"On your mark....
...get set...."
BANG!
Thus began nearly every race in my high school track and field career. Five years of varsity squad training, most of them on mid distance. Drill hard. Race smart. Run fast. Simple right?
With the exception of one deplorable season of XC, my races never lasted longer than half a mile.
Now, add 25.6 miles to that. That's a big gap.
My name is Kate Thompson. I am 18 years old. I have just hit the legal age for marathon running (yep, there are laws for that). So I am going to run a marathon. I've registered for, paid my dues to, and gotten a poster of the Pittsburgh Marathon. All in attempts to keep myself from backing out.
Let me be clear, if only for my own sake. I am not doing this for an impressive finishing time. I'm not running in honor of anyone. I am being totally and completely selfish. This is for me.
All my years of running I've struggled with love/hate issues of confidence with my body and with my mind. I've wrestled with my weight and tussled with times. So this run- this marathon- is going to be the culmination of my rehab with running. I want to fall back in love with it again. This sport and I are going to couples therapy if this long distance relationship is going to work.
Here is where I'll document each step of the journey to mile 27. To see if someone as frustrated by running as an ex-track and field star can learn to love it again. To push my body and my mind passed the finish line. Passed the distance, and times and scary details I'm mentally avoiding (I've heard pre-race portapotties are the stuff of nightmares). I'm running to teach my self to stop running away from my doubts and fears, but towards something. Something gold and heavy and about the size of my fist.
So. On your mark. Get Set.
Wow. I could never imagine running a marathon- you go girl! I especially love your comment about couples therapy for a long distance relationship- amazing word play and creativity.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound like a weird comment to make but I love how you decided to be sellfish with your blog. I think it will be very cool to track your personal progress as an outside viewer. And eventually, viewers would have followed you so much that we will be able to feel the accomplishment with you when you finally achieve it(:
ReplyDeleteI will be looking forward to reading this blog and in joining you on your journey each week, for sure! I find your reasons and motivation for running this marathon intresting and can say that you are the first person I know personally who will be a marathon runner. I also like the tone in which you wrote and many of your sentences left me smiling. For example, "this sport and I are going to couples therapy if this long distance relationship is going to work." Both clever and funny!
ReplyDeleteP.S. - Nice Bbackground art!
I'm eager to follow you on this journey, Kate. (In the figurative sense, of course. I have passed my long-distance running phase of life.)
ReplyDelete