Here is more of this idiot’s (me) guide to running a marathon.
Yesterday was my long run. And I felt very prepared for it. The plan was to run 12 miles. Using MapMyRun I planned my route making sure to include softer trails and road running to mimic the Niagara Marathon course. I even bought some energy blocks that included electrolytes because on the last long run I did, I could taste a lot of salt on my lips meaning, I was losing a lot of salt through my sweat. On top of that, I brought with me some Fruit to go snacks to keep my energy levels up (tip: open the fruit to go packages and put them in a zip-loc baggie or something. You know how hard it was to open those packages with sweaty hands while running? Very hard).
So you see, I was prepared. I was a good little boy scout.
But then I didn’t see the halfway point turn-around that was on my planned route. It was there, I just wasn’t paying attention. And so I kept running. And I was like, huh, this seems far, and I still kept going. Then I saw a light up ahead for an intersection that wasn’t on my route and I squinted at it all suspicious-like. Finally, I had my Ah-hah! moment. Seeing how far I went, I might have cried a little, on the side of the road with cars flying past me. Then I shook it off, laughed at my own idiocy and ran home. At the end of it, I was really tired but all in all, it was fun. Even despite my many errors.
Being curious, I brought up my running route from MapMyRun and I added the extra-distance I ran. Total miles: 12.62. A half-marathon is 13.1. So not quite a half-marathon, but close.
I am determined to learn something from every run so, what did I learn? Pay attention to the halfway point. Open snack packages prior to running and even when you screw up, it’s better to laugh than to quit.
Have a great day!
John Hunt Fiction 