Sara Wittmeyer’s Blog

I’m really finished with my training, and I’m about to go nuts.  I’ve been warned over and over again to obey the taper and to resist the urge to squeeze in just one more long run. It is a daily struggle not to go for a long run.  I recently did an interview for KBIA and a marathoner told me something that makes so much sense now… he said, when you start training it’s awful and you dread it, and you don’t want to run. Then at the end when you’re forced to taper all you want to do is run.  So true!  I remember when I first started, I looked at the end of the week and my long run was eight miles. I resented Hal Higdon! I thought to myself, if I felt like doing eight I would, otherwise maybe I’d do five or six. In the end Hal always wins, and I’m proud to report Hal is winning now in my battle to resist long runs.

I did my last 20 miler (actually 21 miles) two weeks ago, and it was awesome! I felt so good.  At mile 18 I ate about three energy chews and that really helped me float through the rest of my miles.  At the end, I was in a complete state of euphoria;  it made me realize I have no idea what crossing the finish line in Miami is going to be like!

Saturday I did my last double digit run – 13 miles. I forgot to apply my chafing powder, and yikes – I am still paying for it. I recommend Body Glide if you are looking for a good product.  I prefer the stick kind to the cream.  The problem is with all the chafing products I’ve tried, they only work for a couple hours.  After that, you need to reapply if possible.

Today is a cross training day.  I’ll likely try the pool for a bit because I’m very nervous about hurting, stressing, or pulling anything this late in the game. Only eight more (baby) runs until the big day!

I’ve spent much of the evening reading about Ted Corbitt, and realizing I was wrong… I’d heard about Corbitt’s battles with racism and I just assumed he lived in the South. It turns out, though that he and I are from the same place – Cincinnati, Ohio. Ted Corbitt was a actually a member of the University of Cincinnati’s track team. During college he ran about 200 miles a week. Later in his life, while training for his first hundred mile run, he set a goal to run 1200 miles…in one month! He fell short by about 200, but still, wow!

At the end of this week, I will have surpassed the 500 mile mark since my training began in late September. I’ve never kept track of my miles before, but I’m finding it’s incredibly motivating. Because I’m competitive, it’s nice to be able to have something tangible to see and then try to beat it. Before the new year, I was thinking about making a resolution, and I thought maybe I’d set a mileage goal of 1500. Doing the math though, that was less than 30 miles a week. I worried I’d hit my mileage mark in July, and then just flounder the rest of the year. Ultimately I decided not to make this my resolution and instead focus on increasing my number of high mileage races and improving in each event.

Who knows what’s next.

I feel like Corbitt would be proud. In the book I am reading, First Marathons by Gail Waesche Kislevitz, Corbitt writes: “You don’t need a goal, you don’t need a race, you don’t need the hype of a so-called fitness craze. All you need is a cheap pair of shoes and some time. The rest will follow.”

There’s peace in that for me. It’s almost like one of the greatest runners of all time is signing off on my plan for the next year. In addition, I’ll take Corbitt’s words to the start line with me in Miami. When all my worries about hitting the wall, my foot giving out, painful side stitches – start swirling through my head, I’m going to remind myself to stop and think about Corbitt – I have the shoes and I’ve put in the time.

If you aren’t familiar with Corbitt’s story, it’s worth reading. He’s a legend. Oh, and his birthday is January 31- the same day as the Miami Marathon.