How to Encourage Yourself to Push Through a Tough Race

We've all been there.

No matter what the distance, no matter how many races you've run, we've all had at least one race where we've hit "the wall".  Some of us more than one.

Physically exhausted, mentally beat up, it would be easy to call it quits. Right? 

But there's no glory in quitting. So what is a runner to do? How can you encourage yourself to get back on track and finish the race?

Been there, done that! I've run a few races...and I've battled those mental demons more than I care to admit. If you've been reading the blog for any length of time, you know how much work I've done on mental fitness along with my race training. Since today's Wednesday Word is encourage, I thought I'd share some of my favorite strategies that I've used to encourage myself to get to the finish line.

You've got to have friends...Yes. I've run plenty of races where my friends have been running too. But I've run only one race with a friend by my side. Big Sur was so special to me in so many ways but mostly for having Kristina run with me. When I signed up I didn't even think about how hard this race would be. I could never have predicted that I'd be running on minimal training and battling plantar fasciitis. I gave Kristina plenty of opportunities to back out, even when we were running the actual race. But she stuck by my side, and we finished, hand in hand.

I don't think I'll ever get enough of looking at this. What a magical experience!

It's all about the bling-bling... Have you ever run a race for the bling? Plenty of people I know run those Disney races just for all the medals. If you don't finish, you don't get bling. End of story. That should be enough encouragement to keep you moving. It works for me.

I did run this one for the bling. What an awesome medal. My husband treated me to beer...

There's beer at the finish... To me, there is nothing that tastes better than that post race beer. Most of the time, that is. If they are serving Michelob light or some other similar swill, I'll wait until I can get to the bar. But if there's a tasty craft beer at the finish, that knowledge gives me an extra kick in my step! My first Chicago Marathon was so hard and I felt so sick that I wasn't able to partake in the yummy Goose Island 312 that they were serving at the finish. Talk about regrets...

Dance to the music... I don't always race with music but when I do, I make sure that I have some kick ass tunes on my playlist. I need stuff that will push me down the road. For me, that's heavy metal/rock and rap. Whatever it takes, right? Sometimes I even sing--out loud! Current faves include California Love by 2 Pac (an oldie but a goodie because I'm still in California mode), My Way by Limp Bizkit (another oldie), and Kiss This by The Struts. Boom.

Just breathe... Truly my favorite mantra, I wear this on my wrist every day. As I like to say, if you can't breathe, you can't do anything. Sometimes when I'm running, I need to remind myself of this.

Trust the training... When the going gets tough, remind yourself of all the hard work you did to get to this point. When Kristina and I were pushing up those hills of Big Sur, I'm sure she was rolling her eyes as I kept chanting "drive, drive". That's what Becky kept telling me during my training when she had me pulling the sled, and I won't lie, those hills felt exactly like pulling the sled. That coach of mine knows what she's doing, and it felt great to remind myself of that during my goal race.

Smile... Smiling's my favorite. Truly. What is is about smiling that lightens the load? Smiling relaxes your facial muscles. Smiling helps release endorphins and serotonin, those feel-good hormones. And if you don't feel like smiling, thank a volunteer. The volunteer will smile at you and we all know that smiling is contagious. Don't forget to smile at the photographers, no matter how bad you feel! Bad race photos just remind us of the pain...

Worst race photo ever. I was feeling bad, and yep, it showed! If only I had smiled..
Wisconsin Half Marathon 2011

Phone a friend... Desperate times call for desperate measures, and when I ran my first Chicago Marathon, I hit the wall hard at mile 17-18. I called my husband crying to come and pick me up. He told me no way would he do that. "Walk the rest of the way if you have to. Just finish, " he told me. And he was right. Could I have lived with myself if I DNF'd? It was bad enough that I fell apart. That phone call got me to the finish. While I wasn't happy with my results, I finished. Which is more than 99.9% of the population can say!

What do you do to encourage yourself during a tough race or run? 

I'm linking up with DebRuns for WednesdayWord! Today's word is encourage!

Also linking up with Running Coaches' Corner! Check out Susie, Debbie, Rachel, and Lora Marie!

The Marathon as a Metaphor for Life

This past week felt like the longest, hardest race I've ever run.

And I thought Big Sur was tough.

Complete with injury, uphills and downhills, pooping, and yes, even "the wall", not all of which involved me, taking an unscheduled week off work to care for my injured son was tougher running any race. In case you missed it, last weekend, my youngest son fractured his tibia while playing rugby. Even though I was well trained for this event (I am a nurse practitioner), I had no idea the extent of pain he would suffer nor the amount of care he would need while he recovered. This was a bad break both literally and figuratively. The orthopedic surgeon told him he was thisclose to needing surgery.

But he didn't need surgery. Silver lining, right? Things could always be worse.

And because timing is everything, we also welcomed a new puppy into our home, something that was planned well in advance. It wasn't like we could back out of that at this point. Ok then.

Why would I do it any differently?

"If the road is easy, you're likely going the wrong way." -Terry Goodkind

Exhausted from that first night spent in the hospital after Matthew broke his leg, it would be several nights before I got a decent night's sleep. We had Matthew on the family room couch and he called me throughout the first night for repositioning, medication, and trips to the bathroom. As the week went on, those calls became less frequent. Matthew and I mastered the art of bathing him from the sink and I got his hair squeaky clean. We went back to see the ortho on Wednesday and his leg was placed in a cast, which made him feel much more secure than he did with the splint they put on at the hospital. Until it didn't. Thursday night he fell trying to get up by himself to the bathroom.

Happy to be in the security of a cast

He didn't want to "bother me". Sigh. There was another trip to the ER to make sure he was ok. He was in so much pain. It's really hard to see that.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint." -Dr Phil

Good thing I took the week off work, although there was plenty of guilt to go along with that. It didn't help to get a text from my office manager asking if I could come in for a couple of hours to see patients. Sorry, I told her, but right now my only patient is my son. Of course, that doesn't alleviate the guilt I feel about missing work and saying no to her request.

However, receiving that text from my manager was when I first hit the proverbial wall. I wanted to DNF this race.

"Tough runs don't last. Tough runners do." -unknown

During the week, we spent a lot of time in front of the TV. I've got 99+ channels and a show ain't on one. I'm pretty sure that daytime TV is the worst. Where do they find the people that appear on Maury? For the few moments I saw before I could change the channel, I felt my IQ drop a few points. We did watch the Cubs play some pretty awesome baseball and the "W" just kept flying! Pretty sure this is "the year". You can tell who the station thinks is watching the games by the types of ads that come on. Lawyers advertising services for nursing home injuries? Life Alert aka "I've fallen and I can't get up"? Hoveround motorized scooters? Pharmaceuticals? By the way, have you noticed that drug companies are making up all these "new" diseases and giving them initials? Have you seen those commercials for OIC? Did you even know this was a thing? "OIC" is nothing new and to prevent OIC while my son takes his pain meds, I made all kinds of green smoothies in my new Ninja blender. On the other spectrum, I also spent plenty of time this week cleaning up puppy poop. Lots of puppy poop. Everywhere. For some reason, she'd rather poop in the house instead of the backyard. It has been cold and rainy this week but come on! It's as if she was the one drinking those green smoothies. Maybe I need to feed Matthew some puppy chow.

Little furball.

Watching all that TV was tough. But cleaning up all that poop was the second wall I hit this week. Can I DNF now?

It's a good thing she's so cute.

"It's hard to beat the person who never gives up." -Babe Ruth

Thankfully for me, my medicine was in the form of actual running. There were enough breaks in the rain that I got some quality time on the road. I ran 4 days this week, and even though I intended those runs to be 'easy' paced, my legs just wanted to go and I let them. I even got an 8 miler in on Sunday. My PF started to act up again but I'm pretty sure I put the fear of God into that foot because it let me pound the pavement.

Sometimes it feels good to just let go and run.

"Your legs are not giving out. Your head is giving up. Just go."- unknown

There was also some yoga this week but not nearly enough. I didn't feel comfortable going to the yoga studio and leaving Matthew home alone, so I did my yoga in the family room. While I was on the mat, Cocoa wouldn't leave my side, and it was funny to see her running underneath me when I was in plank.

 I'm the one planking, she's the one sleeping.

I'm participating in Marcia's plank challenge, and while most people are planking for time, I'm having fun with all the variations I could come up with. I'm pretty sure I can't hold a plank for more than 2 minutes. The variations are more fun anyways. Kim from Running on the Fly may have thrown down the gauntlet and we may be having a friendly competition.

Who me, competitive?

Bird dog plank

That's right. Game on, sistah.

Lotus side plank where I attempted a bind.
Tight hips don't lie.
Not happening.

Thursday I went back to see Becky for my first post-marathon training session. We dug right into the new goals with lots of upper body workouts. I hoisted a 50# medicine ball 15 times over my shoulders. I hung from the high bar for 30 seconds at a time (it's harder than it sounds!). Reclined pull ups? Push ups? Dumbbell snatches? Sled pulls? Bring it on because it always feels good to beat myself up when I'm having a tough week.

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. "-Haruki Murakami

There was probably a lot more I could have gotten done around the house. My closet needs organizing and there are bills to be paid. I did finish up my big project for work and I finally finished that online driving class.

But most important is that I cross the finish line of this race that life laid out for me. This race isn't over yet. Recovery is going to be long and tough for him. Hopefully, Matthew goes back to school on Monday and I go back to work. There will be lots of catching up to do for both of us. But a runner does what a runner's got to do.

Just keep moving forward. There will be no DNF at this race. Marathoners don't quit. Neither do moms.

"Let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us."- Hebrews 12:1

How was your week? Have you ever compared life events to running a race? How does running help you cope with difficult situations? Any helpful hints for housebreaking a puppy? Planks: quality or quantity?

I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap! It's the place to be...

Book Review: Running: A Love Story: 10 Years, 5 Marathons, and 1 Life-Changing Sport

Why do you run?

Sure, a lot of people run for fitness, but I bet there are a lot of you out there who run because it offers you peace of mind. An outlet. Solace. Clarity. Therapy. I know that's why I run.

In her very personal book, Running: A Love Story: 10 Years, 5 Marathons, and 1 Life-Changing Sport, well-known writer Jen Miller--you've read her stuff in Runners World, The New York Times, and SELF magazine among others--bares her soul about the one steady relationship she's had. Through all her failed relationships with men, the one relationship that's always held up is her relationship with running.

Like many of us, Miller started running as an adult. As a child, she hated running. She describes her feeling for running as "hated with the burning of a white-hot fire". But as a college student, she started running as a way to avoid gaining weight. After college, she stopped working out until she was offered a story where she would train for a 5k and write about it. As she pushed through the training, her confidence grew and as she said, she "thrilled in every small victory'' that came with the training.

And so it goes. Miller takes us through relationship after relationship--all eventually very dysfunctional--and signs up for races to help ease the pain.

"Running became a way for me to take back part of myself, even when I was the one who let others take advantage of me so quickly....The more miles I ran, the stronger I felt, and though not recovered, at least I made it to a point where I could look for the new road ahead."

Yes! How many of us have been there?

Unfortunately for me, as I read this book, I soon grew tired of the self-destructive pattern Miller had in her relationships with men. Every man she was with needed to dominate the relationship and she slipped into the vortex every time. If she were in front of me, I would have shaken her! Instead, I plowed through the book from one breakup to another. Fortunately, this is a short, easy read.

With every breakup, she would tackle another longer distance. Until she signed up for the mother of all distance races, the marathon.

"Training for a half marathon is like eating chicken nuggets, while preparing for a marathon is like starting out with the whole bird--unplucked. It's not simply doubling mileage, it's dedicating a sizeable chunk of your life to the training..."

So yeah, she gets it, this running thing. Why doesn't she get the whole relationship thing?

Miller ends up running 5 marathons. Every chapter starts with a vignette from the New Jersey Marathon, her fastest marathon. New Jersey was her "marathon", the goal race where she set out to do herself proud. But it was really distracting starting the chapters like that. I didn't quite get it until much later in the book when she plans to "beat the marathon" with this race.  It sounds like she's also in a good place now with her life.

I wanted to love this book. As one reviewer said: "File this under 'I was misinformed'". I agree. This wasn't the book I was expecting. I was hoping for something much more profound about how running can be life changing. Instead, this is just one woman's story about serial bad relationships and how running turned her life around.

If I wasn't reading this for the blog book club, it might have been a DNF for me.

File this review under "I was disappointed."

Did you read the book? What did you think? Has running changed your life?

Here's the link up badge! You can find the link up at the end of the post. The link up stays live for 2 weeks--it will close April 1, but the comments stay live forever! Don't forget to link back to this post, and please read and comment on the other reviews. If you want to review a different fitness-related book, please feel free to link up with us as well! Remember, sharing is caring! I'm so grateful to all of you who participate in the book club!

Next month we are reading First Ladies of Running: 22 Inspiring Profiles of the Rebels, Rule Breakers, and Visionaries Who Changed the Sport Forever by Amby Burfoot. Burfoot profiles epic pioneering women in running. Being a bit of rule breaker myself and someone who doesn't understand the word "no", I'm really looking forward to this one! This linkup will go live June 17. 

An InLinkz Link-up

It's a Dilemma: What's a runner to do after she finishes a goal race?

What to do, what to do?

Do you ever feel lost after a big race or achieving a big goal?

No sooner did I cross the finish line at Big Sur did I receive a text from my coach Becky. "Send me your goals so I can work on a training plan for our upcoming sessions." Ok, it was the next day but still! I felt more anxious reading that than I did lining up for my race! Prior to Big Sur, I hadn't given my post-race plans much thought. After all, this was my lifetime running bucket list item, the race I always wanted to run. What kind of goal do you come up with after realizing a dream?

It's somewhat of a dilemma for this very goal-oriented runner.

So 2 1/2 weeks later after that text from Becky, I'm still thinking about my goals for the rest of the year. I'm feeling pretty tired after training for 2 marathons in 6 months. I don't know how you back to back marathoners do it! But I won't lie. I have to admit that I still have Boston on my mind. I'd love to run it to make my marathon total an even 5. That can't happen, though, because in order to qualify, I have to run another marathon! Unless someone takes pity on me and gives me a free, completely legit entry!

I may have to...

Ok. I'm thinking about that for the future. I don't plan on running another marathon this year. I want to give my PF a little more time to go away as I ease back into running. What I do plan on is running a few more half marathons! The half is still my favorite distance. Here's what I'm looking at:

Rock N Roll Chicago July 17. There aren't a lot of half marathons in Illinois or Wisconsin this time of year. It's usually as hot as hades in July in Chicago, which has kept this race off my list for a long time. But I need to work on my heat tolerance, and what better way to do that than to run a half in July? My friend Marcia is an ambassador, and I'd love to join her at this fun event. My goal for this race would be sub-2, which is something I've never done for a half in the summer or Florida.

Crystal Lake Half Marathon or Naperville Trails Half Marathon September 11. September and October offers a lot of choices for races around here. I had hoped to run the NorthFace Endurance Challenge half marathon in Kettle Moraine (Wisconsin) state park but the date doesn't work out for me. I'll make up my mind which race to run as the date approaches. If any of you local peeps are running either one of these, let me know.

Panama City Beach (Florida) half marathon December 3. Another destination race to add to my list, I'm going to run this race with a few blogging friends! This race offers me another opportunity to head back to the sugar sands of those Florida Gulf Coast beaches. It could be warm, though! No matter, though, this one's for fun.

While I filled her in on my running plans, Becky won't be training me for these races. Instead, I gave her some strength goals that I want to work on. She was pretty excited when I mentioned these:

• Handstand unassisted. Looking at all those handstands on IG is giving me major FOMO. I'm strong and I know I can do it. I just have to get over my fear of falling. The New York Times feels my pain, publishing this article about this phenomenon just last week! One woman quoted in the article said that being able to handstand has made her "more confident, fearless and focused". It's like they know what I'm looking for. Becky wants to take it one step further and have me do a handstand push up. Ummm, sure. 
• Climbing the rope. Hanging from the ceiling at CrossFit is a long, thick rope. When I first started working with Becky, she had me try to climb up, but I lacked the strength and confidence, much less the skills. I'm ready to tackle that bad boy again. 
• Pull ups/chin ups. Traditionally, women struggle to do even one pull up. We just don't have the upper body strength compared to our male counterparts. But with the help of my coach, I'm going to try to defeat that stereotype. 

There's nothing earthshattering here. As much as I'd love to have another mind-blowing goal or dream to chase, going back to "normal" running and workouts feels good. Our goals don't always have to be big, right? They just have to be achievable. And fun. If it isn't fun, it isn't worth doing. That's always the goal.

Dilemma? I don't think so. 

Have you ever had trouble setting goals after accomplishing a dream? Do you always feel that you have to set goals?

I'm linking up with DebRuns for Wednesday Word. This week's word is dilemma.

Recovering From the Distance

"My world is empty without you, babe..." the Supremes

Have you ever felt that way after a big event? A big race? Fortunately, I had a lot of things on the back burner that needed to be attended to after my marathon. Plus I'm still feeling that post-marathon high. Can you believe it? I do believe this is the first time I haven't had the post marathon blues. Yet another thing to be grateful for. All I can say is planks a lot...

Here's how my week went....

Yes, there was running. My foot continues to be quiet--although from time to time it reminds me that it's not always happy--and I got some runs in. I only ran 4-5 miles each time, but there was some speed involved. There may even have been a sub 8 minute mile in there. You all know I love me some fast running, and it sure felt good to know that my fast legs were still there!

I felt the need for speed and my legs responded!
Isn't it great when that happens?

And there was lots of yoga. I went to the studio twice this week. Megan did a "detox" class with lots of twisting and pranayama and Kathy's class had us holding the poses for extended periods of time. It's like they knew what I needed!

Plank pose. Which we held for a REALLY long time in class.

I'm participating in Marcia's plank challenge. While everyone else is holding those planks and going for time, I've been having fun mixing it up with a variety of planks. I do so many planks in yoga, what with sun salutations and all.

Dolphin plank after work.
Because "someone" put the pressure on to get my plank done for the day...

I finally started working on my post-marathon fitness goals. Becky keeps asking. I'll be posting more on that later this week. It's been kind of tough pinpointing goals after Big Sur. After all, that was my dream race. What do you do after that?

Stay tuned. I'm working on that post for Wednesday Word. The word of the week is dilemma, if that give you any clue...

I got my head back in the work game. Not to worry, even before the marathon I never neglected my patient care duties! But I have some projects I was assigned to work on and I dug in deep to get them completed. Almost.

Look who came to see me at work this week?
And her hair is growing back! 

For Mother's Day, we got our new puppy! It has been 5 months since we lost our beloved Cleo, and even though I still miss her, I finally felt ready to get another dog. I'm not so sure about a puppy, but my husband wanted one, and I'm game. She's as cute as can be and just a little sweetie. Plus as the mom of teenagers, it's kind of nice to have someone in the house who gives unconditional love...

Speaking of that, I spent some very quality time with my youngest. Yesterday at his rugby game he was tackled and fractured his tibia. I got to ride in the front seat of the ambulance that transported him to the hospital. I spent the night with him while we waited to get his pain under control. Talk about feeling helpless! I'm happy to report that he's much more comfortable. I'll be home most of the week helping him recover.

And housebreaking that cute new pup, Cocoa!

Matthew and Cocoa
Love at first sight!

What's new in your world? Do you feel empty after finishing a goal race? Do you have trouble making goals after accomplishing yours? Are you planking? Did you celebrate Mothers Day? Did you enter my giveaway? And don't forget about the bookclub on Friday! 

I'm linking up with Tricia and Holly for their Weekly Wrap!

5 Things I'm Loving this Spring!

Now that I'm coming down from my post-marathon high, it's time to get back to business. I'm not currently training for anything, and it's nice to just regroup and reflect on all that is good in the world. I'm thinking about all the things I'm loving this spring--as if spring isn't enough to love--and wanted to share some of that love with all of you!

So what am I loving right now?

Running for fun!

Reunited and it feels so good!
I'm wearing those Physiclo tights in this picture as well. See below.

Let's face it, one of the best things about running a goal race is savoring the accomplishment and just running for fun. No goals, no paces to hit, just running because you can. I am so happy to be running pain-free right now. Maybe my training wasn't optimal for a marathon, but it sure has worked out well for post-marathon recovery. My legs feel fresh and I'm hitting paces I haven't seen for a while. A runner's reward for training through those brutal winter months is getting to run in the spring. The brown landscape of winter has turned to green and the temperatures are slowly moderating. It is truly the best time of year to be on the road and I'm glad to be able to enjoy it!

My new Ninja Blender

A few months ago, I was asked to review the Green Blender smoothie service. My sons and I just loved the smoothies but my old Osterizer did not. That old workhorse really moans and groans when I prepare smoothies for my sons. I don't even need to wake them up in the morning because the blender is so loud. I'm pretty sure my neighbors wake up too. I wanted an upgrade and the blog readers overwhelmingly suggested the Ninja. I told my husband I wanted one for Mother's Day, and guess what came this week? Anyone who doesn't want appliances for Mother's Day hasn't met the Ninja. I tested it out yesterday, and it barely made a sound while painlessly pulverizing my smoothie ingredients. Sweet!

Rockport Total Motion Hidden Wedge Shoes

Can you see my feet smiling right now?

With all my foot issues, cute shoes have pretty much been off my radar for a long time. Sure, Dansko has made fun looking "comfort shoes" but they aren't exactly cute. Last week, Angela at Happy Fit Mama mentioned how much she loved these Rockport Total Motion Hidden Wedge Ballet Flats. She had me at flats. Flats? But these are not just any old flats! There's an adiprene™ by Adidas insole and a slight heel lift. Could I wear these? Would my PF flare? I bit the bullet and splurged, and my feet are happy. I wore them to work this week and got a ton of compliments. I bought the ones with the tie but there are several different models--I may have to buy another pair. I'm really excited about the potential of wearing cute shoes again!

Physiclo compression tights with resistance 

Fashion model, I am not. But these are pretty sweet tights.

A few weeks ago, Frank from Physiclo reached out to me and asked if I wanted to trial their revolutionary compression pants. I was intrigued. I received a pair of capris and tested them out on my runs this week. These are unlike any compression gear I've ever worn. The fabric is comfortable and stretchy. The pants are lined with compression bands targeted to specific muscle groups. The company's own research claims that the pants increase muscle activity in the hamstrings and quadriceps by 23% and increase caloric burn by 14%. You know I'm a skeptic by nature but I did like these pants, and I had some super speedy runs this week, so who knows? All I know is that my legs felt amazing during and after both trial runs. The tights were easy to put on, compared to the wrestling match I've had with other compression tights. You just have to make sure all the panels are in place before you head out, which is a matter of adjusting the pants. Very simple. I'm looking forward to trying them out at CrossFit when I get back to the box next week.

Tailwind Nutrition

Big Sur Marathon. Fueled by Tailwind. Nothing else.

My love for Tailwind Nutrition endurance fuel should be nothing new to long-time readers of the blog. I started training with Tailwind a few years ago before my second Chicago Marathon. I have a lot of tummy troubles on my long distance runs and the last thing I want to do is become an internet meme because my GI tract decided to rebel in the middle of a race. Portapotty stops cramp my style. Who wants to stop in the middle of a race? I've had great results since I started fueling with Tailwind for all my long distance races. Prior to switching to Tailwind, I reached out to the company to find out more, and they could not have been more helpful. This year I was selected as a Tailwind Trailblazer and want to spread the love. My Big Sur Marathon partner in crime, Kristina, also fuels with Tailwind and is also a Trailblazer. My son also uses Tailwind to fuel for his rugby games. This is good stuff, and neither my son nor I have any desire to try something else. My husband calls Tailwind our "go go juice".

Fueled by Tailwind and on his way to a try.

Still not convinced? Try it for yourself!

Happy Spring!

What is new in your world? What are you loving lately? Do you do compression tights? How about running for fun?

Lessons Learned: Big Sur Marathon

After every marathon I've run, I like to evaluate my performance and my training. What went right? What went wrong? What did I learn?

Do you do this?

This marathon was particularly challenging for me. I knew going into the Big Sur Marathon that I would need to prepare myself for hills. Lots of hills, uphills and downhills. Living in the Chicago area, there just isn't a lot of opportunity for hill training. With my coach Becky, we worked on a solid training plan that would get me ready.

And then a major flare up of plantar fasciitis. So painful, I couldn't walk, much less run. I was forced to alter my training plan significantly. Along with my mileage, my confidence took a nose dive. Was I going to have to DNS this bucket list race? And if I was able to get there, would I have to DNF? I had to dig deep to get myself to the start line. Could I put my fears aside and run? Would my desire, determination, and past experience with the distance be enough?

You all know the outcome of my marathon. If you haven't read my recap, you can read that here. Still feeling so grateful, I've started easing into running again while I continue to recover. I've had plenty of time to reflect on this training cycle and my race. I'm proud that I didn't shy away from the challenge ahead of me. It would have been so much easier to DNS than it was to continue to train through injury. But I don't give up easily. Fortunately this was an injury I could train with. I was determined to run this thing, even if it meant training with time off the road and in the pool. Putting all my doubts and fears aside, I crossed the finish line triumphantly.

What did I learn from this experience? I learned that all those mantras we lean on have a lot of significance.

It's not about finish times, it's about finish lines.

Technically, Big Sur is a tough course. That's why you don't see any world elites here--there won't be any world records set at Big Sur! Believe it or not, this course is a Boston qualifier. For me, this isn't the course I'd want to push for a BQ. Besides the technical difficulty of this very hilly course and the famed headwinds, there is the beauty of running in one of the most amazing places on earth. Who wants to breeze by all that is Big Sur? In addition, I was running this marathon on sub-optimal training. I was just happy to be there and wanted to savor every moment of my bucket list race.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

I do 99% of my training solo. Races too. This was the first time I ran a race with a friend. When Kristina and I decided to run together, we knew we were going to make lots of stops for pictures and to take it all in. When my PF flared, she told me she'd carry me across the finish line on her back if I needed it. Thankfully I didn't need that, but she gave me the emotional support I did need in those tough middle miles.

If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough. 

Pre-dawn pre-race

In my recap, I wrote about that pre-race panic attack I had in the middle of the night. I always have a little pre-race anxiety but I've had nothing like that since my first Chicago marathon. I could have skipped the race, right? And let Kristina down? Let my husband down? And me? I talked myself down. I reminded myself of how badly I wanted this dream to come true and how bad I'd feel if I bailed. When it was go time, I put on my big girl panties and got on that bus to the start line.

Step outside of your comfort zone. Nothing good ever happens there.

This is hill training when you have no hills to train on...

Once injury struck, I was determined to get to the start line. My revised training plan was so outside of my comfort zone that I just figured I had nothing to lose. After I was forced to take time off the road, I had to get comfortable training in the pool. I felt really foolish when I first started "jogging" around the diving well, so much so that I had to explain to the lifeguards what I was doing. When I crashed my bike on a training ride, I sucked it up and got right back on the horse, because what else could I do? It's not like I could run, right? After a couple of weeks, my foot felt better and I was able to try running, slowly, and was pleasantly surprised how much fitness I had retained through my cross training. This helped my confidence going into the final weeks of marathon prep. I learned that you can prepare for a marathon without a lot of running, but it isn't something I'd recommend.

Never limit where running can take you.

Or yoga. Warrior 2 on the rocks of Big Sur.

Destination races present a whole new set of challenges for the runner. There's all the travel logistics, getting there, where to stay, and navigating an unfamiliar locale. But to me, the rewards of running in a new place far outweigh the challenges. That's really the beauty of running. You just put on your shoes and run.

I can do hard things.

This was the most technically challenging race I've ever run. Let's just say it. It was really hard. But thanks to Becky's ingenious training, I was much better prepared for the hills than I realized. For me, dealing with that nausea in the middle of the race was tougher than any of the physical challenges this race presented. Mentally, I had to dig deep to push through those miles while feeling sick. Even though I entertained the idea of quitting, I would never have done that. What would be the point? So I kept moving forward. I can draw on this experience in the future, both on and off the road.

I like to think that running the Big Sur Marathon has made me a little more fearless. Every race I run makes me stronger. I never want to go through life afraid of a challenge. I don't want my life to be limited by my fears. I want to be strong. I want to be brave. I want to be confident.

I can do hard things.

It's a work in progress. I still need to figure out that middle of the marathon nausea thing..

What lessons have you learned from a race? Do you think running makes you more fearless?

I'm linking up with DebRuns for Wednesday Word. Today's word is fearless. Check out what makes all the other bloggers fearless!

Also linking up with Coaches' Corner! When the Suz asks, you don't say no! Check out posts hosted by Suzlyfe, Coach Debbie Runs, Running on Happy, and Crazy Running Girl!