Marathoning and child birth...

Someone once told me that running a marathon is like going through childbirth... you're unlikely to do it again until you've had time to completely forget the pain of the first time. I can't speak for the childbirth side of that analogy, but I see how it would be true for marathoning.

Recovery seems to be going well overall. I went for my first 3 mile run about 4
days after the race and that felt good. Saturday I joined the DRC group for an 8
mile run, which I got through okay- but felt pretty bad afterwards. I wasn't
sure if this was due to jumping back in to running to soon or something else. I
think it was something else because a few days later I officially got sick! With
as much work as I put into avoiding this bug pre-marathon, I guess it made sense
I would finally get my turn. So for the last day or two I've been working from
home trying to get myself better.

Fortunately these last few days Dallas has been overwhelmed with ice, sleet and freezing temperatures, so many businesses and classes have been cancelled due to the road conditions. So I really don't feel like I've missed all that much- good timing. Maybe it's because I spent the last 2 years in New England, but it's still hard for me to believe that there could be real winter weather problems in Dallas--- but apparently there can be. A few pics highlighting the last 24 hours- courtesy of the local news station.... makes me glad I live in a neighborhood with so many businesses in walking distance...

So as it turns out maybe Dallas does have a reason to panic about winter weather occasionally. I suppose that means that giving away all of my heavy winter clothes before I moved to Texas was a mistake. Oops!

But, I digress- back to marathoning and childbirth...

Possibly since I've just been focused on my coughing, sniffling, sneezing, etc.-- I've adequately forgotten the pain of miles 22-26, because yesterday I officially committed to running the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon at the end of April.

I've heard a lot of great things about this marathon- that it's really more of a must have life experience than a must run race. Most of the volunteers for this race are family members of people who lost their lives in the Oklahoma City bombing. This race is about finding hope and moving forward.

From the website: http://www.okcmarathon.com/
"On April 19, 1995, a great wrong was done in Oklahoma City. However, on this day in April the forces of fear and hate were beaten by love and compassion.The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is a race that is not about running—it is about
life.168 banners line the marathon course, one for each victim. Those
banners serve to remind us as we run that we have been given the gift of
life and that it is too precious to waste. This is what the Memorial
Marathon is about: realizing the preciousness of time, valuing one another,
taking life as it comes and making something magic from it. Celebrating
Life. You don’t have to be a runner to participate in the Memorial Marathon.
All you have to do is change the world you live in one moment, one opportunity, one person at a time. It is not about running—it is about living."