When Life Gets in the Way of Training
June 10, 2018 / Nicole HustonUpdated Mar 2, 2020
Disclaimer: I received a free entry into the North Olympic Discovery Marathon as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
I had big plans for the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. With ultra races leading up to this race and the Flying Pig 4-Way Challenge two weeks before I imagined myself being at peak fitness.
But throw in some other big changes like moving to the other side of the country and suddenly training wasn't my top priority. I was trying to seattle in to Settle, or settle in to Seattle, learn the neighborhoods and make my new space feel like home.
I also acquired a new cat, who had stress issues so bad that he had open sores (often times bleeding) from over grooming himself. He hid in the bathroom for the first several weeks of having him and was sensitive to little things like wearing shoes in the house or heavy winter coats that made noise.
I still at the time of writing this have not found a local running club. Back in Ohio the Columbus Run Crew helped keep me honest and make sure I was getting my long runs in.
Don't forget adjusting to the new job.
I got engaged.
Running just moved to the bottom of the priority list.
I could have changed my distance at this race but that would have been the easy way out. I committed to the full marathon and was still excited about it knowing that it likely wouldn't go as I had originally envisioned.
All the stress melted away on the way towards the expo as I saw how beautiful the area was. There was no way this trip would be a waste and I was estatic to be at the base of the Olympics. Sometimes running is about just that, running.
At one point during the marathon I saw someone running in a 22 Too Many shirt which hit me with a bit of emotion. It was the first time I saw a 22 Too Many shirt out in Washington and I got to share Todd's memory with this random stranger.
Sometimes your training falls through. I could have dropped in distance or dreaded this race. But I welcomed it with open arms and couldn't have been happier with the results despite the cold, rain, and achy legs. Find your resilience.
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