Are you looking forward to the Chicago Marathon on Sunday? I know it is a long way to run and it is going to be cold and windy. I know that I will not be there.

I admire the people who can do it–friends who have run so many marathons their hips are crumbling, Oprah Winfrey dragging her Radio Flyer Wagon loaded with adipose tissue, the former lab employee who looked like a Sumo wrestler but ran like a gazelle. I admire my daughter and her friend who managed a half-marathon and then swore off running forever. But I don’t have the time, dedication,  or willpower to accomplish a 26.2 Sunday morning slog.

Instead, I decided on my own, more reasonable (to me) marathon. 26.2 miles, spread over 7 days of running. Doable, enjoyable, and not likely to put me in the ER with chest pain. So I laced up my New Balance 880’s (two pairs, one at home and one at the fitness center) lined up my SeaBlue and UroPartners running shirts, and got to work.

I didn’t force myself to run for 7 straight days, my knees would complain too much about that, and I didn’t want to commit myself to run on Yom Kippur. I set a goal to complete my multi-day marathon in 10 days or less. In the past two weeks, there have been all types of running days. Some have been blazing hot and humid, some with a light chill and even lighter rain in the air, and a few that were absolutely perfect. I have jogged through all of them. 3.8 miles one day, 3.4 on another, 5.3 on a glorious Sunday morning, cobbling together a course through subdivisions and industrial parks. I didn’t run quite enough to get a runner’s high, but I also never had to force myself to break through “the wall.”

And at the end of the 7th day of running, I rested. I had my marathon and a little more…27.3 miles to be precise. A small accomplishment, but I stayed safe and finished each run checking off the smiley face emoji on my Run Keeper running app.

I wish good luck to the thousands who will run the big race on Sunday. You’ve trained hard and you will run hard. As for me, I’ve got my miles and met my goal. I might even give myself a little participation trophy as I pack away my running shoes until next year.

 

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