Wednesday, April 23, 2008

thoughts during a marathon

What do I think about during a marathon? Several people have asked me this in the past couple of days....

  • I break it down into mile repeats and think of it as 26 x 1 mile. 1 mile is easy.
  • I get into a rhythm of counting my steps up to 10 over and over
  • I look at something ahead and tell myself to run to that. Then I pick a new spot.
  • I make a game of seeing how many people I can pass
  • I imagine myself as an Olympic runner, running effortlessly with perfect form
  • I imagine myself as a gazelle running through the forest
  • At Boston I thought about my virtual cheerleaders one mile at a time
  • I think about the perfect delicious meal that I will have when I am done
  • I think how grateful I am to have two good strong legs that let me run races
  • I think about how in this moment I don't have to worry about anything but running
And sometimes I think:
  • I am really tired. I don't know if I can make it. Yes you can make it. You do not give up.
  • Wow, my legs hurt. I am not going to be able to walk for a week after this.
  • Why do I do this again?
  • That slick looking Boston marathon jacket will make this pain all worth it.
  • It's no wonder the first runner of the marathon in Greece died after running... this is no joke
But I try to push those thoughts away pretty quickly and get back to the more positive ones.

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