Different

Every day we wake up and we are different.  Some days change us more than others.  December 8, 2013 was a game changer for me.  It was the day I learned how to run a marathon.  This is what I learned and continue to reteach myself with each one since.  

1.  Train smart so you can run smart.  Patience is the key, not pace. Practice hovering around a pace and don't waste energy worrying about it if the effort feels right. 
2.   Listen to your body during training and back off if need be.  Remember that one workout won't make your marathon, but it certainly could break it. 
3.   Get your legs worked on several times during training.
4.   Be willing to let the marathon go if there is any indication an injury is going blow up, but do everything you can to take care of injuries before they get to that point.
5.   Carbo load but not too much of the sweet stuff or you will be barfing after the first day. (Lesson learned the hard way on Dec. 5, 2013)
6.   Hydrate.  Float for the 3 days prior.  Hear it slosh and drink some more.  
7.  Take a day off the Friday before a marathon to eat, drink, and rest. 
8.   Soften the skin on your feet with Vaseline.  The two nights before, glop the gunk on and put on some socks until it is all soaked in and then repeat at least twice.  I have never gotten a blister during a marathon since I started doing this.
9.  Cut your toe nails.
10.  Don't let yourself get nervous before the start.  Relax.  
11.  Keep the routine the same on marathon morning even if it means getting up before you really ever fell asleep.  
12. Wear shorts with big pockets that don't have zippers. 

    

    The best marathon shorts ever!

    
    
13. Carry NOTHING around your waist or in your hands.
14. Drink at every water / electrolyte stop, but skip a stop if you start to feel it slosh in your gut. 
15. Take a Salted Carmel or Vanilla GU 10 minutes before the start and then at miles 6, 12, 18, & 21.
16. Keep your shoulders relaxed and your arms moving forward. 
17. Shut up and run.  Don't be rude, but don't chat with people on the coarse.  Just listen to the feet and focus on using your whole body to move forward.  
18. Know that some miles even early on might really suck and you will question yourself, but most won't.
19. Don't worry about your final time when it is miles away. Focus on the mile you are running one at a time and give it the best you've got.
20. Celebrate that you are able and willing to do this crazy marathon thing and run.  Just run.  
21. Remember that training for and running a marathon is one of the most selfish things you can do, so constantly be thankful for the powers that be and your enablers here on earth for letting you do this thing.
22. Also remember that no one but you really cares how fast you run.  They are just happy for your accomplishment, so embrace it even if it wasn't your day.  

 Each of these has a story and has been a day when lessons were learned.  Some lessons were harder than others.  Up until Eugene, I was too hard on myself. Once I learned that, I was open to really learning how to train and run a marathon.  So I did.

                  Each made me different. I am still learning.