What's funny is that I wasn't inspired to post about it immediately. I had every intention of writing about it the day after but I was still so high from it that I could barely form a sentence. I'm also glad I took the time to reflect on the whole experience and really figure out what it meant to me. Finding the answer to that question I asked myself quite alot during training and the race..."why do people do this shit??!!??!!"
What can I say about it except that it was "all the things". It was rainy and cold and then it was sunny and hot. It was awesome and it was awful. It was the best and the worst. And it was still the second best day of my life ever (after my wedding of course!)
My body was drained but my heart was so full. Full from the love and camaraderie of TWENTY PLUS people from the Atlanta Track Club that made the trip for this race. From the support of my incredible friends who trained with me and waited for me to finish really really really long runs and then help me celebrate. From the love of my husband who kissed me goodbye every morning at 4:45 and always believed in me. From the non-stop messages, gifts and cards from friends and family across the world. From the pride I felt in myself from completing 18 weeks of marathon training (which IMO is actually harder than a marathon). From the JOYFUL distraction of my friend who couldn't run but instead rode his bike with us, took pictures, and kept us updated on our other runners (nothing like having your own personal bike support!). From the support of my amazing friend (and former fat guy) who ran his own marathon then ran back to run us in. And most of all (and this one makes me cry) crossing the finish line with the four incredible women that were with me for the whole thing.
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| For added inspiration my friend on the right has lost more than 170 pounds and it was also her first marathon. All these other badasses are pros :) |
I've found myself a little "lost" since the race. Suddenly it was all over and kind of back to reality. I took a week off running and then I had to have boob surgery again (nothing serious) which turned into a few weeks of not working out. Time off for me is promblematic.
I mean seriously I just ran a marathon and right away I'm worried about what the next big goal is?
I didn't realize just how much I rely on exercise and running to fight the boredom-depression-eating cycle I'm famous for.
Which brings me to the inspiration for this post. I'm finally back at yoga which is ESSENTIAL for my body and my brain. I gave up way too much of it for running during training and I'm finally back in my regular practice 3ish days a week. I felt immediately better after the first week and already the second week has me inspired enough to write!
Sometimes it's not the start/ beginning or the ending of something that's the hardest. It's the practice of maintaining it that's the challenge. - most amazing yoga teacher @wellnesswithjenn
I've been struggling with maintenance. I gained 10 pounds during marathon training which is somewhat normal but it terrifies me. Yes my body held on to it to fuel me for 6 hours of running, yes I gained some muscle and yes I ate ALL the carbs. And the sugar. And all the foods. And about 700 gallons of mimosas. So that part is on me and it's the part the surgery does NOT fix. Luckily I've learned a lot and know what I need to do.
So now what IS next? Next is the New York City Marathon. Next is a new and improved blog/website and a then a book. (For real!) Next is losing this 10 pounds. There I said it and now it's out there in the universe. And I will of course be blogging about all these things along the way! I will make an official announcement when the new site is live so it's not buried in the bottom of this post (in which case thank you for still reading!) Stay tuned!
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| that .2 is long..... |
congrats! I just did my first marathon too! And also am dealing with the 10 pound regain issue. So hard to balance it all.
ReplyDeleteLove this. You are inspiring & I adore your determined sweet spirit. So much love to you! - Jenn 😘🙏✨
ReplyDeleteSo happy for all the good things in your life, Tina - and congrats on finishing your first marathon, WOOHOO!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh!! I am so stinkin proud of you. I really want to catch up with you soon! Let me know if you ever want to catch a run on the Silver Comet :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome!! Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment! You deserved every one of those mimosas. ;) I'm so happy for you, and I look forward to all the exciting things you have coming up!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I totally understand what you mean about the lack of goal. I think the hardest pet of running a marathon is being finished! :/ Sounds like you have some awesome things lined up, though!
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ReplyDeleteI admire you so much! You inspire me. I have lost 30 pounds and have another 30-40 to go. At the urging of a good friend I started running. She had taken it up when she was 49 and it totally transformed her body. I started training for a 5k and about 3/4 through training, I fell down a flight of stairs and sprained both ankles. So disappointing! As soon as the swelling went down a bit, I started running again. I was SLOWLY making progress then took another bad fall and sprained both ankles again! I tried to start running again but my piriformis muscles became crazy painful and my ankles started giving out and hurting. I think maybe favoring my ankles is what irritated the piriformis muscle. I haven't ran again since the first part of September. I never thought I would LOVE it so much and feel so lost without it. And it is the only thing standing between me and gaining my weight back. Do you have any suggestions on how to get started again? Would it be best to just walk for awhile or should I try to just jump back in? You mentioned yoga. Does that help keep you from having muscle tightness and problems when you run? What kind of yoga do you do? I would have to do it from Netflix. I live in a very remote area and the nearest place that offers yoga is probably 250 miles. I should probably tell you that running doesn't come natural to me. I hated running all the way through high school and vowed I would never run again unless I was being chased!🙀 But I came to love it and miss it tremendously! I have a pain disorder and I have significantly less pain when I'm running regularly. And I can actually sleep at night.
ReplyDeleteSorry to write at such length but when I saw you on the today show, your story really inspired me and made me want to try again. Any suggestions you may have would be so appreciated!
Thank you for doing what you do and sharing it to those of us who are in the same shoes. And congrats on the NY marathon! That is SUPER COOL that you did that!!!🏃🏼♀️