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