Did I ever announce that I have been training for a marathon for the better part of 6 months? If I failed to make that announcement, you should know that I have made a goal to run 26.2 miles in the Buenos Aires marathon on Oct 12, 2008. Since part of my job is to teach young Paraguayans what it means to set a goal and accomplish it I couldn’t let myself quit, the numerous times I wanted to. I have pushed myself through months of pre-training, struggled through a 16 week training program, experimented with lots of running clothing and equipment, gone through 3 pairs of running shoes, drank more water and sports drinks than a normal person would drink in 5 years, and have forced my body to do something that I never thought it could do, run for hours at a time. As if this wasn’t difficult enough, I did it in a country where sports drinks and running equipment isn’t readily available, where the only people that run are soccer players warming up on a field, where women rarely do any sort of exercise besides the grueling house chores, and where a 6 foot tall red-head already sticks out enough without putting on a pair of shorts and running around with a fanny pack, mp3 player, water bottles in hand, hat and sunglasses and sometimes a dog on a leash. Yes, I got a lot of puzzled looks, a lot of unwanted attention and a lot of questions but mostly just gawking. After a few months though, I got used to it, and so did Paraguayans and I’ve come to realized this is the perfect time and the perfect place to train for a marathon. I have lots of fee time on my hands, endless amounts of dirt roads leading out of my town into beautiful open country scenery, friends willing to do it with me, a dog that loves to run with me and keep away possible attackers, and usually enough frustration on a daily basis to cause me to want to let off some steam through exercise. All of these factors seemed like the perfect reason to sign up for a marathon while in the Peace Corps.
When I signed up for The Peace Corps, I had no idea what to expect. The thought of committing to a job I understood very little, living in a developing country for 2 years, where everything would be different and out of my control, not to mention leaving my very comfortable life behind made me very nervous. Despite my fears I took the plunge. Through 3 months of training I began to understand what I had gotten myself into a little better, which just heightened my fears. I thought about backing out, taking that government paid plane ticket home and pleading my old boss for my job back but I didn’t. I swore in as a Peace Corps volunteer at the U.S embassy after 3 months of training because I figured the hardest part was over. I figured making the decision and getting down here and surviving the first few months. I was wrong. There would be many things to come that were difficult, challenging and that tested every bit of my character in ways nothing else has. But I got through those and as the weeks turned to months and the months have turned into almost 2 years I’ve become accustomed and comfortable…..and happy. In many ways the marathon training has been the perfect metaphor to my Peace Corps service.
When a couple of my friends that I traveled to Buenos Aires and Uruguay with last year suggested we come back to Buenos Aires the following year to participate in a ½ marathon, I jumped on board right away. I was probably drinking wine at the time and would have agreed to anything. Months later when my friends reminded me what I had agreed to I began to make excuses. “I don’t have time….I don’t like running unless it’s to catch the ice cream man…..I don’t have running clothes, I have weak lungs…I had asthma when I was a child…..people will stare at me…………..” Yet, when I laid awake at night thinking of what I had done or accomplished during my day I realized much of the time I felt like it was very little. A visit to some neighbors or community contacts, working in my garden, doing an hour radio show without sounding too ridiculous, singing some songs with some kids, doing a lesson in a high school classroom on a good day or on an amazing day, doing an all day workshop with teachers or students. All these little things are very rewarding and if at the end of my day I’ve done anything productive such as doing the equivalent of 2 loads of laundry with nothing but a bucket and a scrub brush I consider it a day well spent. However, though all the little things add to a happy journey, it’s sometimes discouraging when I have nothing grand to think about before I fall asleep at night, something that makes me feel proud every day. The small accomplishments I made with Paraguayans were as fregçquent but often times less frequent than the frustrations. Also, the challenges of living in a different culture, of speaking in a foreign language all day (2 very different foreign languages at that) of doing laundry by hand, of walking 1 or 2 miles in the heat to buy milk, or most major items are very exhausting both physically and mentally. The exhaustion I’m describing though is the kind of exhaustion that just drains you instead of strengthening you. I was looking for something to wear me out but refuel me as well. Something that would push me to my limits and let me rejoice in my small victories. I began to realize that training for a marathon was exactly what I was looking for. So, I told my three friends I would join them in their insanity and recruited a few others. It’s amazing how willing Peace Corps volunteers are to join you in a life changing commitment, I guess it’s because we are all already in one. Or maybe we all need something to get us through our 2 years and spending 6 months working on a personal goal helps us out.
Just like my first few months of peace corps training made me fear my commitment even more than I had when I was clueless, so did my first few weeks of marathon training. I started running a few days a week and followed the advice of my marathon training for dummies book. I just went outside, ran as far as I could without stopping and then walked until I felt I could run again and continued this for about 2 miles. I could only run about 5 min before having to stop, out of breath and tired. I was very worried I would be incapable of doing this at first. As I read through the dummies book, I became intimidated at how serious it sounded, how much time it would consume out of my daily life and how much sacrifice and discipline it would take. I then found a new book “ The NON Runner’s Guide to Marathon Training For Woman” I instantly became relieved. A whole book dedicated to people like me, NON runners who want to experience a marathon without dying. The author was a 25 year old woman raising money for a stroke association in honor of her grandfather but actually hated exercise. She pretty much bitches her way through her entire training being encouraged by her friend “chipper Jen” and consistently makes fun of how serious people take themselves and their marathon training. She refers to the equipment using her own made up descriptions such as “you will need a water bottle butt thingy but any water carrying device will do, I’m sure you could strap one of those beer holding hard hats on and drink water from tubes as you run” the author, Dawn soon became my hero and after reading her book, I knew if she could do a marathon, so could I.
As I entered into my 16 week training plan, from Dawn’s book I no longer felt overwhelmed. I entered into a stage I was comfortable with, just as I’ve become comfortable in Paraguay, I became comfortable with running. If I looked at the entire 16 week calendar, it became overwhelming. I reminded myself that I tried not to think of my 2 year stint in Peace Corps as 2 years but rather tried to focus on what I wanted to get accomplished that month. This is what I began to do with running. I just took it day by day, following the schedule and trying to avoid the increasing numbers on the calendar on Saturdays. You see, Saturdays are long run days. During the week, you have 3-4 short runs and a couple rest days, along with a cross training day. Then on Saturday they take your total weekly short run miles and then double it to get your long run mileage. At first the long runs started out like 4 or 5 miles. Then they went up to 6, 8, 9, 12 and on up to 16 and 18. Most training programs only make you run 18-20 miles for you longest run. My schedule however, went up to 22 because it wasn’t as intense as other programs throughout most of the training. No matter what training program you’re using, you never actually run a full marathon until race day. Coaches say that if you can run 20 miles you can run a marathon because the excitement of the race day will carry you through the last six miles. Dawn Dais says in her book “What the? Excitement of the day? Carrying me through 6 friggin miles?” She then makes up a funny conversation between two people at an Olymic even pointing out that no one just trains for 2/3 of an athletic event.
“Johny here is going for the Olymic Gold Medal in the triple jump. Tell me about your training program Johny.”
“Well, Jim, basically we just trained for the first two jumps, and I’m hoping that the excitement of the Olympics pretty much carries me through the last jump”
“oh, that would explain why all of those high jumpers over there are only jumping moderately high….”
She has a point, but now that I’ve run 22 miles I can see why coaches say that. After 20 miles, you are in tremendous pain and delirious enough to not even comprehend what 6 more miles is. You just stay in your zombie like zone and keep picking up your feet, although it’s difficult because your quad muscles are the first to go, causing people to drag their feet across the finish line. Running a marathon isn’t exactly the kindest thing you can do to your body, so I understand why they only make you do it once and push you as far as possible but not over the limit in training.
Now that I’ve run a distance 4.2 miles under a marathon, I estimate it will take me about 5-5 ½ hours to finish the marathon. That is a very slow pace, like 11.5 to 12 min miles. Not to mention, I am used to taking breaks under mango trees and at people’s houses where I fill up my water bottles. I also feel no shame in taking several walk breaks. There are actually marathoners that have completed a marathon in under 3 hours, walking for a minute at every water station. I tend to walk for more than a minute when I take my breaks but as far as I’ve read, this is a very smart strategy for beginners who don’t want to collapse at mile 10. Slow and steady wins the race. I’m not out to win anything but I am out to finish a marathon without dying. One more reason to have faith in myself is Oprah. Oprah finished a marathon in 4 ½ hours. She was 40 years old when she did it and Dawn points out “she had years of weight fluctuations, weird diets and bad hair to contend with when she ran. I don’t harbor any ill feelings towards Oprah. Everyone loves Oprah, Oprah loves Oprah. But if Oprah can do this, I can too” I now have two heroes. Dawn and Oprah. I am 26 years old, have been in relatively good shape my whole life and am a stubborn red head. There is no reason why I can’t do this. I can. I am able. I will. My brother and one of my best friends are both leukemia survivors and have run marathons to raise thousands of dollars for the leukemia society. My sister has done a half marathon to raise money for the same organization. Apparently there is a new family tradition and I am proud to be joining it. Who knows, maybe all of us will do one together one day. For now I’m just hoping to make it through my first marathon without loosing a knee.
I only have 3 more weeks of training. This week will consist of several short runs during the week and a short run on the weekend. By short run, I mean 6 miles. When did running 6 miles ever seem short to me? The 2nd to last week will be even fewer miles, down to 3 a day. The final week of training looks like it will be my favorite. It includes one short run and 5 consecutive rest days, lots of hydration, carbohydrate loading and picking out my marathon day outfit. I am looking forward to this week. The tapering off period is much needed and much appreciated at this point. In my peace corps service I feel I am starting to approach into my “tapering off period”. I only have 7 more months in Paraguay and 20 behind me. I can see the end of the road coming and can start to feel very accomplished and proud. Marathon day will be like my¨COS or ¨close of service¨ as a volunteer. Wrapping things up, saying my goodbyes, looking back and taking a moment to feel the magnitude of what I have done. The muscle aches, the blisters, the worn out pair of shoes are all evidence of what I have been through. Just as my worn out, sun-faded, red dirt stained clothing that has suffered two years of hand scrubbing is evidence of where I have lived. These are just physical proof though, and these things do not convey the ways in which marathon training and peace corps service have changed me and who I am forever.
The marathon is my focus right now but I am also busy finishing projects with schools because we’re approaching the end of the school year. I’ll update more about what I’m doing besides running another day. In the meantime send me inspirational messages or quotes so I can think of them when I’m at mile 23. The two friends that originally convinced me to do the marthon have dropped out of their training. There are still 6 of us who are going to do it though. All of them are faster than me, so i need some inspiration to help me keep up. Here are some sample inspirational messages from Paraguayans:
“you’re crazy”
“you’re the girl that runs a lot aren’t you?”
“I saw you walking, you are cheating, you don’t really run the whole time”
“take that dog off the rope, that’s not nice. Why do you make it run with you?”
“hissing noises and whistles from men” because I am wearing shorts
“more hissing noises”
“where are you going? Are you ok? What are you running from or where are you running to? Do you need a ride on my scooter?”
“it’s too hot to run today”
“it’s too cold to run today”
“it’s too windy to run today”
“you’re stupid for doing this”
*though there is a general lack of understanding from Paraguayans about why someone would do this to themselves they are getting a kick out of it and may have even become a little inspired to accomplish their own goals. At the very least I know I have educated a few people about exercise and the way you can train your body to sustain higher levels of exercise than you can imagine. When i do lessons on setting and accomplishing goals with high school students, i always use my marathon as an example of how to accomplish a goal, step by step. I cannot imagine anyone in my community training for a marathon, but I have seen a few more people out walking and running on the main road and maybe, just maybe that had something to do with me. And maybe they understand a little better the American ¨go get ém¨attitude of achieving a goal.
