Marathon Training Sanity Check: Monthly Musings

Growing up in a Colombian family meant that we had the most dramatic airport goodbye ritual. In the days before September 11th, when non-traveling family members were allowed in the gate areas, my parents would sit with me until boarding time. My mom would fight tears, while giving a million last minute hugs.

My Dad would give last minute, usually dramatic advice and reminders about the terrors of the world. As a proper paranoid Colombian, he would always make sure to remind me to wrap a strap of my bag around my ankle while waiting during my layover. That way, I wouldn't tempt the inevitable roaming gang of thieves in the Houston airport.

At boarding time, they would wave at me and I would walk backwards and wave back, until the jet bridge turned and we could no longer see each other.

At this point, I usually burst into tears, and according to my father, my mother would as well. Although I would like to blame my separation anxiety on this family ritual, even as a small child, I never liked the endings of things. I would always cry at the end of movies and my parents would have to sit with me in the theater until the end of the credits.

With 26 days left until the marathon, I'm entering the final phase of training. On Saturday, I will run 20 miles, the longest training run. After this run, the tapering period begins. Although I'm incredibly excited for Marathon Sunday, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic as this adventure draws to a close. Both the training and this blog have taken up an incredible amount of my daily life and required so much discipline. While I look forward to having a less rigid schedule and no blog deadlines, I know I will feel a sense of loss. As my coaches and teammates keep telling me, no matter how many marathons you run, none of them compare to the first.

So, yes, I'm feeling a little emotional and weepy about the whole thing. I'm sure the fact that I ran 18 miles on Saturday in the pouring rain, through a quiet and dreary Central Park isn't helping matters.

However, as I learned when I married the impossibly upbeat Ryan, goodbyes don't have to be emotional and dramatic. While I thought all families had the same goodbyes, he informed me that I was quite mistaken. Apparently, some parents just drop their kids off at the front of the airport!

The end of something usually means the beginning of something else. Although this adventure is ending, my experience has shown me how much I love running and racing. Although I'm not interested in another marathon in the near future, I'm already looking forward to signing-up for a few half-marathons next year. And lastly, no adventure lacks sacrifice. When I start getting emotional about the end, I will remind myself of all the things I gave up during this time.

Sleep!