The Thrill of the Hill

So...if you have been reading Life in the Sexy Lane for awhile now, you probably know that I am obsessed with running and have ran 2 marathons in the past. 

Marathon running is a CONSTANT WORK IN PROGRESS. 

Which is why I LOOOOVE it. 

I have learned a lot from my marathon training and running experiences in the past three years or so. And now I will share my profound thoughts with this blog in case I forget and need some refreshing in the future. 

My first marathon, I had NO IDEA what I was doing and like most "newbies", I ran miles and miles trying to up my mileage. I was in really really good shape, but oh so worn down. For me, it wasn't about the quality of miles as much as the quantity of miles. It ended really well for me...seein how I got a stress fracture n' all. So, that is when I learned about quality. Sometimes, running 5 miles really quickly and stressing your heart is better for you than pounding your bones, muscles, and joints for hours and hours. So then, since I was sooooo smart, I decided I should run another marathon, because I was a pro after running just one marathon. 

That's when I ran my second marathon, and decided to focus more on speed instead of distance. This worked out really well for me, because I knew that mentally and physically I could handle the longevity of a marathon. Ever since I was a kid, I have been able to handle running for long periods of time and never getting tired. The trick for me has always been running at a CONSTANT HIGH SPEED for long periods of time. Which is something that I struggle with. So, marathon #2 was 100% focused on speed, rather than distance. 

That worked out pretty well for me...until on mile 8 of my marathon there was a MASSIVE hill that I was neither mentally or physically prepared for. I claim this point in my marathon to be the failure of my marathon. I hated hills, and I always hated hills..therefore I was never going to do hill training, because I am stubborn like that. 

So, now I have a new philosophy. If I claim to be a "runner" and have a passion for running, then I have to love running unconditionally. I can't only like SOME PARTS of running, yet ignore other parts of running. Although I love SPEED more than hills or distance....hills and distance are still a HUGE part of running and I have to learn to love them all, even if it's not equally. So what am I going to do? I am now going to be a hill lover. For three weeks now, I have ran strictly hills. I am mentally and physically going to be ready for those unexpected hills my next marathon. Rather than hate the hills, I have decided to embrace the hills. 

I have ran 15 miles of hills in the past 3 days, but it hurts oh so good. I am physically stronger, mentally stronger, and have improved the overall "runner" that I claim to be!


"If you learn from it, it's not a mistake"...here's to the next marathon!!