Thanks for the Miles

Every runner training for a marathon has probably studied the course map and elevation changes of her target marathon and can tell you in detail where all the tough spots will be along the course – the steep hill up to the finish line (why do they like to do that to us?), the boring, deserted miles along the wide highway, and the long, never-ending steady incline that seems to only level off when you hit the point that your body can’t run uphill another yard.

Training for my first marathon, The Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte, NC, I struggled with a hilly, challenging course that had an overall climb of 1,168 feet and a total elevation change of 2,349 feet.  It was easy to complain about each hill that I hit, but one thought that kept my feet moving uphill was the decline coming around the turn – or even the relatively flat mile that I would eventually get to. 

Instead of breaking up the marathon by all the hard spots and tackling those, I tried to change my thinking and make note of all the miles that weren’t so difficult – mostly downhill on Queens Road, flat throughout South End with a downhill bonus on Tryon Street, and a slight decline along The Plaza.

My mantra during that marathon and its training was “Be thankful for the easy miles.”  On race day, those words ran through my mind countless times and helped me to complete my first marathon in 3:16:11.

It’s always easier to focus on the problem areas of a course or of one’s life, and rarely do we appreciate it when things are actually going well.  Instead, our small problems during the “easy” part of life just become larger to take the place of the bigger problems that we have passed or have yet to conquer. 

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for so many things.  I am thankful that, while it may not always seem like it, life really is pretty easy – or at the very least, it could be much, much worse.  And I am thankful for the hard miles that I have covered because I know that they have only made me stronger.  And whether it be a marathon or year 2013, if you focus on being thankful for when things go right, the course just seems a little bit easier.

Weekly Miles:  One! 

I went for a very short, easy run around the neighborhood, but I still felt some discomfort in my left ankle.  The injury is definitely getting better, but I’m not sure if it has fully recovered yet.  I am still doing some aqua jogging at the local aquatic center, but I am looking forward to hopefully getting back on the roads soon!  Boston 2014 will be here before we know it!!

This Week's Beer Choice:  New Belgium Brewery's Rampant Imperial India Pale Ale