According to the BBC, 36,000 runners are participating in the Boston Marathon today, 9,000 more than normal, and 500,000 people are expected to watch on the sidelines. It’s amazing to see that so many athletes have been inspired to participate after last year’s tragic bombing. While we’ll be watching the marathon on TV from New York, our positive vibes are going out to everyone in Boston today.
If you’re a runner with marathon ambitions, or a couch potato with short-run-through-the-park ambitions, CC writer Angela wrote an incredibly helpful post last year on how to get your body prepared to run a marathon — or any sort of sustained distance. She went from couch to marathon after a pivotal breakup and shared some of her best secrets to success. Heed her advice and maybe you’ll be running in Boston this time next year…
About three months ago to the day, I went through a pretty shitty breakup. All break ups are shitty, but this one was one of those earth shattering, can’t trust anyone, I’ll never date again breakups.
So, as usual, I ate ice creams and fried chicken until I couldn’t do it anymore, and I had to recommit to something else. I hated running, but I knew it would be the best way to lose my relationship weight (both literal and figurative), so I thought—how about a half marathon?
Now when I say couch to 13.1—I should be clear that I’ve been pretty active for the past year. I practice yoga almost daily and I’ve tried to get into spinning (why are spin studios so expensive, y’all??) But I literally couldn’t run more than 2 miles. And honestly I had to walk whenever I ran that much.
For years I’d tried to get in to running. I could see the effect it had on other people’s bodies, and I wanted that! I wanted to be able to run for hours and like it. I didn’t know how people actually did that, but I wanted to be one of them.
And so I forced myself to enjoy it.
I found a 12-week training schedule, and I threw myself into it. For the first month my calendar consisted of 5 days a week of running anywhere from 3-7 miles. This was manageable, and this was when I lost the most weight.
When I got to longer runs, everything past 7, I stopped losing weight and started waking up at 3 in the morning to have a slice of toast, I was so hungry! But it started to be less about the weight, and more about the runs. Every time I completed a run—9, 10, 11, 12 miles… I felt amazing. Now the runs didn’t always feel that great, but I was doing it. I was doing what I had set out to do. Accomplishing something and moving forward.
And on race day, I felt so accomplished. So amazing. So proud.
The moments I will always remember from the race: At mile 7, just as I was preparing to veer off the track and rest and drink some water, a stranger rubbed my back and told me to keep pushing on. This small gesture kept me moving, and it made mile 7 my best pace; A group of girls holding funny signs, one of which said “Your Pace or Mine??” which remained in my head all race — no matter how slow I was running, I was running; Running next to a man with only one leg for the first 3 miles (yes, I fell behind) reminding me how lucky I am to have my body; Every sign along the way that said “Pain is temporary, pride is forever” or “Pain now, beer later” helped me remember that it all was temporary.
But mostly, crossing that finish line, having my family and friends cheer me on and acknowledge that the last 12 weeks of training were worth something. That I worked hard, and that it paid off. That I was able to run 13.1 miles when just 3 months ago I was scared to run 3!
It’s amazing what the body can do. And yes, I’ve been in bed the past 2 days unable to really move my legs. But I ran a half marathon.
And you can too. Seriously, you can.
How I Went From Couch to Half Marathon in 12 Weeks and Didn’t Die [CC Faves]
