That's it. Hunched over and completely out of it, I am seen here after completing 26.2 miles yesterday. This is the outcome of four months of training and enough for one more blog post about the whole running experience. I should probably mention the details from the start (not the starting line). My alarm buzzed in my ear at 5:45 in the morning and I hopped out of bed as I would any other day. I knew what the fateful morning had in store for me but I was not nervous. Surprised? I was. I thought I'd be shaking in my boots! (I mean, running shoes...) Au contraire! I made sure I had all the essentials: Bib with the number 9 (I wish I could say it was because they predicted me to finish in 9th place...but it's just random. Sorry to disappoint), IPod, Ellen t-shirt, running shorts, two pairs of socks, and a running chip for my shoes. I was all ready, set to go! As my parents drove with me to downtown, I was still not nervous but curious. I wasn't sure what to expect but as I saw people warming up with quick little sprints or jogs, I grew more and more eager. I didn't have much time to contemplate running back home before it was time to line up. Within moments the crowd of 1400 runners were counting down from ten. Bam! We were off. The weather was perfect and even though my hands were frozen, they quickly warmed up. The beauty of the town surrounded me. I ran places I'd never seen in town that were simply charming. I was approaching mile six and greeted with some friendly faces. My aunt, uncle, and parents were smiling and cheering for me as I dashed past. I flew through the first ten miles. Honestly, I could feel my legs gliding. I flew through the first ten miles. Honestly, I could feel my legs gliding. I knew my spectators were waiting right before mile 17. I had something to look forward to and when I approached them, I couldn't help but smile wide. A lady with a very loud cheering voice was standing right next to them and my mom told her I was coming and said my name was Anne. All of a sudden, a friendly woman screamed "Go Anne!" louder than ever and rang her bells for a little background music. It's incredibly helpful when people are cheering for you. Unfortunately, they cheered for me thirty seconds before I was faced with the ultimate battle. Climbing a hill that was steeper than a wall (practically) knocked me right down. I was unable to run that wall because I knew I had nine miles to go and would lose my steam. I walked up and it cost me a few minutes. I only saw one person run up the hill at the time I approached it so that tells you something about this monster. Around mile 20 I was ready to cry. It felt good to know how close I was but 6 miles is only close when you think about the whole race, not after you've completed 20 miles. The final miles were brutal. That is the only word to describe it. Absolutely brutal. It hurt to run. It hurt to walk. It hurt to move any muscle whatsoever. I saw two signs toward the end. The first said "Pain is temporary" and the second said "Pride is forever". I kept repeating that to myself until I saw the finish line. People surrounded both sides of the shoot and holding back tears, I pushed myself through only to see familiar faces waiting for me. It was incredibly emotional to complete the marathon. Although, I was utterly out of it. I could not think or talk or express my immediate thoughts. Regardless, I was achingly magnificent in every way. 4 hours and 8 minutes later, I went home to rest for the day.
It's strange to think such a major feat could be over in a single morning. I will remember it forever. I like to run but I think I'll stick to casual jogs throughout the neighborhood. I also believe my knees are plotting revenge on me so they would not be thrilled if I tried another marathon. What's next? School. Life. Running may fall in there but only when I feel like it, not when I have to. It's been a great and grueling time in my life. I couldn't have done it without the support though. Alright, I sound like I am accepting an award now, but it's true. So many people have been nice with their positive thoughts and I thank you all. I'll be there to cheer for you when you run your marathons! Finally, it has been great to blog about the training experience. I was able to have a comical outlook on a long, hard process. It was worth it. I feel elated, but my legs would surely disagree...
Best,
Anne
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