Complete a Marathon

In the summer of ’09 (mid-list creation) my sister asked me if I’d run a half-marathon with her. I’m not a runner, however, in 2003, I ran a half-marathon with a friend of mine. For some strange reason, I turned to Megan and said, “Well, I’ve already run a half, so why don’t we train for a full?” ...I’m sure the only reason those words came out of my mouth was because I said them while sitting in a boat drinking a beer. Anything seemed possible at that moment in time…



Since I’m not a natural runner (is anyone really a “natural” runner anyway???) crossing a finish line wasn’t enough incentive for me…I needed to know I was running for a greater purpose. So after some research, we made a decision to train with, and raise money for, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). A month or so later we found ourselves at the kick-off meeting officially committing to a 26.2 mile run and raising $7,800 for LLS.


When I ran my half-marathon, I thought, “13.1 miles is plenty. I can’t imagine ever doing a full marathon. 26.2 miles is a long way...and the thought of having multiple training runs over 13 miles seems awful…” I won’t bore you with the details of the various training runs for the marathon, but the big-picture over view is: we had decent weather for the majority of our training so for the most part running outside wasn’t too bad. It started to get uncomfortably cold in mid-December (the marathon took place mid January) and I finally drew the line with outdoor runs at 20*. The thought getting up at 5:45 a.m. to run 15 miles, around a lake, in 7 degree weather wasn’t going to happen…I think my rationale was reasonable. Generally speaking, it was fun to hit different milestones throughout the training. The first milestone took place in November when I ran the farthest I had ever run…15 miles. The other milestone (at least mentally) was the 20 mile training run in mid-December. I knew if I could run 20 (in the cold and snow)…I could run the 26.2.


Normally, I’m a very level headed, rational thinker. When most people run a marathon their thoughts and fears are, “Will I finish”? “I hope I don’t get a knee injury.” Or, for those with a competitive edge, “I want to finish in the top 10% of my age bracket.” Nope. Not me. My fears were more along the lines of, “I hope I finish without a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or aneurism…” Not so “level-headed”… Actually, my fear wasn’t TOTALLY irrational…and here’s why. (Oh, FYI, some of you reading this…especially if you’ve known me for a long time may be surprised by what I’m about to type. So, know this isn’t a “secret”…it’s just never come up in conversation…) BUT, ever since I’ve been 3 years old, I’ve been an insulin dependent diabetic. So, my heart attack/stroke concern wasn’t totally off base.


My other “concern” (and this is a more logical concern) was: “Will I hit ‘the wall’?” In talking to a few marathoners, I often heard stories about how your body starts to “shut down” at mile 20. And how, “the last 6.2 miles are the hardest.” When I asked people to explain what they mean by “your body starts to shut down” they’d often say, “You’ll see…” What the…?!?


The night before the race, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society hosted an inspirational pasta party dinner. Two individuals spoke that evening. The first spoke primarily to encourage us physically. He reminded us that completing the race wasn’t about winning or getting the best time. He also pointed out that only 1% of the population has completed a marathon. He did a good job of easing nerves and inspiring us to have fun and savor each moment along the way.


The second speaker was the father of a girl who passed away of Leukemia a few years ago. His talk centered around “Yes, tomorrow you will run 26.2 miles, but the greater accomplishment is the impact you had on LLS”. All the Team in Training participants for this event raised a total of $1.6 million. I’m not sure if you know this, but that’s a lot of money.


Towards the end of his daughter’s life, she created a list of the “10 Secrets Living”. Since her list is so insightful, I’m sharing it in hopes that my friends, family, and fellow bloggers will also be encouraged by the wisdom of this 15 year old girl, I hope it will help to put some things in your life into perspective as it did mine.


10: Deal with life one day at a time.


9: Turn every life experience into a learning experience.


8: Always look for the positive.


7: Try to do at least one new thing everyday.


6: Be true to yourself.


5: Touch as many lives as you can.


4: Enjoy the little things.


3: Don’t sweat the small stuff.


2: Hold on to your friends.


1: Make everyday count.


I really like her list. It’s simple yet deep. And what I love about it the most is written by a person who clearly knew life here on earth is temporary.


Ok, I hate switching gears like this, but I’m going to for lack of a better segue. Since this is a blog about the marathon…I should probably write something about the actual race experience. I didn’t have a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or aneurism…Yay! We could not have asked for better weather. Sunny and about 72*. Every mile was marked by a live band and a water station...which made the miles go by pretty fast. I ran solo the majority of the time which meant it was a lot easier to pace myself. Though I didn't break any records...I was able to finish strong...which is better than my original goal "not to die". :)


Mile 21 was probably the “breakthrough” mile marker. At that point I found myself thinking,”I’m actually going to complete a marathon!! –and- I’m actually feeling really good…!” –and- “I'd actually consider doing this again." Plus, it didn’t hurt that the band on the side of the road was playing, “I’m Proud to be an American”. I honestly started getting a little “vaclempt”.


Though my diabetes doesn’t play a major role in my day-to-day life, there was something really cool about the fact that I was a diabetic and I was running a marathon. I think one of the best things I did throughout the race was simply listen to my body. If I needed to stretch, I’d stretch. Walk, I’d walk. Get water, I’d get water. If I felt like I could keep running…then I’d keep running. And, much like on my safari experience, I was struck by the fact that God and His creation are pretty amazing.


As for the next day, well, I felt great! I think it’s because I stayed on my feet and kept moving after the race.


Am I glad I did it? Definitely. Will I do it again? Maybe…nothing is ever out of the question.