A Life Lesson

Now, I plan to relax, let my body heal from previous injuries. I just want to take a break. This will most likely be the last event this year that I run. I've learned a few things from the events I ran. First of all, I ran 2 half marathons and 1 full. So, here's the things I learned:

1) respect the marathon distance. I thought I had, but in the process of training for it I was dreading the long runs. My attitude towards the training process was an experience in itself. There were days I regretted calling myself a runner in general. I obviously, was not at the right level psychologically as well as physically. When you dread a 15 - 20 mile run you're not ready - which brings me to the second thing I learned;

2) Know yourself as a runner and don't listen to the talk about marathons and ultras. When the thought had first occurred to me, it was because I was listening to fellow runners. The more they talked about THEIR experiences the more I ALLOWED myself to be sucked in to the idea. I did not take into consideration these people had been running a hell of a lot longer than I had. They made it sound simple. So I thought, "what the hey, why not". So in training for the marathon I learned a lot about myself: a) I don't have the patience and b) don't have nearly enough running experience and miles to pursue this event at least for a long while. I learned that I am a person who has to try the waters first and then gradually go further. What I did was go from sticking my tow in the water to jumping in the start of the deep end. I liked the half distance - long yet too long, sort of the middle of the pool - deep yet not too deep.