I admit, I do get a runner's high. It took awhile (like a couple of years) to get to that point. You know, where I stopped hating running and started actually enjoying its benefits. So if you hate running, just hang in there! You too will become addicted! Whenever Lisa is crabby and she hasn't run in awhile, I send her out to run. She always comes back in a much better mood. It's so easy, so predictable. We runners are simple that way.
The high I normally get from a run lasts a few hours. Maybe a whole day, if the run went really well. The high I got off of the marathon, however, lasted 2 days. Which sort of makes sense, given how many hours I ran. I figure about one day of feeling good per 2 hours ran, right? I wasn't right physically for the entire week - I couldn't walk, my GI tract was off, and I was fatigued. But I still felt great! I was in a jolly good mood! Until about Wednesday - when I crashed big time. I admit, I was a little depressed for the rest of the week. The only thing that made me happy, believe it or not, was planning my next marathon. I know! I want to run another one! This after telling everyone it was the worst experience of my life!
Runners are crazy. Now I know. Sadly, I have joined the madhouse.
The thing about the marathon is, as I learned the hard way, it's a MARATHON. Everything you think you know about running can just go out the window. You are not the same runner at mile 18 as you were at mile 6. Not by a long shot. So my first marathon was really just a learning experience. Now that I know a little what to expect, I can plan a little better for the next time. Actually, a friend told me the first 4 marathons are like that, but I'm going to be more optimistic. What will I do differently? Well, I won't go out like gangbusters for one thing. In fact, I think I'm going to use Jeff Galloway's run-walk method. Yes, you can complete a marathon in a pretty fast time by walking for a minute every mile. That gives your legs a much-need break so that you can do the run part even faster and for longer. I will also carb load for an entire week before the marathon, not just the night before. Turns out your muscles need lots and lots of glycogen for energy and they run out of glycogen at about mile 18 (which is why so many people hit "the wall" at that point). By carb loading for a week, you can store a lot more glycogen (and water). How do I know this? I read it an article in Runner's World magazine, which came out AFTER I ran the marathon. Oh well. Since I thought I knew every thing I needed to know, I probably wouldn't have read it beforehand anyway.
I'm not sure my friend Margaret is going to run another marathon in the near future, but she sure is acting like it. I see her out on the trail all the time! I, being over 40, needed a week to recover. My first post-marathon run (5 days later) was less than 3 miles at an 11 minute mile pace, and it about killed me. See, now I know my limitations! I'm learning! I plan on doing a half marathon in May, then maybe another fall marathon a year from now.
But for now, I'm enjoying NOT training for anything. I can exercise for the fun of it and it's a nice break. Lisa and I are going to New York this weekend and I can't wait to run in Central Park. At whatever pace and whatever distance we feel like. Because for at least a little awhile I won't have a running agenda.
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