"...an important part of running, which I think is a very good skill to cultivate for life in general, is learning to rewrite the narrative that develops when you’re doing something challenging."
~ Jane Senko
We moved to Winchester back in 2007. At the time, my older daughter, Rosie, was 2 and my younger daughter, Grace, was just 6 months. Right after we settled in, I decided I wanted to qualify for Boston and started training for the Baystate Marathon. With kids that young, I needed frequent help with coverage while I ran. Thankfully, our neighbors, the Senkos, had three daughters ages 12-14 who were often free to keep an eye on the girls while I went out. Rosie quickly began to idolize their youngest, Jane, and despite the age gap instantly considered her a "friend" (not a babysitter). Jane, bless her, always rolled with it and willingly had "playdates" with Rosie and would come to her birthday parties despite the fact that she was 10 years older.
Rosie's 3rd Birthday*
*One or both of them might kill me for posting this. #worthit
Through the years, my passion for marathoning grew and Jane, while admittedly not a runner, would always take the time to ask me about it, curious perhaps or more likely just being nice, but definitely thinking I was borderline nuts each time I signed up for another one. She has always a been a big yoga gal, but running was just not her thing. Until now. On Sunday, we had the following conversation via text:
Jane: I have been meaning to tell you - I signed up for a half marathon this October and have gotten so addicted to running (never thought this would happen). I think I may try for a full!!
Me: YES!! That is amazing.
Jane: I'm so exited to have discovered the joy of running long distances - now I understand why you have never been able to stop!
Me: Right?! Life changer. And now it's a whole new world for you. I'm almost a little jealous. :)
Jane: YES! It really feels that way. In fact, today was my 13 mile run (the longest in my training cycle) and I kept going until 15 because I was just feeling SO GOOD. And thus now I am searching for the next race. Even though I haven't even done the half yet! LOL.
Me: Welcome to my world.
This conversation makes me smile every time I read through it. I can feel what she's feeling. I've been there. Lived it. Am still living it. And I love that she found it, too. Afterwards, I asked if she would elaborate and share her story with us. You don't often hear how people go from strongly disliking running to plotting out their first marathon like this but it's so refreshing to hear how it unfolds. Fortunately, she was more than willing to elaborate. So, here's Jane's story, one that is clearly just beginning. I will be following along as the rest unfolds, living vicariously through her as she starts down this new road. Best of luck, Janie. Go get 'em!
FROM ZERO TO 13.1 & BEYOND
A few months ago, my cousin Sofia told me she'd signed up for a half marathon in Oxford, England, this coming October and asked if I would consider doing it. The mere suggestion is something I would have scoffed at a few years ago as I used to detest running, but I had been slowly building running into my workout routine (~3/4 miles a few times a week) this past spring/summer for some variety, and I figured the half was worth some consideration. I researched half marathon training schedules and found one online that worked for me. I saw that the maximum mileage for the first few weeks was 5 miles and I thought, I already know that I can make it to the third week of this training program, so I’ll sign up for the half and see what happens. Even if I don’t end up finishing the race, it will be nice to have a little vacation in England this fall.
Jane as a newly Certified Yoga Teacher
Fast forward to this past Sunday, I ran a full 15 miles, despite the training schedule only requiring 13. Oops! I know you’re not supposed to increase your mileage too much right before a race, but I couldn’t help myself. I am nine weeks into the training program and have absolutely fallen in love with running. I think I had always stayed away from it before because truly I never really gave it a chance. Over the past few months, I’ve realized that it takes me around 2-3 miles to sort of “settle in” to a run, and then around the 4th or 5th mile I really start to enjoy it as I find my pace and natural cadence. Longer runs only get better as each mile passes. I really cherish the feeling of being out in nature and breathing so much fresh air. And, I assume everyone reading this blog can appreciate this, it is such a treat to go for a long run and get lost in whatever music you’re listening to. You don’t have to think about anything at all! Physical benefits aside, running gives you really great headspace.
Jane w/ her parents, both marathon runners
I am not, by any means, glossing over the fact that running is difficult. And to long distance runners who have completed multiple marathons, it's probably laughable for ME to be talking about difficulty because I have only run a handful of 10+ mile runs. But it is tough. My feet are covered in blisters, and one of my toenails is black and blue and very close to falling off. As great as it feels to finish a double-digit run, there are definitely times when you have to convince yourself to keep going. I was talking about running with my hairdresser yesterday, who ran a marathon a few years ago and said it was the hardest thing she had ever done. But she also said she felt the greatest she had ever felt right after it was done. I agreed with her that the feeling of accomplishment you get right after finishing a run is amazing, but you do have to work to get there. It is common knowledge that our brains will tell us to stop doing something before our body actually physically NEEDS to stop. So an important part of running, which I think is a very good skill to cultivate for life in general, is learning to rewrite the narrative that develops when you’re doing something challenging. The negative thoughts that arise when you’re really exerting yourself are inevitable, but you can (and must!) overpower them by drowning them out with encouragement from yourself. My older sister, Grace, ran the New York City Marathon, and I remember talking to her right after she finished her first longer training run (I think it was 17 miles). She said it was THE BEST, simply because of how proud she felt of herself when she completed it, because the whole time during it she wasn't sure if she'd be able to do so.
Doing SUP yoga
Because Jane doesn't have any race photos. Yet.
Now that this half marathon is only three weeks away, I have found myself wondering what I will do when it’s over. I will have followed this training program so stringently for the past twelve weeks that I’m not sure how it will feel when I don’t have something to train for…thus I have decided to sign up for my first full marathon (recommendations welcome!). And as I told Rebecca yesterday, now I can kind of understand why she has never been able to stop running. And I say kind of, because twenty-something marathons is A LOT of marathons. :)
Listen to this:
BOSS - The Carters (Jane's pick)
There's nothing more fun than seeing a new runner drink the marathon kool-aid. Kudos to Jane.
ReplyDeleteFunny, Dave! Exactly what I said to her in person....so you drank the Kool-aid, eh? Tastes so good!
ReplyDelete