So this happened today.
It was a monumental moment. I didn't say it was pretty!
In the face of a 13km run, and running through ice cold rain, wind and hail, we persevered.
Rhi and I are now running further than we ever have - and as if to spite us; as if to challenge our sanity, the weather has done nothing but drop it's best, it's worst and it's most wicked. It has been.... swell. See what I did there? I'll show myself out.
Today, upon completing our longest run to date of 13-ice-ridden-soggy-kicks-kms, we realised that we have only got 4 long runs to go before the marathon - the last of which being a taper run at the same distance we accomplished today.
Excuse me while I go and have a panic attack.
Moving on.
This last three weeks has been a massive blur.
To say it has been a challenge would be an understatement.
I have been trying to juggle increasingly demanding marathon training, a stressful and unpredictable work environment as well as the ever looming wedding day preparations.
If you know me, and have had to converse with me the last few weeks, I apologise. I don't even know what for, but I am sure an apology is warranted. Especially Rhi, who has had to spend more time with me than my fiancé over the last few weeks. Sorry dude!
Thankfully, my last blog entry was around the time that I also rediscovered my motivation for marathon training. It really was a crucial time to have secured this again as our training has been more demanding than ever.
We are now at the stage of our training program where we are getting back up to the kms we were doing when I injured myself.
I have been hyper aware of my previously debilitating injury and doing absolutely everything I can to prevent it from happening again when we are so close to the finish line.
Think, ice baths. *Shudder*
Also, orthodics. Feet strapping. Compression socks. R.I.C.E'ing the shit out of my legs and foam rolling like a boss.
Rhi and I have made a promise to eachother and ourselves that we will make the most of the last 4 weeks of our training and give it our all, and we have been!
No more missing training. No more excuses!
Since our dramatic promises, we have had the worst weather I can remember having in an Adelaide winter. Or maybe it only appears that way because I usually successfully hibernate in the winter. Either way, Rhi and I have adjusted our training plan to ensure that the weather doesn't make us quitters.
I have joined up to the gym and Rhi intends to follow suit shortly for those days where training outdoors looks bleak. Plus, we have now moved our training to the evenings instead of the morning because Rhi and I have become way to complacent and keep cancelling on one another for an extra hour in our warm and cosy beds. 5 more minutes!
The evening training sessions paired with the insanity that is our workload at the moment and my stupidly long commute, means that I am spending an average of 12hours a day out of the house, 5-6 days a week.
So not only do I have all these things to juggle, but in the mean time I am also trying to balance everything with my social life and of course, with my beloved, who has been more than supportive and understanding even though I have been borderline banshee. Only 5 more weeks to go, love!
There has been something interesting I have discovered about myself on the long runs.
I am still so bewildered at my body's ability to "just keep going".
In the middle of a run, I will suddenly become extremely lucid, look up at my surroundings and realise that not only am I successfully running, but I am breathing normally, and I feel great and my legs are kind of just going all by themselves. It is so surreal.
I call this the long run insanity. Not just the crazy ability to run for an extended period of time. Wait, am I actually fit?! But my new ability to just go "some where else".
When a run is particularly hard or I am struggling, I tend to just fall into myself and away from the pain so that I can keep going. And thank god, because sometime running for that long can be seriously fucking boring.
I was saying to Rhi today on our run, that people that do this to themselves must have at least these two qualities:
Stubbornness
At least a little bit of insanity.
We are literally doing the opposite of what it is in our nature to do and what our brains and bodies are telling us to do. We are going against everything we have ever been taught regarding self preservation.
An entire run consists of an inner argument of all the reasons why you should stop running versus all the reasons why you need to continue.
None of the "continue" reasons actually make any sense! Hense, the (albeit, slight) insanity requirement.
Next weekend we will be running 15kms.
Then 18kms, and finally 19km before we start our taper.
God, help us.