Running After Marathon Training

Yesterday was my first run since the marathon. Honestly, I was worried about running after meeting such a goal. Would I lose interest? Was it over? Would I still get any satisfaction from running now that my goal has been realized? I thought about these things as I began the run.

The trees seemed different somehow, the smells more vivid. I heard noises I had not noticed before. We were running against the wind in the first mile and it came to me. I was there because I wanted to run. Not time my mile, not pace for practice, not to win a race. It didn't matter that the wind would slow our time a little. I was running for the pure enjoyment of running. My mind was clear of all the training I shoved into four and a half months of marathon preparation. Since the end of October I've been on a mission. To run a marathon. I had a very short time to learn a ton of information. It was all I thought about....timing, pacing, hydration, nutrition, how my feet hit the pavement....and more. But not at that moment. I kept finding myself thinking how nice it was to be out there again.

Don't misunderstand me, if I didn't like to run, I never would have gotten as far as I have. My competitive nature is still alive and well also. I just think I have made it to a new phase, the enjoyment phase! My husband jokes that I am NOT the woman he married. As I hugged and kissed him the other day for my new Asics, he laughed. He got them for me for my birthday (yes, I'm 42 today) but he said if he'd ever bought me a pair of sneakers for my birthday in the past, I would've probably thanked him kindly and stuck them in my closet. Instead I had them on and was testing my flexor to see if I could go for a run! (I decided to wait for Friday.)

This reminds me of when we were first dating. He wanted to take me skiing but I didn't have winter boots. I HATE snow and cold, so I didn't need boots since I refused to leave the house if there was any snow out there anyway. This had to be pretty early in our relationship for me to even agree to ski. It's right up there with pretending to like Pink Floyd just to get him out on a date! LOL...that's a funny story too, I'll have to tell you sometime. But anyway....I went to the mall to get a pair of boots so I could spend the weekend with my sweetie. When he came by that night I proudly showed him my boots. He just looked at me like I had 3 heads...

KIM: What's wrong? Don't you like them?
BOB: Ummmm....those don't even look waterproof.
KIM: You didn't say they needed to be waterproof. You said get boots.
BOB: We're going skiing. In the snow. Up in New Hampshire.
KIM: Well, I'll be wearing skis then, won't I? Boots don't really matter.
BOB: Those are not boots, Kim. Those are patent leather shoes.
KIM: But they go up to my ankle, that makes them boots.

At this point, Bobby just smiled and said they'd be fine. (I won...lol) But seriously, I sooooo didn't even want to go skiing. I just wanted to snuggle in the lodgey place and sip hot chocolate before a roaring fire. Wouldn't be needin' boots for THAT now would I??? I got even luckier when we hit a snow storm before we even got through Boston and had to go back home. So I can proudly proclaim that I have never skied (skiid, skeed, skeyed...whatever), nor will I ever. We're married now. I don't have to go skiing....LOL....he admits we had way more fun getting snowed in at his house for the weekend. I heartily agree!

The girls at worked LOVED my boots, by the way.
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