Running a marathon is hard!

Actually, I can only assume running a marathon is hard. I haven't done it yet. I will say with complete certainty, training for a marathon is hard. Here's a little pro and con list in case you are thinking of training for a marathon.

Let's start with the cons:

1. I am tired, all the time.
2. Weekend schedules revolve around long-runs and I haven't gone to a local farmer's market all summer.
3. Chaffing. Enough said.
4. I don't care what I eat and I have crazy running cravings like deep friend cheese curds (alright, maybe this is a pro?).
5. When I am not running, I want to watch TV or sleep. Reading has gone by the wayside, as has blogging, or being creative in the kitchen.
6. It is really hard. Every run I do is over 13 miles is just painful.

There are a few pros:

1. I ran 8 miles this weekend. It felt like nothing. I know I have reached another level in my running.
2. Running is guaranteed time spent one-on-one with my husband. We do nearly every run together, without our ipods.
3. When people ask what's new, I actually have small talk to respond with. I tell them I am training for a marathon.
4. All the hard work should culminate in running and finishing a marathon = bucket list check mark.

Perhaps the biggest positive factor in this training experience is the reflection and goal setting it provides me. When my life revolved around academics and a semester, goals and working toward something was a given. I was always striving for something big and small: to complete the semester, to get a degree, to get a job, to complete an assignment, to write a paper, etc. As an adult in the "real world" goals come in different, less clear terms. A goal to buy a house is great, but can be effected by so many other factors beyond your control. Training for a marathon, despite weather and injury, is pretty defined. You put in the miles, you get better and can hopefully run 26.2 miles without succumbing to death.

Stephen and I before our first half marathon in 2009!

Stephen and I after our half marathon in May 2013

 I looked for pictures from our first running event, a 5k in 2008 but I couldn't find it. We were so nervous for that church 5k. However, we conquered that 5k and many other runs since then, including our 13.1 miles in May. What do you think we'll look like after our 26.2 miles?