Tag Archives: marathon

But You’re Running a Marathon!

It’s an awesome excuse for, oh, just about everything.

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Training for a marathon? Eat more pizza. Carbs and all that.

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Playing with a baby? Sure. I’m training for a marathon. And life is marathon, not a sprint. (Or something.)

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Eating lima beans? I never need any excuse for this. I weirdly like lima beans.

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Eating a little Chateaubriand? I’m training for a marathon! I need protein!

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Oh, puppy pumpkin pictures don’t really have anything to do with training for a marathon. But he’s cute, right? And yes, he’s trying to eat the pumpkin. He will later blog about how all of you eating pumpkin-flavored things or baking with pumpkin are weak–he eats it straight.

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My parents have been taking pictures like this since they got married, and they were so glad I’d be home to take these pictures with them. Yes, the pumpkin’s sort of small.

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I was trying to rest my “chin” in the palm of my hand. Didn’t work so well.

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And yes, my parents were well aware that our weird little Halloween tradition would be going on the internet.

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Training for a marathon? Also an awesome excuse for chocolate cake and ice cream. My mom actually served me this saying “You need it! You’re training for a marathon.” I’m glad she gets it.

I’m pretty sure I could use “but I’m training for a marathon” to justify, oh, just about anything.

A few random things:

One Year Ago Today…

I crossed the finish line of my first marathon, the Chicago Marathon.

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A lot of other people who ran last year posted yesterday about it being a year ago, but I’m considering it a year ago by date, not by this year’s running of the marathon, if that makes sense. 10.10.10 is a day and a date that I will never forget, so I couldn’t ignore the date today!

A year ago, I learned that I could do anything I put my mind to.

I could run an entire marathon–in oppressive heat. (I then wrote on Woman’s Day about running a marathon in serious heat.)

I could push through the heat and the discomfort and any desire to stop, and I could get to that damn finish line. If it killed me. (At mile 18, I stopped to stretch, nearly started crying and for just one half of a second, thought about not finishing. Then I pulled myself together, gave myself a pep talk, like, out loud, and got on my not-so-merry way.)

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I could go to Chicago and share a room with two girls I’d never met, and one I’d only met twice before–and have an amazing time.

I could fly back from Chicago without taking Xanax. (Mostly just because I was too sick to. I was terrified that Xanax + DayQuil would equal some terrible reaction.)

A lot has changed in the past year, but nothing can take away from the fact that I am a marathoner. I have completed one marathon, and in just 26 days, I will complete my second marathon. I like to think I’ve become a stronger person for all of this.

What’s made you stronger/what’s a date you’ll never forget? (Weddings/birth of your baby don’t count, sorry. Those are givens.)