Amy Lu's View

When I first saw the phrase “Nevertheless, she persisted” floating around Facebook last year, I assumed it was a Jane Austen quote that I didn’t know. I’m sure there are many Jane Austen quotes I don’t know, as I don’t know any, but as a librarian, I have many literate Facebook friends who love Jane Austen so that’s the conclusion I jumped to.

Many months later, it’s become one of my favorite inspirational running quotes. Although I’m not trying to equate running a long distance race with being a U.S. Senator standing up for women’s rights, I don’t think Elizabeth Warren (or even Jane Austen) would mind.

Since it’s just a little over two days until Chad and I attempt to complete Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth and I’m riddled with anxieties, now seems like a good time to fall back on this cherished slogan.

Yes, I’m always nervous before a race, and that’s part of the fun, but this time I’m dealing with some unique concerns beyond the typical ones. (These include “Am I eating the right amount of carbs?” “Will I get enough sleep” and the classic, “Will I be able to poop at the right time, in the right place?”)

So what are the special 2018 Grandma’s Marathon fears that I must persist against/over/in spite of (geez, what is the proper prepositional phrase)?

Three special fears I have just for Grandma’s Marathon:

• We’re not properly trained. We trained for a marathon that was supposed to be 3 weeks ago, and ended up running a half marathon isntead. This means we’ve been in this weird half marathon recovery/marathon tapering phase for the last 3 weeks (we decided it was better to avoid overtraining and injury). This doesn’t mean that we haven’t been running, but by the time we start Grandman’s, there will be a 6 week gap between that and our last really long (22ish mile) run. We’re still in reasonably fine shape so maybe it won’t be a big deal, or maybe it will turn out that marathon training weeks are like dog years (or something) and 6 weeks is like 6 years. I know I’m definitely suffering from a lack of confidence because it feels like soo long since I did a really long run.
• We’re going to blow away in a storm during the marathon. Again, worrying about the weather is not unique (especially since the last marathon we attempted to do was cancelled because of extreme heat). But not only am I worried that it will rain during most, if not all of, the marathon (potentially causing slipping, chafing, and just overall miserableness) but the forecast actually calls for thunderstorms. I’m just a smidgen away from being terrified of storms, and it’s going to be hard to run if I’m hyperventilating or hiding in a ditch. It’s even possible that this marathon will get cancelled if the weather is deemed too dangerous.
• I’m going to be mentally and physically drained by my bouts of vertigo. In the last week, I’ve started experiencing vertigo. It’s completely benign, but extremely annoying (it presents as wicked bed spins—long, intense, and nausea-inducing—even worse than anything I experienced during my college days). I’m not (really) worried that I’m going to have vertigo during the marathon (I’ve only had 4 episodes) and when it’s done, it’s done, but it has disrupted my sleep and just general ability to get things done. How can I be mentally and spiritually prepared for the marathon if I’ve lost sleep and time that I needed to spend blogging and facebooking?

I don’t know how these fears compare to Mitch McConnell, but none of them are pretty. Nevertheless, I will persist! I will think positively and “enjoy” the marathon. And hey, if I’m picked up by a tornado, I probably won’t notice any vertigo and it could give me a hell of a tailwind. (Look at that positivity in action!)