I have never run a marathon in my life.
Let alone, 1 mile.
About a year ago I had this desire to run a marathon, but didn't know where to begin. I was at a point in my life where I was confused, stressed, and constantly in a state of panic. I felt like I didn't have control over my life, and it was unsettling. I was balancing work, a relationship, and the hardships of family life. During this time, I felt the need to be strong for everyone around me, and didn't have time to care for myself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For some reason running a marathon seemed like the perfect activity to ease my mind, tune my focus, and relieve the stressors from my life all at the same time. That's when the idea of running a marathon became personal.
Fast forward to grad school. I moved to a new city, with no family relations, no friends, and lots of debt. Luckily, as the months went by I made some friends and one in particular who was an avid runner. She expressed that she was planning on running a marathon but wasn't quite sure yet. I jumped at the chance to run a marathon with her and in the next few weeks I was registering for the biggest event in my life.
I'm pretty sure my friend thought I was crazy for registering for a full marathon, when I had no experience even training for a 5K.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
Lucky for me, the marathon is in October, so I had a few months to begin my training. I started out running alone, only to be disappointed at how physically unfit I was. I was struggling to breathe and I hadn't hit 1 mile yet! It would go on like that for a few weeks until I was finally able to run a mile without catching my breath.
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These Nikes are the bomb! Leggings are awesome too and great for the gym
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To better prepare for longer runs, I bought two new pairs of running shoes which improved my posture, stamina, and speed! (Definitely invest in some good running shoes if you decide on running a marathon, it will be worth it!). I also experienced little to no pain compared to my torn up sneakers which had no ankle or plantar support whatsoever.
Anyway, I started to see an improvement in my well-being. Running has decreased my stress and anxiety levels, boosted my confidence, and has overall made me feel amazing. I can proudly say that after two months I was able to run 15 miles yesterday! Yes my knees feel like they want to dissociate themselves from my body, but I feel great. And that's something that I haven't been able to say. With each mile I feel like I'm getting stronger. It isn't easy to get up in the morning to run. Sometimes my body still hasn't fully recovered by previous run, but I do the best I can. It is all about discipline and have a strong mindset. There are days I want to give up, but when I look to see how far I've come, I know I can only keep pushing.
It is surreal to me that by next month I will be running a 20 miler and then in October my first marathon!!!!
If you want to keep updated on my marathon training, go visit my instagram page for some fitness motivation (@nessa.parada).
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