I don't even know where to start. All I can say is my practice marathon seemed doomed from the start. My body gave out on me after 20 miles. I was struggling after about 8!! Here's where I think I went wrong.
1. Apparently going for a 13 mile run the Monday before a Saturday marathon is a BAAAAD idea. I was told that wasn't enough recovery time for that kind of distance, so my body wasn't rested enough.
2. I didn't take in enough salt early enough in the run. I hit delirium before I should have. And let me add to that DESPERATION.
3. I got a massage the day before. Not a good one, just a foofy, fluffy one.....but I was told that was another BAAAAD idea.
4. Not enough rest. The night before, as my head hit the pillow, I heard a JACKHAMMER POUNDING THE PAVEMENT a half block away from my apartment. It was nearly 11pm in a residential neighborhood. I think I threw a few cuss words out the window before I called the police. After another 15 minutes of pounding, I marched my sassy ass over there and threw a fit. I can only imagine how I looked.....red plaid pajama shorts, a pink pajama top, flip flops smacking my feet with every step, my hair wildly flailing about. I'm pretty sure I saw them snickering.
5. I wasn't mentally prepared. I haven't quite convinced myself I can do this....so I'm wondering how much of this is self sabotage. I am truly grateful for all the support I've received! It has helped tremendously. Now I need to be more supportive of myself!
The real marathon is in 3 more weeks. That's plenty of time to get it right and prepare myself to go all the way. My family will be at the finish line that day, so whether I'm upright or crawling....I'll cross the finish line!!
I was really disappointed with myself yesterday, and tears were shed. But as cheesy as it is.... I feel I really got something valuable from this. I've learned A LOT....and it has given me good perspective. Not just on running, but on my life. Some things we have to learn through disappointments.
I heard this quote today, and it really hit home for me after this.
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan