Marathons+Moderation Guest Post #20

Hi Healthy Happier Bear Readers. My name is Robin and I am a new blogger and you can follow me on Twitter @robinbn. I am a stay-at-home mom to two little girls who is attempting to get into grad school. I was really excited when Ashley asked me to write a guest post as I love reading about other runners and love to share my story.

On April 16, 2007, I was sitting on the couch, severely obese, watching the Boston Marathon. I live just outside of Boston, so the television coverage of all the runners makes it hard not to be motivated. I sat up during the marathon and said to my husband that I wanted to run the Boston Marathon and would start by running the Disney Marathon the following year. My husband has always been a great to support me in whatever I do, even if it is a crazy endeavor and so began my new obsession, qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

(Before-at my highest weight)

(After 92 pound weight loss)

In January of 2011 I toed the line for my 13th marathon and my 4th attempt at the Disney Marathon. I finally qualified for Boston with a time of 3:37. Luckily for me my 3:37 allowed me to register for Boston 2012 and I will finally be running my dream race, exactly 5 years to the day after I decided to change my life for the better.

I have run 15 marathons in the past four years, so learning to balance life with running has become a full time job. I have learned the hard way what is too much and the past two years have been so much easier than my first few. Here are a few things I have picked up to help me to get to as many marathon finish lines as I can:

1-Trust the training plans and advice of experts. Run slow when it says to run slow and rest when they say take a rest day. This is hard advice to follow but it works. My 2nd year of running, I decided it was time to up my mileage as I wanted to BQ. That training cycle ended with double achilles tendonitis and 6 weeks of pool running. You will get to your goal, it just takes time.

2-Don’t take time from your family, make time to run. This has been one of the hardest things to accomplish but easiest to accept. While working full time, I would wake at 3am to get in a 14 mile run before heading into Boston. This wasn’t fun, but I was always at home when my kids were awake. My kids accept that I run, but I don’t want them to suffer from my need to run.

3-Make running fun for your family. This tip has been the most fun to adapt in my life. My husband and I started out running together, so we have made vacations out of marathons including, obviously Disney, but also Vermont and Honolulu. I want my kids to see how much fun running can be so we take them to as many races as possible. They love making signs and cheering me on and have also participated in a few races themselves, which they loved!

4-Set goals, reach for them but know that it takes time to get there. As with any program, whether it be weight loss or running, things take time. Don’t beat yourself up if every race isn’t perfect. Persistence pays off. Give yourself time and you will make it there. It took me 13 marathons before I qualified for Boston. Everyone around me was qualifying after only a few. This hurt emotionally, but I have learned that I am my own person and am incredibly proud of how far I have come. You don’t need to over schedule yourself because your race didn’t go as planned. Give yourself time to recover physically and mentally before you jump back on the training wagon.

5-Finally, just take your time and enjoy your journey. We are all different and can learn from others but must remember we are individuals. And most important when focusing on moderation, listen to your body! I run as much as my body will allow and have seen positive results ever since I learned to slow down and wait for good things to happen.