Total Posts: 5
3.3 Years Ago

MY FIRST MARATHON!

I started out very easy doing my first 3 loops in 30 minutes a loop. I had a blast the first 4 (out of 8) loops but from there it went downhill. Loop 5, 6 and 7 were pretty bad and especially in loop 6 and 7, I started to hate running thinking of why I am doing this: paying money and driving 400 miles for running my butt off.

Arriving at the loop checkpoint for the last loop was, to my surprise, quite a relieve. My friend, Pascal Seiler from Switzerland, who came with me and supported me every time I completed a loop, must have seen that I was tired and in pain. I took off my bottle carrier and took my IPot Shuffle. I wanted to do my last round with no baggage and listen to some great goa-trance tunes by Infected Mushroom. To take off for my last loop was easier than I though despite the pain in my legs, hips, back, and arms and especially on my left fingers.

Deliberately I didn't listen to any music for the last 7 loops in the hope that it will give me the right boost, which worked out very well. I've finished my second-last loop in more that 45 minutes and leaving for the last loop at 4:25 I hoped to be strong enough to finish before the 5 hour mark. With this I took off light and great because of the music.

Along the way, as a motivational move, I said good-bye to the tallest trees, the Honey Dew Doughnuts store, some of the traffic lights and especially the beautiful lake. I ran a good round without stopping, which didn't happen since the past 3 loops. My legs felt they could dead-look with any step but that was a risk I wanted to take.

In the last mile I pushed some more and started to run faster. I passed a few runners, who were probably on their last loop too. I recall passing a younger woman and she then tried to catch up with me again. Seeing her coming towards me I started to run as fast as I could and turned into my last left corner to the finish line. The spectators, around 30 people, were great probably recognizing my pain and efforts and cheering me on. While crossing the finish line I glimpsed the clock and was recognizing to my greatest joy that I've finished my first marathon, after starting running in a little more than 4 months, in 4 hours 59 minutes and 58 seconds. That truly was a great feeling.

I totally expected my legs to go into total shock and they really felt funny. But I kept walking around and after 30 minutes I felt safe enough to sit in the car and have myself driven back home to Connecticut by my friend.

This was something I read so much about it. A marathon isn't something special to achieve and I have way higher goals in mind but I've got the whole menu served: delicious pre-race excitement, the juicy power and grace of the first half of the race, the rather sour next few miles of pain and repeated question why I am doing this, and the sweet desert of my last loop with the red cherry in the form of the medal they gave me upon completing it.

The next day, my legs are a bit sore but I have no aching muscles and neither any blisters. What a great experience!

Total Posts: 719
3.3 Years Ago

Total Posts: 176
3.3 Years Ago

Total Posts: 5
2.8 Years Ago

I started running on January 10, 2006. I ran an incredible 1/5 of a mile and then I thought I was going to die right there on the spot!

Now I am running a strong (but slow) 3.5 miles...it is truly amazing how quickly the body adapts to the brain's wacky ideas! LOL

I am loving running and just push myself each day to go just a wee bit more than the day before.

I look forward to exploring these boards more and hearing more stories...

this is my first day on this website.

Thanks all!

deer

Total Posts: 2
10.4 Months Ago

Total Posts: 36
10.4 Months Ago

I think Portland is great, it's not in September but close, October 5. There is great crowd support, bands on the route and well managed. Alot of downtown hotels where you can walk to the start and finish. The course is open a long time because a huge amount of walkers do this one and this race welcomes them. It's a pretty fast course considering its in the Pacific Northwest, with just one substantial hill. Good luck with your training and the race you choose.

Total Posts: 2
10.2 Months Ago

Thank you so much! So many good marathons are in October. My mother and I are both training for our first marathon, she in Oakland, California and I here in Albany, Georgia. She is tentatively scheduled to take a trip in October, and I'm not exactly sure of the dates.

I'm moving to the Seattle area in April. Where's Sammamish?

Bests,

Rachel

Total Posts: 36
10.2 Months Ago

Sammamish is about 10 miles east of Seattle. Good luck with your move. This area is great for running, good temps for year-round running. If you catch the marathon bug, there are many to choose from out here. Do get ready for hills, pretty hard to find a route without one.

Total Posts: 349
10.2 Months Ago

The Royal Victoria Marathon (http://www.royalvictoriamarathon.com/register.php) is supposed to be fantastic. I haven't done it but it's definitely on my list.

It is in October so may not meet your criteria but Victoria (Canada) is reasonably easy to get to from Seattle, I believe there is still a ferry and there are definitely flights.

Good luck in your training!

Total Posts: 24
5 Weeks Ago

First of all I attempted a Marathon before. Last April I went to Nashville with my amazing sisters to do the Country Music Marathon. At that Marathon I did well (for me),until mile 16, I fell and sprained my ankle and had to stop. So I did not finish.

I decided I still needed to do a marathon, and so I chose Des Moines for several reasons.

1. It's 4 hours away.

2. I have a friend that lives there.

3. It's friendly to slow people (me) and walkers.

So, I trained well until the last month. Then everything crazy happened, and I didn't get in the training that I should have.

I decided to do it anyway. We (my daughters and boyfriend) went down to Des Moines on Friday, and hung out in the area until Sunday.

(Bye the way, Kinda cool. I met the director of the film "Spirit of the Marathon" and he signed a copy of the movie for me. Way cool!!)

So on Sunday morning, I went down to the starting line and just waited. I had planned on walking and running the marathon. Just doing whatever felt right at the time. While I was waiting for the race to start, I met this woman (Kristy) at the starting line. We both said that this was going to be our 1st Marathon. We decided to just do it together agreeing ahead of time that if one of us was going too slow that the other person could go ahead. (after all we were strangers) So we talked and walked (that's right walked) through the miles. There were times that I wanted to run, but I didn't want to loose the good vibes that we had going. As the miles went on my feet were hurting more and more, but we kept the same pace. We felt amazing still at the Half Marathon mark, but I started to wear down after 16 miles. At mile 20, I started to hit my wall and also felt sick. It was at this mile that my friend (from Des Moines) showed up on the side of the course and said, "I'm doing the next 3 miles with you guys." She was amazing. Those 3 miles went by fairly fast, even though my feet and stomach hurt. We both(Kristy and I) just had something new to focus on. After each mile from 20 miles on we would say, "6 miles left, that's nothing.", "5 miles left, that's nothing." My friend left at mile 23, and my feet were really hurting. I was really feeling sick as well. At mile 24, I told Kristy "keep going, I need to slow down, I'm feeling sick." So she did, and I kept going, just at a slower pace, so I could focus on not throwing up or having any other problems. I only had 2.2 miles to go and even though I said, "2 miles, that's nothing" I knew it was something. I kept going, very slowly.

Then, when I was a half a mile away from the finish line, I saw my two daughters (and my boyfriend), the girls wanted to run in with me. I still felt sick, but I did it anyway. The girls seemed so proud of me (they are 14 and 9 years old) So we came in. At the end, the anouncer called my name and said that I finished. I raised my arms and yelled, "Rejoice, We Conquer" and then was rushing to get my medal.

They made me turn around and take off my timing chip, and then a lady gave me a medal, and a bottle of water, and then I took off my shoes.

I had a huge blister on one foot, and toe. And the other big toe was starting to turn a pretty color purple.

Regardless, of what anyone thinks, I finished, yes I walked almost all of it. But, I did the same 26.2 miles as the winner. I am really happy with the results.

I want to do another one, but I'm not ready yet. My feet have to heal.

Immediately following the marathon, everyone called and congratulated me. My sisters, my mom, my friends. I of course cried. (I'm kind of a big baby) It was wonderful.