Let me start off by clarifying: I AM NOT
A RUNNER.
Running in every sense of the word
evokes the following reactions in me: tears, pain, vomit – repeat. So when I
started wanting to train for a marathon, I toyed with the idea for riiiiight
around …. 3 years. I would train for two months, and then get bored and lazy.
However, to give myself credibility (as I am writing a segment about marathon
training) I lived in the snow capital of the country (Rochester, New York –
about 45 minutes from Buffalo and 3 hours from the big apple) for that period
of time. It was horrendous, and after most runs I’d end up sounding like a
chain smoker of 50 years (my lungs couldn’t handle it!).
After moving to Seattle last March – I
began to get slightly more motivated. However, I took about two months to learn
the tricks of the trade – and to essentially put off the running portion as
long as I could. Here’s what most runners won’t tell you unless you are
annoyingly persistent (which, luckily for all of you, I am):
The
Feet
Nipple chafe is all the rage
This little clip should prepare you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzwf8O4ZCKk
The Toilet Talk
It suddenly becomes acceptable to talk about pooping, honey-buckets, and “the runners trots” (which is a term coined by many runners – or so I’m told). Essentially, it is my number one goal in all races not to crap my pants.
The pants
When you find those jeans that accommodate your waist-to-butt-to-thigh ratio, it is a sign that God loves you and wants you to be happy (this rule does not necessarily apply to guys – yep. That’s how cruel this world is)
Shoes
I always imagined spending ridiculous amounts of money on those red bottomed beauties (for guys that’s a really painful shoe called a Louboutin) However, now my allegiance to my $150 running shoe is stronger than Carrie Bradshaw’s to Manolos.
Now that I was officially scared, I cried into my wine glass, kissed my pinky toe nails goodbye and started training.
The first couple weeks suck – I’ll be
honest. You’re sore, you have blisters the size of a watermelon (and some with
that are inception style – aka blisters inside of blisters inside of blisters),
and you really only have tunnel vision of how far you have to go. I am here to say that IT DOES GET BETTER. The
best part though is it’s a major stress reliever - I used to work as a
concierge at a hotel, with ever stride I imagined stepping on the heads of
those overly annoying guests). Another thing to help make the process better,
is finding a training app that will best suit your needs and keep you motivated.
There
is one little app that has been my friend throughout this whole process (well
besides ad-free Pandora) and it is one made by ASICS (read more about it here: http://run.myasics.com/running-apps/index.html). It’s basically a personal trainer that
doesn’t yell at you – or make you feel like a fat lazy piece of crap. The
statistic is 78% of runners who follow their plan until the end will succeed –
I fully believe this. That’s why this little app is amazing – it helps keep you
on track. The app will help you plan routes, give you tips, and plan out each
week of your training process.
Today,
I am still training (it’s been about 3 months). However, I have signed up for
my first half-marathon (the Seattle Women’s Marathon in November). Yes, I know I talked up running a marathon
this whole time, buuut BABY STEPS PEOPLE!!! I will keep you posted on the
process – that is if I’m not fired by Jodie after this post.
Hopefully you have enjoyed Jenelle's words of wisdom and you can relate to her experience on some level. Her journey has given me the extra encouragement I need on those days when I just don't feel like lacing my shoes up or want to quit. So for this, I thank you Jenelle!
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| Running the Disney Princess Half Marathon is on my Bucket List! |
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