January (Re)Preview 2015

It's been quite a few weeks since there's been a new post on NOLArunner. Saying that the holidays and first month of 2015 have been busy is an understatement, but not a good enough excuse. Here's my chance to salvage as much of the month of January as possible with this last weekend of major racing just around the corner.

Happy's & NOTC Happenings

Last night was a busy Wednesday for the running community in New Orleans. There were two big events in the city for local athletes. From downtown to City Park, if you wanted to get a group run in and have a fun party to go to after, there were options to choose from.

Halfway to Geaux

With only a couple weeks left in July, we're now 6 months away from Southeast Louisiana's biggest annual races.  To celebrate having "Halfway To Geaux" 'til race day, The Louisiana Marathon and the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & Half Marathon are hosting parties in their respective cities next week. In attendance at both events will be two very special guests!

Louisiana Marathon & 5K: The 2014 Recap

Rational thinking would tell most people that after returning from a five day trip, taking a weekend off to catch up on real life responsibilities is in order. When it comes to the endurance athletes and their racing schedule, rational thinking is thrown out the window.

After completing the Walt Disney World Dopey Challenge from January 9th – 12th, I decided that I couldn’t let those 48.6 miles complete my month of racing. The Louisiana Marathon was the following weekend, and after months of watching the social media leading up to the race, I knew I couldn’t miss out on another year of participation in this signature event.

January 2014 Preview

The New Year kicks off with a new race this weekend and continues with several mainstays on the NOLA running calendar. Traveling outside the parish lines is once again a great idea for those runners who are looking to tackle a new challenge.

A One Track Mind

Have you ever met someone, and through regular conversation, they ask questions that you’ve never pondered? Questions that spurn deeper self-reflection, requiring more than some run-of-the-mill answer? This recently happened to me.

As a runner who is constantly in some sort of training cycle (and hence waking up early, abstaining from drinking, not eating certain foods, etc.), the fact that I run marathons inevitably comes up. Usually that conversation evolves to how long a marathon is, and then onto how long it takes to run. This time, however, the interrogation went one step further, and I had to explain what I think about during a four-hour run. After giving the superficial answer of, “I just turn on my iPod and it’s me with my music,” I realized this is far from the case. There’s no way I could spend that much time alone and not have more rattling around inside my noggin. So that left me wondering, “What DO I think about while running a marathon?”

When people say that running a marathon is 50 percent physical and 50 percent mental, they aren’t lying. The physical stamina and endurance that is built up during training doesn’t just reside in leg muscles, but in your head as well. I can speak from countless experiences that once you reach mile 16 of a marathon, all bets are off. Those last 10 miles are filled with more twists and turns than most runners can imagine, no matter how well you know the route.

Early on in my marathon running career, I’ll admit that I was an emotional mess when I’d finish a race.  The first couple times I competed at the distance, I literally teared up somewhere between miles 16 and 18, and then again at the finish. We’re talking full-on heaving with possible whimpering. It was a guttural reaction to a realization that I’ve gone from barely able to run 2 miles to being able to run 26. Throw in poor choices in music on my running iPod (thanks a lot, Lee Ann Rimes), and I couldn’t keep it together. Fortunately, race day chaos and a breathing pattern that sounds like I’m searching for my last breath allowed me to play off my emotion and keep my dignity. After this blog, though, I may be turning in my “man card.”

As I put more notches on my belt and complete more races at the marathon level, my amount of self-confidence has improved. I no longer spend time during races questioning my abilities; instead, I have more time to think about what I want to do in the future. This ranges from anything short-term, from what lies around the corner in the remainder of the race, to long-term, such as which future races I want to participate in, how can I improve my training for those races, who I can rope in to doing future training and races with me, and which body parts I’m willing to part with to pay for those future races.

I’ve realized that as runners, we evolve and mature. Physically we get stronger, run faster, set higher goals, and gain endurance. However, emotional maturation also is a major part of becoming a better overall athlete.  With the approaching full running season, I look forward to seeing how my growth improves my game.