I am currently training to run a marathon. A phrase I find odd, I'm not training to run, I sort of know how to do that. It is more a mental battle of keeping my legs going when everything says stop please.
I have ran a marathon before, it wasn't pretty. 2018, Edinburgh, I was overtaken by a juggler. Training I equally struggled with, my head gave up way before my legs did meaning I didn't train properly, picked up niggles and generally dreaded every run.
This time has been much better, I'm on medication for my OCD and that calms my mind down, allows the anxiety to settle and my true competitive spirit to come out and bloody hell am I competitive!
It's still hard, the mental journey you go through, need to get out to spend over two hours running but need to make sure you've eaten, drank, been to the loo, got everything you need for the run and then get out of the door. I procrastinate, dilly-dally over which route to run, how many gels vs sweets do I need, babysitters for my kids if need be. Too windy, too hot, too cold, too much water, too many loops. And then I get out, want to walk, beat myself up for walking, can't win, wind blowing, sweat in my eyes, chafing arms and hating every minute.
Two and a half hours later I arrive home, sore, tired, unsure on what actually happened but knowing I got it done. Clueless if I did it right, no desire to recover correctly so I flop on the sofa with my kids cursing the decision to sign up to a marathon. Cursing a week countdown until the next long run and knowing I signed up to it myself and remembering to try to be thankful for getting to run and having the ability to run. If anyone has any tips on the mental strategy around running it'd be great, as right now my brain goes nope, my body goes well of course!
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