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Braving Boston: Amy’s Journal [Part I]

Posted January 12, 2008 at 02:00 PM by Amy Hinrich

Section: Her Adventure, Her Fitness, Athletics, Training Programs, Her Motivation

Meet Amy Hinrichs - part student, part writer, part comedienne - and part marathon runner. This April, Amy will embark on her first ever Boston Marathon. Whether you run ‘em, or only dream about it, join Amy on her training adventure as she prepares to join the thousands of intrepid runners in treading those incomparable 26.2 miles.

The joy of training for a marathon. (Yes, I promise you that the words” joy” and “marathon” may be found in the same sentence. You might have to dig beyond those extra glucose stores to find it, but it’s there. It’s possible.) Now I know what you’re all thinking. “This woman has got to be crazier than Britney Spears shaving her head if she thinks there is anything joyful about running 26.2 miles in the same day, let alone training for it.” – Well, I am here to inform you that running 26.2 miles in the same day is possible, and what better way to do that than to include you in my training plan?

Don’t worry, you won’t have to strap on your running shoes and join me in my 18 mile long runs (enter breathe of relief here), because for the next 4 months I will not only be logging miles but I will also be logging my thoughts in these articles. I am going to include the dirty details too, so I recommend you eat prior to reading, for the sake of your appetite. For example; I currently only have 4 out of 10 toenails because I lost the other 6 to marathon training. See what I mean? I am going to talk about everything from nutrition to running socks to blister prevention, because ultimately, preparing to run 26.2 miles includes a wide range of issues. My hope is that I will inspire you to strap on your shoes and embrace the Marathon challenge, but if that doesn’t happen, hopefully you’ll be convinced that you don’t have to be the next Deena Kastor to run a marathon, and maybe you’ll sign up for an upcoming 5k.

How did I get into running marathons? A lot of people have incredibly influential stories as to what motivated them to run their first marathon, and I wish I did too, but mine is actually quite simple. I was sitting in a coffee shop with a friend who out of nowhere said “I’m going to run the Chicago marathon in October,” and I looked back at her and couldn’t believe the words that came out of my mouth. “Oh, me too!” That’s literally what happened. Allow me to further explain:

Friend (out of nowhere): I’m going to run the Chicago marathon in October.

Me (apparently on some kind of drug): Oh, me too!

Friend: Really?!

(Now, this is where I could have easily backed out by informing the friend that I was merely kidding and there was no way in Dante’s Inferno that I’d be running a marathon.)

Me: Yeah!

(But instead of backing out, I basically entered the point of no return.)

Friend: Great! I’ve always wanted to run a marathon.

Me: Yeah, same here!

(Beyond point of no return. Now entering “Marathon Training 101”)

All I can say is I’m glad my friend didn’t tell me she was participating in an Ironman that October, because not only would I have entered the point of no return, I also would have entered the point of actual insanity and quite possibly death. I say this because contrary to popular belief, you can be sane and run a marathon all at the same time. As I mentioned previously, there is a 99% chance that you’re not Deena Kastor (and if you actually are Deena Kastor, can you please send me an autographed picture?) and with not being Deena Kastor comes the realization that you don’t need to win the marathon in order to run it. All you need is a little motivation, or in my case…a friend, a coffee shop, and a mind-altering drug known as too much espresso.

With that being said, you do need a motivator. I’ve completed three marathons and will be running my fourth this April, and there are still days when I’d rather sit in bed and watch America’s Next Top Model for 12 straight hours. (Um, that may or may not have been what I did on most recent rest day…) So, what do I do? I wake up, go running, and then sit and watch America’s Next Top Model. (Kidding. Well, kind of.) Staying motivated is the most important aspect of both training for a marathon and actually running a marathon. I know this for a fact, because that motivation is what carried me through the last 12 miles of my first marathon when I was almost positive I lost my quadriceps back at mile 14.2. So what is my motivation? It changes daily. Some days it’s reflecting on past marathons that excite me, and some days it’s purely my stubborn attitude that gets me through. Either way it’s something, and we all got to have it.

Alright ladies, before I make anymore unnecessary Britney Spears references, I’m excited to share this journey with you, because that’s ultimately what a marathon is; a journey of all sorts. I recently qualified for the Boston Marathon, and will be running it on April 21st – so between now and April 21st, I plan to share my training life, in all of it’s gritty details.

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Tags: boston marathon, chicago marathon, fitness, marathon training, motivation, runners motivation, running, running journals, running stories, women's marathons, women's running

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