Marathon Pep Talk: I could fly, but I can’t. So I run.
By Andrea Jones
I’ve had the same dream for over 30 years. I start running- sometimes to get away from something scary and other times because I am chasing a cloud or a sunset. I start picking up speed until I start to feel this pull and I reach up and well…I fly. It’s the most amazing feeling. My now 6 year-old son Jack tells me last week he had this dream he could fly. I ask him, “how do you start to fly?” and he shows me. He runs. He runs hard. After a few steps he throws his arms down and back by his sides and says, “I’m flying!” This is how I’ve always done it. I’ve never told Jack or anyone about it. Proof that we are more than specks of dust on this earth. We are bound, connected, and drawn to each other by what we love.
So I can’t actually fly. But I can run. I ran track in high school and even wrote my college application essay about running-how pacing yourself around a track for 1600m could be applied to anything you do in life. I’m sure it was a stellar essay and should have been published in the University of Virginia chronicles of college admission essays. It wasn’t. I have, however, applied it over and over when I’m training for any kind of race. This week I am in my final taper to marathon #4. I broke down the TC Marathon the way I would 4 laps around the track.
First Lap: start line – 6.2 miles
Even before the gun goes off you feel the Nervous Pee Syndrome (or is that just me?) and the Bubble Guts. The adrenaline alone makes you want to go out fast and get it over with but you know you have to pace yourself. Shake out your arms. Breathe. Listen to the cadence of your footfalls. First 10K done.
Second Lap: 6.3 – 13.1 miles
The awkward first stint is over and your legs feel warm, smooth, and quick. The spectators are awesome and you can take it all in. See the tree line around the lakes? It’s fall! Your body is running like a finely tuned-insert your favorite vehicle here. If it’s not, tell yourself it is. Find a mantra that can carry you. Mine? “I am fast. I am light. Don’t quit.” Half Marathon done.
Third Lap: 13.2 – 21 miles
This one hurts a little. Or maybe a lot. Breathe. Don’t quit. You are almost there. Trust yourself. Trust your training. 21 done. You are past The Wall. Carry on.
Fourth Lap: 21 – 26.2 miles
Score! Your legs and lungs may be screaming but count off the final miles-final straight away is right there. Right ahead of you! Take it. 26.2 done.
So why do I run? It feels damn good. Running is not for everyone; I know because people like to tell me. But pursuing your legend is. So find something else you love. I wouldn’t be sitting here 4 days before the marathon for example without another love in my life: Alchemy. The ARun crew, the Alchemy programming that complimented all the pounding on the pavement, even the Alchemy gear made me feel connected and supported. Every community run, every final resting pose, every final 3 breaths made me so grateful to do what I love. Serious. Don’t believe me? Come try it. Alchemy really is like a muse that enhances everything else in your life. The marathon? It’s just icing on the Whole Me Apple Crisp I’ll be eating come Sunday afternoon.
Andrea Jones is a founder and Alchemy and Union Fitness. In her spare time, you can find her kicking it with her family in St. Paul, running laps around Boom Island Park, or sipping a Brasa Breeze.
