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5 ways running a marathon is like having a baby

By Elizabeth Foster
Thousands of runners surged from the start of the Thunder Road Marathon at 7:30am Saturday on Graham Street. If you are a runner, a walker, or wheel chair athlete in the Charlotte region the Novant Health Thunder Road Marathon had it all for you. An estimated 6,000 folks took part on Saturday Nov. 14, 2015. About 1,200 of those running the 26.2 miles of the marathon. The rest got their run on through several events including as a marathon relay team, a 1/2 marathon, a 5K run/walk, and a one mile fun run for kids.
Thousands of runners surged from the start of the Thunder Road Marathon at 7:30am Saturday on Graham Street. If you are a runner, a walker, or wheel chair athlete in the Charlotte region the Novant Health Thunder Road Marathon had it all for you. An estimated 6,000 folks took part on Saturday Nov. 14, 2015. About 1,200 of those running the 26.2 miles of the marathon. The rest got their run on through several events including as a marathon relay team, a 1/2 marathon, a 5K run/walk, and a one mile fun run for kids. John D. Simmons jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

Sweaty. Exhausted. Sore. Exhilarated.

If you completed Thunder Road this past weekend, you kinda know what it feels like to have a baby.

Amirite, ladies?

Pregnancy and marathon training both require preparation. Women don’t grow babies overnight (outside of questionable sci-fi). And most runners don’t decide at the last minute to sign up for 26.2 miles of toil.

Here are five other ways running a marathon is like having a baby.

(1) You think you know how it’s going to feel.

At the start, you know you’re going to hurt by the time it’s all over. You just don’t know how much.

And afterward, the next day, you are sore in places you’ve never been sore before. And all you want to do is sleep – in the car, on the stairs, in the bath – it doesn’t matter where.

(2) You look terrible when you are finished.

When you’re finished, someone will shove a camera in your face. Smile your best, but after that much grueling work the photos won’t be flattering and there are few you’ll allow on Facebook.

When you see them later, prepare to cringe. Speaking of time …

(3) The amount of time it takes will impress someone.

If you finish quickly, you’ll elicit envy in others. If it takes a super-long time, your stamina will impress everyone.

(4) People love to ask when you’ll do it again.

Sometimes they ask as soon as you’ve finished, before you can even enjoy your accomplishment. Sometimes it’s not until later, when time has passed and you’ve forgotten the effort and pain.

Some mom-runners are OK with the one-and-done approach. Some do it over and over again.

(5) In the end, you’re handed something beautiful.

A new baby or a giant finishers’ medal is your reward for all that work. And by the way race medals are trending, soon they’ll be just as big as a newborn.

https://twitter.com/Chase_Smith82/status/665564531016495104

Elizabeth Foster is a long-distance runner, a mom of two, and is considering a third. A third marathon, that is.

Photo: John D. Simmons/Charlotte Observer

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "5 ways running a marathon is like having a baby."

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