This is the third year I have participated in the Marcothon challenge to run every day in December – superstition prevents me from talking as if it was all done and dusted, as although I can see the flutter of the Dec 31 finishing tape, it’s not over until that last 3 miler is in the bag on Tuesday.
Also so as to not tempt fate at this late stage, best not to say much about injury (the lack of) or illness (avoided so far) or horrific weather events, as I still have 2 more runs to do.
I did get a bit of back pain the other day – and so for all the wise folk out there who tell me how much impact running has on my joints and running every day is VERY BAD – if I can just make it to Dec 31, I promise next year I will mix it up a bit and I will remember to stretch regularly, do some work on my core and add in some cross training – and I really mean it this time 🙂 .
Having now done this 3 years in a row and made an attempt to write about it, there do seem to be some recurring patterns to my Decembers.
Week one is filled with anticipation and enthusiasm and in my case a few Christmas social events- runs seem easy, the weather is manageable, and continual darkness just something that comes with the time of year.
By week 2 reality sets in and my running starts to become that one extra routine to fit around work and everything else. I start dreaming about when I am going to run, and getting up earlier or running later to fir my run in. This is usually the time when my general lack of preparedness for Christmas starts getting to me and reaches a crescendo by the start of week 3.
By the middle of week 3 I am accepting of my fate, easing into the pattern of running and with my daughter’s birthday behind me and my own on the horizon I start to properly enjoy December.
By week 4 I have finished work and this is the best time, as with friends available the daily runs become much more enjoyable, we exchange Christmas disaster stories, and soothe each other with how wonderfully disorganised we all are.
I choose my friends wisely – or maybe we all just spend too much time running 🙂
As week 4 draws to a close December running has included a run on my birthday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day refresher and with January now peeping over the horizon it’s a good feeling to know the end is in sight and a New Year beginning.
Today I reached a nice milestone – 100 miles – and with only 2 more days to go I am already thinking about some 2014 running challenges.
The unfinished sentence... 