::Portland Marathon 2012::
My first marathon I ever ran was with my friend Barb. I was training for a 20k in Hawaii ( to run it with my sister Mallory) and she was training for the Portland Marathon so for a while our training plans were at the same mileage. We did our long runs together until her training plan dramatically increased. Then, she asked me if I wanted to just keep training with her and then run the Portland Marathon. My first thought was "EW no. I have no desire ever to do that distance." But then all of a sudden I did have the desire. I mean, I had already ran a 16 miler...so what was 10.2 more miles? So, I said yes and signed up. I remember being at work and pushing the submit button. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for.
It was pretty great having a running partner for my long runs....seeing as now MOST of the time I run alone. I think that when I pushed that submit button...I was mostly thinking about the fact that I wasn't going to have to train alone.....I wasn't going to BE alone.....not the fact that I was going to be training for a FULL Marathon.
At the time I was at the end of a crumbling marriage. I needed something. I needed something to focus on and to work towards. Something that honestly made life worth living again.The training alone was life changing. I was very aware of how tired I was and how much everything hurt. At that time, that was the hardest I had ever pushed my body. ...... Looking back at elementary school, middle school, and high school and even after----- I was a quitter. If I was uncomfortable or something hurt I was sitting out. If my lungs hurt I was walking. I never made the choice to push myself past that point of discomfort. At that time...during the training of my first marathon.... I was dying. I truly felt like I was dying. And that training saved my life. I wasn't feeling anything. I was numb to everything in my life and it was killing me. Training and the actual race took me thru the all time highs and the all time lows. It helped me feel again. Helped me cope. And I am so grateful for that experience and for the friend I was able to run it with. There's a quote I absolutely LOVE "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek
It was pretty great having a running partner for my long runs....seeing as now MOST of the time I run alone. I think that when I pushed that submit button...I was mostly thinking about the fact that I wasn't going to have to train alone.....I wasn't going to BE alone.....not the fact that I was going to be training for a FULL Marathon.
At the time I was at the end of a crumbling marriage. I needed something. I needed something to focus on and to work towards. Something that honestly made life worth living again.The training alone was life changing. I was very aware of how tired I was and how much everything hurt. At that time, that was the hardest I had ever pushed my body. ...... Looking back at elementary school, middle school, and high school and even after----- I was a quitter. If I was uncomfortable or something hurt I was sitting out. If my lungs hurt I was walking. I never made the choice to push myself past that point of discomfort. At that time...during the training of my first marathon.... I was dying. I truly felt like I was dying. And that training saved my life. I wasn't feeling anything. I was numb to everything in my life and it was killing me. Training and the actual race took me thru the all time highs and the all time lows. It helped me feel again. Helped me cope. And I am so grateful for that experience and for the friend I was able to run it with. There's a quote I absolutely LOVE "If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon." Emil Zatopek
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| -Portland Marathon 2012- |
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| Hawaii 20K One month before the Portland Marathon |
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ReplyDeleteI remember that day well. As we half carried you to the car you kept saying "NEVER AGAIN." I think it was less than 2 or 3 weeks before you were looking at marathons again.
ReplyDeleteI remember that day well. As we half carried you to the car you kept saying "NEVER AGAIN." I think it was less than 2 or 3 weeks before you were looking at marathons again.
ReplyDeleteahaha yes....as you guys lowered me into an ice bath lol and feeding me a protein shake lol omg. I never ever thought i would want to do it again let alone an ULTRA.
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