Marathon: My personal journey

Training for a marathon has a few up and down moments. The roads will curve and twist. Today, I had a cold training run. The wind blew the entire time. I ran well and simply focused on running one segment at at time. Before I knew it, the run was finished.

The key for me was total immersion. I immersed myself in the positive nature of the run. I can't wait to run again tomorrow.

 I am grateful for the opportunity. Thank you.

The past couple of days, I went running with my favorite partner ever! We ran a 5K today and yesterday. He taught me how to have fun while running. He roller bladed while I ran. So much fun!

I should be headed into some training runs in December!

Hello everyone!
I have been searching for answers about the tragedy of Mollie Tibbetts. I feel terrible beyond words, everything about it. I didn't know Mollie, but her friends talk about her love of running, she was a great sister, student and daughter. The world has a huge void without her in it.

I have watched the world around me struggle with this. People are sad, mad, frustrated, furious, etc. I wish that we didn't have such evil in the world. Personally, I have been searching for some answers.

On a podcast, I was asked what I would do if I ran the world. My answer:

I would ask every single person to hug 10 people a day. 

I hypothesize that if everyone did this, we wouldn't have much hate, negativity or loneliness. We might smile more often. OK, maybe 10 is a bit aggressive, but some number around 5 might work. They just have to be different people. Spread it around. Should we try this? Maybe I will do it this week- so heads up. I will report back my results.

One other thing that has helped me is my friends, family, running and my son. We have trained for some races recently AND my wife sponsored the Peosta Glow Run. We used the hash tag #milesformollie. I know it isn't much, but it helped me feel like I was doing something good.

The last and most amazing thing to help:
Fists of fire! This is a yoga phrase and check this picture of my son out. He used it before his favorite race this morning. He reminded me that you have to enjoy life and have fun. Somehow, I believe that Mollie would enjoy the perspective.

And oh yes, I hugged my son extra hard after his race. :)

I have been talking to my son about goals, fitness and being tough. He has seen me in a vulnerable state and assured me he will help me get to a set of goals. How cool is that? 

Have you ever felt scared to run fast? I have. I have. I have. I have. So many times.

Today I ran 3.5 miles and had my son finish an extra half mile up a hill and down one with me. My son is SUPER fast. I knew I would have to torch the run. Not easy after ripping a medium run. So here is a funny exchange.

Jim: I will get your favorite song on. Check. I will start the Nike Plus app back up. I will time us to see how fast we are going.
My son Nile: Hey dad, how come we aren't running?
Jim: Got it, let's go.

To be truthful, I was worried about not keeping up. I was scared about the pace. I didn't want to let my son see me be "slow". I reminded myself of the advice given to me about vulnerability and starting. I smiled and just ran with  my boy.

What a great run. We zoomed. He ran faster than I did, but we had so much fun. We talked to each other. Listened to some tunes. We did push-ups after. We journaled everything. He wants to run one mile tomorrow. We will. I won't get scared.

This is a picture from the other day. He roller bladed while I ran. He whispers to me all the time "Dad- I am going to help you get to your goal".

Happiness. Love. Miracle. Joy.

Yep, I was sure tired this morning. I hit the snooze a couple of times and said to myself "you can run later". I had an 8 mile training run.

For me there are problems when I don't run right away in the morning.

First, the day gets away and my chances for running get slim. Second, I forgot it was going to rain later in the day.

So as luck would have it, I started running in the rain and got the training run in. I loved it, but it was sure cold and wet. That's the small price for sleeping in.

When do you run? Early morning or later in the day?


Source: http://clipart-library.com/rain-cliparts.html

I haven't posted in a VERY long time, but I am now back at it. This morning I was so tempted to go back to bed, rest and stay warm.

Strangely, I was called out to the cold, ice and snow. It was like I really needed it. Whoa.

Got the run in and loved it. There's something about getting out when you shouldn't. I felt great after the run.

Can't wait to run again tomorrow!

Check this photo out from November. It was one of my favorite memories/races of 2017. Ainsley's Angels! I can't wait to run with them in 2018.

I am fortunate to finish five (5) full marathons, and I know of a few running friends toeing the marathon line for the first time in the next couple of weeks/months. This post is for you. As your race draws near, self doubt may visit you. You are entering the unknown, and that is normal. Here are some quick tips for you that I have used with great success.

14. Invite your "wall to the party".  The wall will present itself around mile 18-22, it's a rugged adventure for sure. I like to paint my wall black and gold, to give it some class and break that @#$% down.
13. Embrace the unknown. Every single marathon I have run, something unexpected happens. You have trained yourself for this and just go with the flow. Make that unexpected crisis or surprise work for you.
12. Don't wish the miles away. OK- you may want to kill me for typing that, but hear me out. You signed up for this race. It's only 26.2 miles. Heck, my average finish time is around 5 hours and 35 minutes and that is a long time. I learned along the way that you should enjoy it, every single mile. Wishing it away is a bad move. Smile at every mile, enjoy it. Even when it gets difficult.
11. Find a mirror and say these words "Hello, I am Natalie White, I am a marathoner". Say it 10 times with conviction and confidence. See how you feel. Proud and confident. You haven't finished the race, so you might feel superstitious like I did. A great runner once told me that you have to do this, it's self affirmation. BTW: This is a shout out to Natalie, who is going to crush her race Saturday. Welcome to the 1%. :)
10. Read the signs along the race. You will notice some really fun, funny and creative signs. High five a few of the spectators, make any of the children who show up feel great, give the fans what they want. They came to see you run. Be loud and proud, FIRE them up!
9. Think about everyone who supported you along your journey. Thank them before you run and say their name during your run. It will make you smile. They will appreciate it too.
8. Know that you trained for this race and the actual marathon is just a simple celebration of your training. It is just one big party. You will likely become addicted to it. I am and don't deny it. :)
7. Your will will win. If you trained for 20-22 miles, then the last 4-6 miles will be the "land everyone wants, and few can earn". Claim your land, you will earn it.
6. To hell and back. Your race will challenge you mentally and physically. Once you take that first step, you will never be the same. You will learn so much about yourself, it's amazing.
5. Don't worry about pace or finish time. Keep it slower and don't panic. If you run a 10 minute mile through training, you are likely going to finish higher than that. Trust your training and just finish it. When someone asks your time post-race, look them in the eye and tell them you finished.

I will post the rest of the tips later this week.