The Marathon

I won't leave you in too much suspense -- yes, I did it.  I successfully completed my first marathon.  And I met two of my goals by not only finishing, but finishing under five hours (4:46:17 was my finish time).

I woke up at 3:00 am on Sunday to get ready to leave for Vermont by 4:00 am.  Those of you who know my current weekday routine know that this is par for the course for me.  It took about two hours to get to Vermont, during which time I saw the sunrise over the mountains and encountered several white-tailed deer and little fawns.  At 6:45 I was on shuttle bus from the finish line in Manchester to the start in Bennington.  Then I checked in, picked up my goodie bag (why don't they wait to distribute these until AFTER the race???), and geared up physically and mentally.

The race started at 9:00 am.  At the time, the temperature was cool and there was a light sprinkling of rain, which felt pretty good.  The first five miles were spent finding my pace (holding back to save energy for the rest of the race) and enjoying the nice scenery.  We went through Bennington College, which had a hill that would not end...and then just as it began to turn around a bend, it went up some more.  Crazy.

Then the rain got heavier.  By mile six we were officially running in a downpour.  It didn't take long for me to be soaked to the bone -- shirt, shorts, socks, and shoes.  For those of you who have done the Warrior Dash, imagine how soaked you were after the moat obstacle.  Now imagine running like that for 20 more miles.  With heavy, water-logged shoes that feel like they have three-pound dumbbells in the soles and no promise of sun to dry you out.  Only steady, chilling rain.

Regardless, I was feeling pretty good and had a strong, relaxed pace up to mile 17.  Miles 17-19 were hell.  That's all I have to say.  Regardless, I kept running and was very proud to run the first 20 miles of the race without walking (the only stop was a port-a-potty break after mile 18....but this was highly necessary).

I took a short walk break during mile 21 and that seemed to do the trick.  I regained some life and ran up to mile 22 with a little more "oomph."  And then my hips locked up and my thighs tightened.  Each step became a struggle and my stride shrunk down to a sad little shuffle.  My cardio was fine -- I could've kept going at a faster pace, but my legs would not allow it. 

No one can prepare you for how hard those last few miles are.  No marathoner you talk to can effectively explain the amount of willpower involved to keep going when your body wants to give up.  It amounts to a tears-in-your-eyes battle with yourself to just put one foot in front of the other and convince yourself that each step takes you closer to the four miles you have left.

I did what I had to do to keep going.  I walked, I jogged, I even tried interval running a little, although my runs were more like jogs.  The race volunteers were AMAZING.  Just when you felt like you'd had enough punishment, you could hear voices cheering just over the next hill at the aid station, and that gave you the drive to make it there.  And when you got there:  "Water?"  "Gatorade?"  "You're looking good!"  "Almost there!"  "You can do it!"

A few miles later, I approached the bend of the last road that would lead me towards the finish line.  The course was set up so that you were led PAST the finish area, up around another curve, and then back towards the finish -- which I found very cruel.  But soon I was on the grassy patch of the home stretch.  I kicked it in -- although at that point my kick was more of a jog -- and crossed the finish line victoriously.

I wasn't doubled-over or panting for breath.  I was hobbling a little due to my fried quadriceps and -- as I would later find out -- a monster blister on my right instep the size of a cherry.  But overall I had a great finish and have a wonderful sense of accomplishment.  I realize what I am capable of when I put my mind to something 100%.

There is no cheating with running.  You'd either put in the work or you didn't.  You can't just show up at the race without training and be like, "I think I'll run a marathon today."  Every single person who showed up to that race put in the time it took to get their body into a state where they could survive the distance.  I was so proud to be a part of that race yesterday.

Would I do another marathon?  Maybe.  I think it's similar to what people say about child birth.  After enough time passes, you forget about the pain and want to do it all over again.  We'll see.  There are definitely lots of things I learned and that I would do differently next time around (such as not getting sick the last two weeks before the race, ha ha).  Maintaining better and more consistent nutrition remains at the top of my list.  Despite knowing better, I adopted "marathon runner's diet," where you figure you ran a ton of miles so you can afford yourself indulgences.  I'd like to see what I could achieve by sticking to a more sound fueling plan.

In the meantime, I've set my next goal as my first triathlon with the Crystal Lake Triathlon in August.  I don't think I'll start up another blog for that, but I will keep Facebook updated with my training experiences and musings.

I could not have completed this marathon without the help of many people who, whether they know it or not, propelled me towards my personal victory yesterday.  Here are the people who helped me make my goal happen:

• Laurie - who first put the idea in my head this past fall.  Your victory gave me the gumption to try it on my own.
• Allison - for cheering me on in all my endeavors, including this one.
• The one and only Mr. Jim Murphy - for always singing my praises and lending me Hal Higdon's marathon book -- the guide to my success.
• Jared - thanks for your great tips and coaching this winter.
• My sissy Wauwa - who was simultaneously running her "marathon" as I was training for mine.  Thanks for the encouragement and congratulations on earning your degree.
• Emily - for reading my rantings on this blog religiously and putting up with my training recaps every morning.
• Nancy and Michaela - you are both such an inspiration to me and others.  Best of luck to you as you train for the Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon.
• Pattie, Rose, Linda, and Carrie - you guys are my own personal cheer-leading squad!  Thanks for reading my blog and giving your wonderful words of encouragement.
• Frank - for being my informal running coach and giving me your sage advice.  We can't all be as tough as you, but we can try.
• Tom - for swapping running stories as we each work towards our running goals.  Who knows -- maybe ultras are in our future!
• All the Autotaskers who took five minutes in the cafeteria to ask me how my training was going.  Those little exchanges really gave me a boost.  Thank you.
• My Boot Campers - you guys are rock stars and provide me with inspiration every single day.  Watching you grow is a real privilege.
• And finally, most importantly, Mom.  You were my fan club on both the days when I could've just as easily skipped training AND on the days when I was feeling great.  Thank you for doing the crazy things most fan clubs do, like waiting in the car for four hours in the rain while I ran so that I could hug you at the finish line.  It's easy to believe I can achieve anything when you already believe it for me.

Thank you for sharing my adventure over the past several months.  I hope that you are inspired to start one on your own.  It doesn't have to be a marathon.  It can be anything -- a 5K, going back to school, getting a new job, learning a new instrument, or starting a business.  Just set a goal, make a plan, and get busy!