Life Past 30

October 26 is getting so close, I can taste it.  When I set out to run the Marine Corps Marathon, this date seemed so far away.  Now, it’s a little more than 30 days away and I’m feeling anxious.  I’m going to run 7 miles today and few short runs this week so as not to overstress my muscles.  My nutrition is a lot better than it used to be with vegetables, lots of protein and carbs, and other much needed vitamins and minerals playing a large role in my training.  

In the past few months, I’ve found myself being more concerned with what I eat.  My choices have been made mostly for my marathon training, but also for long term practice.  Just a few years ago, I didn’t eat vegetables, took a daily multi-vitamin, and called it a day.  Since 2004, I haven’t been able to stop eating my favorite veggies and I feel better because of it.  When I started training, I began consuming even more vegetables, fish, seafood, pasta, and eggs to fuel my muscles and speed up the recovery time. 

Speaking of recovery, a few weeks ago I ran a long run that felt great while I was running, but I suffered severely sore muscles during the two days that followed.  That was when a friend gave me some valuable advice in the form of a bottle of Coca-Cola.  I don’t drink sodas, I stopped 8 years ago, but my friend told me the acid content in Coke would help to break down the lactic acid build-up.  Willing to try anything to ease the excruciating pain I was in, I bought a can of Coke and drank it up after eating a banana.  It worked so well within a few hours that I’ve made it an official part of my recovery regimen.  I feel I may need a couple of cans after the marathon. 

The marathon inches closer as my excitement builds.  I don’t know what to expect, although I will do my best and concentrate on finishing the race.  As long as I maintain a nice steady pace, I think I’ll be fine.  Running the marathon will be the biggest and most important thing I’ve done outside of giving birth to my daughter and I’m happy to do it. 

There will be pain, but it will be welcomed.