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| Danielle, Kyle, Me |
1) First and foremost, get injured! I did this in week 12. I had a sore IT band after a long run. I heard a pop during a run but didn't feel too much pain so ran home since I was a good 6 or 7 miles away. I figured I would still have time to heal in any case. WRONG! I couldn't run for over a month. The longest runs I could do without pain were 3-4 miles. Some weeks I would get 3 miles in every day, but most weeks that wasn't possible. Finally, the week before the marathon I did get up to 12.7 without pain, but that isn't enough realistically, having only gone 17 miles as my farthest run over 2 months ago. Mentally and physically I just wasn't there. Worrying about injuries, worrying about suffcient distances... None of that mattered in the end. There were bigger plans in store.
2) Close your eyes and picture the worst possible running weather. Heavy rains? Yep. 40 mph wind gusts? Got it. Sleet? Right in the face! Freezing cold? Check. Those kinds of conditions certainly help you not run. You might spend the day before psyching yourself up mentally for a "Run at your own risk" warning and then passing an entire afternoon stocking up on gloves, hats, scarves, and rain jackets. You might be thinking this is a sign from God to not run the full and you'd be right. In the end, the marathon was cancelled. Everyone ended up running the half.
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| New purchases for "run at your own risk" warning... |
Buying a rain jacket, scarf, and gloves were the best things I did! I didn't take a single thing off the entire time. I was completely soaked through to the bone and muddy up to my knees. The puddles, gigantic mud pits, and strong winds that made you run in place for several seconds, as well as the sharp pin pricks hitting me in the ears and face made me feel like I was running a Warrior Dash: Extreme Version . I've never run one before, but I really don't feel the need to after my Shakespeare Warrior Half.
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| Freezing cold after the race! |
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| muddy shoes! |
3) Don't go to the race on your own. I wasn't technically on my own, but I was with 2 other couples. The two other women, Kyle and Danielle, ran too. We trained together and that was great experience! I certainly ran my PB distancewise. I also got to see new areas of surrounding Milan that I would never have seen otherwise. And, I got to know these two awesome women I wouldn't have really known as well otherwise. I could never have even thought about doing this without them. However, even with very inclusive couples, you can't help but feel more on your own than you probably really are. I think if you are planning to run a marathon (especially your first) it is important to have someone there for you and only you.
You may be wondering if the experience was a total bust... Definitely not!!! I learned a ton of stuff about running and myself. I also realized that living in Milan is great when traveling because whenever you go north, you always fly over the Alps and the view is amazingly stunning anytime of the year. It makes traveling feel magical and enjoyable. I also very much appreciated Milan and it's warmth. Even rainy Milan is at least warm at the end of April.
I could not warm up in Stratford. We stayed in a cottage. It was great but very drafty and had hot water issues that are difficult for Americans used to one faucet. I tried to take a bath at one point but that was a huge failure! And I think every time I brushed my teeth I spit on my hand trying to reach the cold water faucet, then proceeded to burn my hand in the hot water rinsing it off. Ahh the joys of country life.
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| Cottage, the morning after the race |
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| How do you use this thing?!! |
But back to the good parts. We saw Shakespeare's birthplace. It was awesome and made me wish I had my high school English teachers along with me. The museum is really well done. A relatively short experience, but very engaging. There was cider on tap everywhere. Hooray! (It suddenly clicked for me why the English drink so much beer and tea. Nasty weather!) We also went to a grocery store where I bought bagels, cheddar cheese, and hummus and even got them home with me where I will enjoy all of them this week.
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| View outside the Shakespeare House |
The best part was that I officially took 8 minutes off my time from the one I ran 2 years ago. I also ran the entire thing, never stopped or walked once (well, I did stop to tie my shoe, but I don't think anyone wanted to stop or walk in that weather). I think I did much better pacing this one. I'm still planning on running a marathon eventually. When I do, I'll let you know how it goes.
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