As obvious as many of these similarities are, I cannot help but point out...
1. Long term training/preparation for a difficult but pleasurable goal. I did the labor thing twice, the marathon thrice and I am appropriately going for a 4th time. 4 races. 4 kids. My goal was to do it within the year of the babies being born and it worked in 2005 and 2007. This year my mother and I will tackle walking/jogging the beast for charity.
2. You cannot wait for it to be over (labor) but then you miss the training (being pregnant).
3. The curiousness/dumb questions. "How long is that marathon?" "Did you try to have twins?" etc.
4. No pain no gain. This one is clear.
5. Breathe!
6. The weight- marathon training makes you hungry and lean and muscular. Baby making, well you are hungry and big but unfortunately flabby and deflated and stretch marked when you are done.
7. Spectators/supporters/commentators- Most of this is positive and I TRULY appreciate everyone's support in this pregnancy especially, which could have been hard... but ended up being great- the easiest physically (I still do not weigh as much as I did when M was born). When you are in the marathon, the cheering is of utmost importance as well, you do not want to let anyone down. The flip side of the commenting/inquiring/cheering, is when you cannot take it anymore. See below.
8. The end: When you have run 25 miles or 25.8 miles, you know where you are in the race. When you have gained 40 something pounds and your due date is approaching and EVERY person you see EVERY day asks you "When are/were you due?". "Are you still here?", "How much longer?"- as unfriendly as it is/I am, I feel like hurting them, just like the spectators drinking coffee or screwdrivers at mile 25 yelling "You are almost there." I know where the hell I am and it is not as close to the end as I need to be so ZIP it.
9. The reward: Obviously babies are better than medals. The feeling of accomplishment and awe at the human body is huge in both cases though. You get to keep your kids and love them and they are clearly 1000 times more important than your athletic feat. But, in my psychotic mind, there are some strong parallels that make these seemingly insurmountable tasks, a joy. The mental piece is clutch. The physical daunting. The emotional overwhelming. The whole thing: priceless.
May be I should try to run a marathon !
ReplyDeleteEverybody should. Life altering. Even if you have to walk and run and crawl...
ReplyDeleteI'll try to be there, mostly crawling.
ReplyDeleteI'll try,also try try, to begin training and see if I feel is doable.
the next thing would be to cheat by buying somebody's entry. I cannot commit to $ 3000 in money rising.
but do not bet much on me.
I do not have your superb powerful mind