Snapshots from my marathon.

It's weird to think that my marathon is behind me.  I spent an entire year planning, preparing, and training for it, and now it's over.  I wondered if it would feel like Christmas afternoon does to little kids--somewhat of a let down--but it doesn't.  Regardless, running and I are not parting ways, but long-distance running and I are definitely on a hiatus for the present.

Here are some snapshots from my marathon:

-It poured down rain from before 7am until I hit about mile 18.  I attempted the whole "trash bag" make-shift coat, but that came off around mile 3 and I just ran the rest of the marathon soaking wet.  P.S. Soaking wet shoes and water squishing between my toes (in my shoes) are two of my least favorite things...

-I hit my wall at mile 14.  Much earlier than I anticipated.  And for much longer too--I didn't get another jump start of motivation until near mile 20.  Of course it was right before my left knee started hurting.

-At mile 19.5 my left knee started hurting.  Not the dull pain that you can run through--I'd already been dealing with screaming muscles most of the way--but the pain that comes from muscle imbalances and knee caps rubbing there they shouldn't be.  Ouch.  I don't know why it's embarrassing to admit, but I had to walk the last 6 miles of the race.  Running was literally too painful to bear.  Walking was painful too, but the lesser of the two.  I did however run the last .2 miles to the finish, my left knee clicking as I crossed the finish.

-My time was 6:03:04.  And despite my repeated answer of "I don't have a goal, I just want to finish", I was disappointed with my time.  My knee injury and the forced walking lost me a lot of time.  I'm glad I didn't set any specific time goals for myself, but needing 6 hours to finish did bruise my ego a little bit.

-At several points in the race all I wanted was to see my family on the sidelines.  They did meet up with me around mile 21, and seeing them was an overwhelming encouragement.  Brad, who had been supporting Bob (his wife's dad who was also running) for the first part, biked and met me every mile from 21 to the finish.  The level of encouragement I got from my family was/is more than I can express in words.  Let's just say that there were numerous tears shed on that course.

I learned a lot of things during my training and during the race itself.  One of the most notable is if you want a mental, emotional, and physical challenge, train for and run a marathon.  It will kick your butt.  Guaranteed.  That and the time commitment for a marathon is huge, and not really something you realize when you start your training.

When people talk to me about the marathon they always seem to phrase it in a way that suggests future marathons I will run.  This fact has not yet been decided.  Although I imagine it wouldn't be difficult to beat my current time...  All I know is that for right now I'm done training for long-distances.  I might just be more of a "half-marathon or less" kind of runner, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of a repeat of my marathon, just being a realist.  I'm determined to get back to the place where I enjoy running and choose to run.  Not the "I have to run ___ miles today or I throw my training off schedule" mindset.

For now I'm going to revel in the fact that I've actually completed a marathon.  It's an impressive feat.  I'm definitely proud of myself for that.