Before the start I briefly ran into Adam Kimble (who is 100% smiling even at 5:45am) and I was so temped to join his pace group to break 3:00. My throat was still sore but my body felt good and I welcomed that giddy nervousness. I had somehow managed a decent night’s sleep in a decrepit motel room shared with my husband and 2 kids. Two days before the race, Leila miraculously helped my body rid itself of a nasty cold that had me down all week. Throughout this training I enlisted the help of my favorite PT, Greg Booth as well as acupuncture by Leila Peace. Race morning I woke up feeling great, which was incredible considering I had spent the past 5 days pretty unwell. During the hard part of a long run I would ask myself “When are you?” and go on to repeat “I am now, I am now” and then get it done. I came across the book “Happiness Beyond Thought” by Gary Weber and identified with the phrase “When are you?”. When my long runs got hard, I acknowledged my fatiguing muscles by name and re-invented them as guests arriving to my kick-ass dinner party, forcing them to have a good time and stay until the end (seriously, how do I make this stuff up?). When I missed nearly a week of running because we were on a Baja surf adventure with friends, I considered how great it was to let me my legs recover while I boosted my immune system with vitamin D and tequila-induced belly laughs. The runs I did get in were quality miles and I ran with confidence. Throughout this training cycle I experimented with different mental tricks that helped me maintain a positive mindset and truly enjoy the process of pushing my physical limits.ĭespite low mileage (I averaged about 4 runs and 35-ish miles a week) I made a point to believe each day I was becoming better prepared for my goal of a 3:05 marathon.
In my earlier years of running, especially in college, I faced most workouts and races in a mindset of anxiety and fear of failure.
I especially enjoyed Deena Kastor’s memoir “Let Your Mind Run”. I highly recommend you read through Jenelle’s race report. But dammit, these incredibly simple mental techniques really do work. Gah, just writing these words about the “power of a positive attitude” makes me want to chuck a bouquet of fake flowers at my face. The buildup went really well and I attribute this to getting my sleepy self out the door on chilly mornings and diving deeper into the mental side of training. Luckily, I had spent enough early Wednesday mornings chasing Peter Fain up trails and enjoyed the occasional “long” 8-15 mile run on the weekends to have a moderate base. Between starting a business, growing and giving birth to two babies, Covid and poor air quality, running has been more of an outlet to keep me physically and mentally sane, and less of a goal-oriented sport. Unfortunately, I have only felt mildly prepared for the few races I have entered during the past 6 years. ĬIM was a wonderful reminder that I really love racing.
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