A couple weeks ago, I ran my first full marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. It was the 37th annual Grandma’s Marathon, and although a soggy, cold day was an absolutely amazing experience. Here are some of the highlights from the race:
-Running in 50 degree weather, in the rain, with a risk of hypothermia, and still thinking (thanks to all the training I’ve done in a Wisconsin winter), “This weather is perfect!”
-Sprinting the last 200 meters and the crowd going wild when they saw me pulling ahead and across the finish line. That’s a feeling you can’t get anywhere else.
-Running past a man who had run all 37 Grandma’s marathons! When asked how many more he’d run, he said, “At least three!”. That’s inspiring dedication!
-High fiving with strangers. I needed those high fives. My most memorable one was with a solider in uniform at the last half mile stretch. His words of inspiration weren’t original, just, “You can do this,” but that felt like it lifted a weight from my shoulders.
-It’s true; marathon runners will be pee anywhere when they gotta go…mostly off in the woods on the edge of a stranger’s driveway…
-The amount of food and water the spectators were handing out was impressive and much appreciated! The girl who handed me a banana at mile 18 had probably never heard someone give so earnest a thank you over a piece of fruit.
-The spectators and volunteers at this race were absolutely amazing! If it weren’t for them, I might have given into the temptation to slow down and walk at mile 17, might not have been able to hold a ten minute pace for the whole race (wow!), and probably would have collapsed to the ground after I crossed the finish line (the med team was amazing, and I owe them a big thanks for their care!).
The greatest satisfaction was working so hard and so diligently, and then seeing my dream become reality.
What’s next? A triathlon, of course!
Runners, please share you experiences training and/or finishing a big race!
Sarah
p.s. Doesn’t matter how slow or fast you are for a marathon, or any race; as long as you run, you’ve already beaten everyone who never even started!
Congrats on your first marathon!! Sounds like you had a great first experience. I am currently training for my first full in October and am starting to get nervous
Good luck with your triathlon training!!
Thanks! Good luck with your first marathon. It’s such an amazing experience crossing the finish line…and worth every minute of training!
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