26.2 Miles to Finish: The Inner Dialogue of a Marathoner

I would consider myself a "serious" without being too competitive. Don't get me wrong, I love competing, but I am NOT a contender to win by any means. Most of my time and training is focused on the Marathon, the race of all races, the king of the mountain if you will. While there are longer, more treacherous races, but I will leave those for the most insane runners among us. The marathon is my ideal race because it is almost as if it allows my body to tell a story. I get to experience a rainbow of emotions. Yeah, it hurts, but this is why I do it:

Here is the inner dialogue I have during a marathon.

After crossing the Start line: "Look at all of the pretty costumes and running outfits! This is fun! I'm glad I signed up for this race! I can't wait to get my medal."

Mile 4-6: "The field is thinning out. Yep, I'm still on pace.  I love marathons!"

Mile 10: "Only three more miles until I'm halfway done! Ooh, they are giving out orange slices; don't eat them! Remember what happened last time?"

Mile 13: "Halfway there! All of the half-marathoners are gone. Wait, I'm only halfway done? Why didn't I sign up for the half!?"

Mile 16: "My feet hurt. Only ten more to go! Then I don't have to run anymore. My body is a machine and it will don what I tell it to do!"

Mile 18: "My feet hurt. My back hurts. my hands are fat. Why does my hair hurt? I hate marathons. Why did I sign up for this race? I'm never running a marathon again, I swear! Forget about the split, just stop right here and sit down; you know you want to. I hate myself right now. I hate you; don't even look at me!"

Mile 20: "Mile 20!  Only 6 miles left. I can totally do this! 20 miles down, six to go; I just have to gut it out. My feet hurt and I'm thirsty. And hungry. My feet hurt. I'm almost there!"

Mile 23: "Am I done yet? No, why not!?"

 Mile 25: "One....mile.... left....  I can't believe I'm almost done! I feel like I've been running forever!"

Mile 26: "Almost there! let me sprint this out. I don't want to look like a slow-poke when I cross the finish line!"

Finish: "Yes!!!!!! Let me sit down now. Don't touch me. Can I just sleep right here? Banana! No I don't want any chocolate milk; I hate chocolate milk, I want a banana. Yes, please I will take a space blanket."

Marathons are not just a test of physical endurance. The mind and emotions are tried as well. It feels like being on a roller coaster for 26.2 miles. I go through the feelings of elation, joy, triumph, frustration, anger, pain, weakness. At the end of the race when I cross the finish line and hear the cheers from the crowd, I know that my endless hours of training, and the literal blood, sweat tears, blisters, ice packs, Advil, and many pairs shoes were all worth it.

I have completed five marathons to date and am training for two more this year. I am addicted to crossing that finish line and will do whatever it takes to get there!

Now it's your turn: What is your favorite race distance?

Bottom Line: I love to run, I love to brew, so I can have my cake and eat it too.

-T

First Brew: SUCCESS!

Last night we uncapped a bottle from our first brew, an amber ale, and it was a total success!

For Christmas last year I bought a home brewing kit for my boyfriend. I figured that brewing beer was a hobby that we could discover together. The kit came with everything we needed, two 5-gallon buckets, a glass carboy, a stainless steel boiling kettle, etc. Most importantly it came with a brew kit- complete with all of the ingredients needed to make 5 gallons of beer!

The first bottle!

  The Beer

Keep Calm and Drink Craft Beer

Here is what our kit included:

3 lbs. of crushed grain (not sure what type)
1/2 gallon of liquid malt
1 oz Fuggle hops
1 oz Hallertau hops
Dry yeast

Making beer can be a long process, but it is well worth it. We started by boiling the grain for about 20-30 minutes. Then we added the malt. We brought the wort (wort is beer without the yeast)to a rolling boil and added the hops. After boiling for one hour we added the finishing hops for approximately 2-3 minutes. The finishing hops add the aroma to the beer. After we "cooked" the wort, we submerged the kettle in an ice bath and brought it to room temperature. When the wort reached room temperature we transferred it to the first stage fermentation and added the dry yeast. Since dry yeast works quickly, we only had to leave the beer in first-stage for about 3 days before transferring it to the glass carboy, the second-stage fermentation. Beer is transferred to a second-stage fermenter to clarify it: filter out the sediment to create a more clear beer. After about five weeks in the second-stage we transferred the beer to a (sanitized) beer bucket and added the priming sugar to start carbonation. Then, we immediately bottled the beer. We were able to get 47 bottles from four gallons of beer. After leaving the bottles alone at room temperature for two weeks, it was finally ready to crack one open!

The taste of this beer is light, crisp, and has just a touch of sweetness. The bottle we opened was perfectly carbonated and has a dark red color. I am pleased with the clarity of the beer. Slight sedimentation is normal in home brews (especially when priming sugar is used for carbonation), but this batch did not have any visible sedimentation when we shined a light through the bottle. This beer tastes just as good or better than one that you would buy at the store. I would give it a solid 7/10.

Now it's your turn! What is your favorite beer?

Bottom Line: I love to run, I love to brew; I can have my cake and eat it too.

-T

Welcome to The Thirsty Runner

Welcome to The Thirsty Runner! Since this is my first post, I'll take a few minutes to explain my vision behind The Thirsty Runner. This blog is a platform in which I can catalog my two passions, one old, and one very new: running and home brewing.

Keep in mind that I do not partake in these activities simultaneously (although that would be interesting to try and watch!)I have been running since I could walk, but I have only been brewing beer since the start of this year (can you guess which one I am better at?). The Thirsty Runner will attempt to give you a little insight behind my passion for running, as well as a few tips, workouts, and motivation, while also documenting my beer-making endeavor. I am by no means an expert in either of these fields, in fact, I am far from it! However, I strive to bring some humor and some insight to these disciplines.
I would not consider myself an elite athlete or an expert brewer. I have a lot of knowledge to share in some fields, and plenty to gain in others. I have 15 years worth of running experience, and have been a brewer for two months (can I call myself a brewer yet?).  If you would like to add your two-cents, I welcome your opinion; any knowledge you have to offer is greatly appreciated.

Bottom line: I love to run, I love to brew; I can have my cake and eat it too.

-T