My First Marathon

On the morning of November 22nd, 2009 I was anxious, but mostly excited because one way or another I was going complete a goal I never really thought possible. Running 26.2 miles, a dream that began after I got into running for real when living in Chicago. I ran my first 5K for my 30th birthday in 2004, 10k for my birthday in 2008 and then a half marathon in April of 2009. I decided I was ready to tackle a full.

I woke up at about 6am, ate a bagel, two scrambled eggs, drank a red bull. Lubed up with body glide, put Two Tom’s Blister powder in my socks and headed out the door. I met up with my running group after weaving my way through the crowd which was about 7,000 strong. We took pictures and lined up for the start. The marathon began with the singing of the national anthem which never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Then there were fireworks! So perfect. I crossed the start line at about 7:35 or later. It was not fully light and the mass of runners was mostly silent but a tense energy was thick in the air.

For me, it seemed like there were three main parts. 1) The downtown/city part with most of the hills (Miles 1-12.) 2) The out on Riverside Drive (Miles 12-20) and 3) The back on Riverside Drive (Miles 20-26.2.) The early part was pretty okay, I felt entertained, excited and strong. Stopped to put mole skin on my toes at mile 8 because I felt some blisters forming. Also stopped to pee once early on. Eventually, ended up stopping to pee 2x which I thought was odd because I never had to pee on any of my long training runs.

Second part was hardest, I felt like I was dragging, hurting feet, cramping muscles and only at mile 14. Around then I had to stop and take off my shoes. Bad blisters on both big toes and right heal. A few minutes of fresh air and rearranging my socks helped a tiny bit. At mile 15 or so a lady asked if she could run with me. She was running the relay and was headed down river to meet a friend. I said sure, turns out she was super talkative, a trainer from Fleet Feet and while normally I would have found her annoying…she was just what I needed. She got me out of my head , kept me talking and her garmin said I was setting a pace between 12-13 miles per hour which was great by me. She and the other folks I knew who I encountered along the way told me I looked great and seemed strong. I wasn’t sure. Shortly, thereafter I saw the coach of my running team. Lisa was dressed as a cheer leader and had positioned herself at key places along the route. I told her about how I was feeling and she gave me ibuprophen and soy sauce. I took the medicine right away and the packet of soy sauce at the next water stop. They both seemed to really help.

Fleet feet lady peeled off at mile 17 and I was on a roll. I only had three miles to go to get to mile20! At mile 20 I felt a rush of emotions. I cried because I was doing something that until very recently I did not believe I was capable of. I’m not a runner….I’m not an athlete. I am short…maybe even stocky. For me running is tough, I chug. And yet…here I was running a marathon and I’m only 6.2 miles out. This is when it hit me that the experience was changing who I knew myself to be. I kept running.

Since it was the back of an out and back I saw other folks I knew coming in. Some from my running group and one from TV! Sean was a contestant on the biggest loser…he was walking, looked in pain, had an entourage…but he was moving. I yelled for him and gave him a high five. I was tempted to wave and yell at lots of folks, but I forced myself to conserve energy. I kept my head down, arms close to my body, hands loose and kept running.

At about mile 23 I saw my sister Heath and Brother-in-law to be, Noah. They had come out on their bikes and helped bring me in. They took some pics and I kept running. At mile 25 I felt a sharp brief pain in my right baby toe. I realized that a blister had burst. Good, it felt better after that. I ran it in and cried a little crossing the finish line. I got my metal. I met up with Heath, Noah and my dad. I got a free beer and a brief massage. Then we went out for pizza. Then I went home, iced, more ibuprophen and hot bath.

It all sort of sounds anti-climatic, but I think that is because my mental, emotional and physical responses got sort of numb at the finish. In the following days I felt muscle pain, aftermath of blisters and I think I’m going to lose my right big toenail. But more important, an intense, personal sense of satisfaction that only comes from a long term goal realized. There is nothing like achieving something that is relentlessly demanding mentally, emotionally, and physically. It is life affirming.