T minus 11 weeks

So.  Almost half way through my marathon training.  And I can't believe how much a little bit of running has taught me.

- Long distance running is 30% physical, 70% mental.  Sure, in order to run a long time I need to increase my lung capacity etc, but mostly I've found that it's my mind that needs the work out.  No matter how far I run, I get to the point where my head is screaming at me to stop, but then I look down and see that my legs are still moving so I tell myself, just to the end of this street, just one more power pole, just one more song, and if I can distract my head long enough I find I've run another km.  And then I get to the point where my legs are so tired and my mind has to take back over and tell my body, I might be sore or tired or hot or thirsty, but I'm not going to die, and after about 10 minutes I'll feel fine again, so I can run a little more.  It has been this huge mental battle of learning self control and self discipline, something I seriously lacked, but now I'm getting better at.

- Running kinda takes over your life.  You have to be 110% commited, because training requires commitment.  To run 4 or 5 times a week, I have to schedual my day around the runs, especially as they're getting longer and requiring more time.  Life really gets in the way and I almost have to  put running first, as weird as that sounds.  And I'm thinking about running all the time - where I'll run, when I'll run, what new running sounds can I download, I wonder if the shoes I want are on sale, how many more sports bras should I buy, I've just got running on the brain.  And my running has changed my eating and sleeping too.  If I stay up late and eat icecream, I don't feel like running in the morning and I miss a day and get behind in my training.  I quickly learnt that you can't run and eat whatever you want and expect to be skinny - you just end up being a fatty that runs alot.

- I am so much stronger and more capable then I ever thought I was.  I think at first I just liked the idea of running a marathon.  But I had my list of very respectable excuses as to why I wouldn't end up running it.  But I've realised that I can do it.  I can set goals, and I can accomplish them.  And it feels so good. The first time I had to run 4km, I felt sick in my stomach all day leading up to it, like I physically felt sick just thinking about running that far, and it was really, really far for me.  And now my short run is a 7km.  Amazing what can be done in 9 weeks.

- It's so important to celebrate the small achievements, coz they're what lead to the  big ones.  The first time I ran a full 3km without stopping, I celebrated by buying a new top.  Coz it's all those 3kms that will make up the 21kms.

- But the biggest thing I've learnt is this - If I can do this, ANYONE CAN!! 10 weeks ago, I would have rather done turbo jam 6 times in a row then run even 1 km outside - I really really hated running.  After about 20 seconds I was out of breath and tired and so I'd stop.  And yesterday I ran my first 10km, and I felt pretty good after it, I could have run more except that it was raining so hard I couldn't see in front of my face and it was dark already.  But it is totally doable.  I was the last person to ever consider running.  You just have to decide to do it, and do it.

I'm so glad I decided to do this.  I'm glad I have my sister in law doing it with me so I can check in with her and we can push each other along.  Running 21kms doesn't sound so insane to me now, doesn't seem so distant and unachievable.  Instead it feels doable, totally doable.

T minus 11 weeks.....