To run, or not to run...

I have had a bitter sweet experience with running.  I have had major leg pain (shin splint? stress fractures? who knows).  I did my first 5K on such a humid, unshaded, run that I felt defeated, and yet, I managed to finish with a smile.  I finished. That's what mattered to me.  I enjoy nothing about running, and yet I feel as though I need to keep doing it.  And that one of these days, I'm going to finish a mile and go, phew, that wasn't so bad.  It's been a battle in my head.  Do I want to keep going? Is it all mental? Can my body really do it and I keep making it harder than it is? Or am I trying too hard and ignoring my body?

Enter friend w/ awful idea plan. Jen (the aforementioned friend) recently asked me if I'd run a leg in the Akron Marathon. I laughed.  She didn't.  Apparently she was serious.  I reminded her that you have to finish in 6 hours.  Which means a 13-14 minute pace. A pace I don't do. I settle in around the 15-15:30 minute marker as I chug along.  Then she countered with - but it's not until September. I'd have plenty of time to prepare.  True.  I can prepare if my legs will let me.  I said maybe.   I came home and looked at the course and relay stations.


 5-Person Team Relay

Relay Point	Leg	Location	Miles
Point #1	First	0 mile/Start	3.5
Point #2	Second	3.5 mile/High St.	5.7
Point #3	Third	9.2 mile/Brown St.	6.3
Point #4	Fourth	15.5 mile/Sand Run Pkwy	2.8
Point #5	Fifth	18.3 mile/Sand Run Pkwy/Revere	7.9

After looking a bit more - we decided that our friend Beth could do the last leg.  She runs closer to a 10 min mile, so she can help pick up some of the slack.  Brooke, another coworker, would be willing to do leg 4 - because it's the shortest.  She's never run before. I tried telling her it's hilly - that's the one area people have warned me about. They say over and over - the hills make up for the short distance.  She said she'd do it anyhow.   So that left me with the first leg.  I can't commit to running anything longer than that to be honest at this point. It's just not there.  So that leaves legs 2 and 3 unmanned.  She can do either, and we're trying to rope one more coworker into picking up the last leg.  He runs around or under a 10 minute mile as well.  So hopefully the two speedy runners could help compensate for me and Brooke.   Jen, can easily maintain the minimum pace to run for completion on time.

So I'm back to deciding. Do I run or not? I don't have to commit right this second, I have until August, but if I am planning on it - I need to prepare for it now and early.  I like that it's in September, and it's a Saturday so I have all Sunday to recover before work.  I also like that I'd get a medal for competing :) That'd be exciting.

My fear - not completing.  Actually, I know I *can* do 3.5 miles.  But can I do it fast enough? Can I do it so that I don't set an awful pace for the entire team to spend the rest of the day playing catch up?

Related articles

• Have You Ever Had Shin Splints? (fitsugar.com)
• You Asked: Running and Shin Splints? (fitsugar.com)
• Why Do People Do This? (chrislocurto.com)
• Marathon Training Week 1 (crazyrunninglegs.com)