Let me tell you something about marathon training… you are forced to come head to head with many things.

First off, the actual physical discomfort of running for 3 hours straight is something that you need to come to terms with pretty fast. I would be lying if I said my last 16 miler was truly fun. I work up at 5:30AM on a Sunday, was out on the road by 6AM, and spent almost 3 hours running in circles around Lake Q. Now, it’s a gorgeous loop, and my marathon is 8 loops around the lake, so running the loops makes me very familiar with where the uneven sidewalks and the potholes are. It’s nice to know that there is a water fountain just 1.5 miles away.

But the bigger thing I’ve had to come head to head with, are my thoughts. Even while listening to some upbeat pop songs for a good chunk of my run, my mind swiftly wanders from what I wanted to eat right after, to what I want to do for the rest of the day, to what went wrong in my last relationship.

The last one came out of the blue. All of a sudden “Part of Me” by Katy Perry (go ahead. Judge. Pandora totally knows when I’m on my long runs and it’s fantastic), and I remember the day when my ex started packing up his things and moved to NYC. He dumped me on the phone two days later, after 5 years of dating. Virtually all my friends from college swiftly disappeared from my life. 

Also, this thought process happened at like mile 12. Along with a massive blister that was forming right on my arch. 

I didn’t want to relive it. But, suddenly, I found myself at ease. Thinking about all the awesome thing that have happened in my life since then. I made tons of new friends, experienced the city and what New England has to offer, and I managed to turn my life from a six-pack-a-day to a 60 minute workout a day. I’ve met some of the most incredible people, including my boyfriend and his son. 

At mile 14, I have no idea what it was, but I almost started to cry. Let’s call it a mix of leg cramps, exhaustion and self realization.

At mile 16, I was at my front door. Smiling ear to ear. I was also wondering how the heck I was going to manage to walk up the flight of stairs into my apartment.

Other than that emotional breakthrough, I have truly realized the importance of cross training. I can tell that the harder I work in my run, and in a spin class or strength class, the better and more efficient I can move. I’m glad I got the membership, and I can’t wait to start balancing everything out.

Blake and I have been coming home from work and either playing catch or soccer, which has been a nice change from coming home and plopping down on the couch. Summertime really is my favorite time of year. Even if we don’t have air conditioning.

This weekend I run in my 3rd BAA 10K! Goal? Under 56 Minutes.