Amy Lu's View

Today I did my last long training run (3.5 hours, 21.48 miles) for Marathon #3.

So many mixed feels.

I’m thrilled, relieved, proud, wistful, nervous, sad.

This is the 9th such crazy ass run I’ve done since August 2017, in addition to 9 roughly 17 mile runs (2 hr 45 minutes in length).

Yeah, I’m bragging, but it’s also maybe a cry for help.

Running a Marathon is a big fucking deal, but in my third go round with this, I’m starting to understand how profound training is.

And after this marathon, I’m thinking it’s time for a break. This doesn’t mean that I plan to stop running (l was running regularly, if casually, for 15 plus years before marathons) but that I might not do another marthon for a year or so.

I’m considering…and also looking at spring marathons. My intellect and emotions have been run into goo, so now is not the time for decision making.

As a wise friend just said tonight (as I was out drinking wine to begin and celebrate the start of tapering) this marathon training has been life changing for me. And I love that I (and the forces of nature) am completely in control of it. Yes, life does intervene, but unlike my other passions, I’m not dependent on anyone else to do this. I don’t have to get cast or book a gig. And I get what I put into it (thanks Deb for writing this post for me).

I wish I could more fully describe what long distance running feels like for me. Yes, I work pretty hard to distract myself (audiobooksRme) but it’s still so physical. And maybe as a typically locked in my head person, it’s that physicality I crave, when even the garbage I see on my route speaks to me on some level.

But it might also be nice to have a little more time to spend on other things. To maybe not worry about carbo-loading and celebratory drinking weight gain (subsequent empty calories will have to be blamed on other things).

Today’s new temporary tattoo is “Marvel.” This was a little arbitrary but it’s feeling more and more appropriate. I marvel that I’ve done all this training, marvel that I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do it, and marvel at how happy/sad I am that it’s wrapping up.

I’m also marveling that I’m going to attempt to go to sleep now before 10:30.