Yeah I love ‘em too….. Ok, not really (it’s a 3 way tie between Twix, Peanut Butter Cups and 100 Grand) but I kinda hope they are part of the prize pack at then end of the Snickers Marathon in Albany, Ga this weekend.  I will be running with my friend and pilates savant, Judith.  This is, like, her 1 millionth marathon or something, but for me it’s actually my first. Don’t get me wrong I’ve run for a long time and all kinds of races, from sprints on a track to crazy 35 hour Adventure races in the wilderness, but I have never actually completed a road marathon. For many years my thoughts on the matter amounted to; “that’s no race, that’s an exercise in self torture”.  But for some reason this go round when asked I said “yeah, I’ll finally do it”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d didn’t feel remotely that casual about the training involved, indeed it has not always been fun (frankly, black and blue toenails aren’t cute), esp as I find that I’m trying to regain any of the fitness level I enjoyed 2+ years ago before all hell broke loose (THAT, my friends, is a tale, no, a book, for another time). Yes, training has been eye opening. What used to be such an easy and casual pace is kicking my butt! Quite humbling. Combine that with the supercrud that spread like wild fire through Greenville recently from which I’m not sure I’ve truly recovered, and you have the making of what could be a real “event” around mile 22 or so (I only ran 21 while training and let me tell you THAT does not mix with Florida humidity, Red Wine and a wedding reception Dance Off….incidentally I “brought it” on the dance floor…). But…. dare I say it… I am looking forward to it. I’m not particularly scared or nervous (how scary can it be? there’s no repelling, kayaking in the dark or single track mountain biking right?) but I am actually looking forward to seeing what I can comfortably tolerate. This is a clear departure from my running mentality in the past which did not include words like “comfortably” and “tolerate”.  (Let  the record show “signs of personal growth”)

I welcome the departure. For now, I’m just happy to be able to run again and feel good in my skin, that’s all I need to be happy with my marathon performance this weekend. Well… and maybe a snickers:-)

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