#jumpie

The week leading into the race was tense. At work we were doing a program where we picked up runner packets to have in store and that got a little complicated. My coach was running MCM too so the office was brimming with anxious energy. I focused on breathing, eating, and sleeping while doing my best to ignore the latest weather reports. This was my first taper with a coach at the helm and I balked at the miles I was scheduled to run marathon week. The funny part is I followed the plan he laid out since April to the letter; yet in the last week I was all about overthrowing him. Tapering is SO hard. Wiser minds prevailed and I kept following the plan. I was ready to roll. Thursday morning at the track I was starting to loose my cool. Worry was taking over and that is not pretty for anyone. When I got home I told Jamey I was not going to run the marathon and he said, “Sure, do what you want, I am proud of you.” What? No fight? No debate? It was the PERFECT response to my crazy talk. It was like a valve released and the race was cut down to size. 

Friday night while we were eating dinner I got the chills and fell off the cliff to sick in a matter of seconds. It was the oddest thing. I climbed into bed at 8pm and woke up at 10 the next morning. I slept Saturday away, I felt miserable. I called the race on Saturday, I could sit in a chair because it hurt  making the plan to run a marathon way too far fetched to consider. In the moment I could have cared less about the race. I did not want to let Elaine, my training partner down, or my coach, but other than them who cared? The idea to cheer came and went, cheering was way too hard. 

Sunday was a hot day, it ended up being 80 and even through it as not 80 at 7:55am for the start of the marathon it was not the weather runners were banking on. Runners got it done in less than ideal conditions. Every last one of them trained for months and had a Marine give them their hard earned medal. It was not meant to be my day. 

Finally on Wednesday I started to feel ok and my oldest told me what I needed was a run. She told me the facts, runners run and I need to get out and run. She and I went out together, she on her bike and me on my feet, and it was really the best thing ever. She was right, runners run and there was nothing to shake off the sickness and the disappointment then returning to the thing makes me tick. On Thursday I went to the track and by the time I stepped into the office on Thursday I was back. 

Now what? I am not sure what happens now. I trained long and hard and I tapered then did not run for almost a week. My coach is not sold on a marathon for me at this point. I am not sure what I really want to happen. Training hard was so much fun and such a challenge for me. Right now he has me working back to health with conservative miles and goals. I am glad someone else is in charge here because I am so impatient. The marathon is not my true love, the training is, the community is, the sense of being in the game is my love. My plan is in flux and I am relaxing into the  that and waiting to see how things unfold. That is hard but I trust the method but I am working on it. 

Last long run before the taper, those were fun miles!