to listen to your body and eat healthier while marathon training!
I still have so much to learn about EVERYTHING RUNNING!!!
HONOLULU MARATHON
We will be meeting up with 3 other Saucony 26 Strong coaches and cadets for this race. Some will be faster, some possibly slower, but we’re not in this for time. Jodi and I are there to do the following:Race day tracking will be available on the marathon website.
I am bib 14304 and the race starts at 5AM {10am EST}.
As for me…I’m not worried about the pace because Jodi thinks she is slower than she is…but I haven’t ever attempted to run/walk a marathon using 7:1. So this will indeed be a learning experience for me, which is one of the great things about running!
If you are considering your first marathon checkout these key tips on going from the half marathon to full marathon, and of course I will be opening up new spots in my coaching group in January.
Let’s chat
How do you manage race week nerves?
What’s the most fun race you’ve ever done?
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