Marathon Day

Today...I was supposed to run my first marathon, but I didn't. I began the actual training in January with the hopes of being able to run the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon May 1st. I was doing pretty good, and then I started having shin splint issues. It was a month before I could start training again. By this time, I discovered barefoot running. True barefoot running is awesome, but it's not something that you can just "step into" right away. At this point, I had worked my way up to 12 miles, but now after the leg issue and also starting with a new running technique, I was back at 1-3 miles. It took me another month to catch back up to 11 miles again, which I did 3 times before the half marathon race in Arkansas a month ago. That still left me 13 miles that I hadn't really trained for yet...and only 4 weeks (really only 3 training weeks) left until the marathon.

I decided at one point, that I would do the race no matter what--even if I couldn't run all of it. As the days and weeks passed by, I was beginning to realize that there was a chance that I actually might not get to do the race after all. It was a sad thought...but one that I was having to face.

Race week finally shows up, and it's official: I'm not running. I was pretty bummed. I decided that I would still participate and still cheer for other runners. One of the local running stores hosted a marathon watch party at mile 20, so I decided that's what I would do.

I got up early Saturday morning, and headed out the door...in the rain. WHAT??? BACK UP!!! It was pouring rain!!! I couldn't believe it. Not only was it raining, it was cold!. I ran back in the house and grabbed a blanket. I drove to mile 20, and nobody else was there yet. I caught the race route and started driving along it. I didn't see any racers yet. Finally, I started seeing some people, so I headed back to mile 20. By that time, one of the store employees had arrived. Then the owner and his wife showed up. It was still raining pretty heavily, and I didn't have an operational umbrella (thanks, Aliya and Kiahna). The store owners had a u-haul trailer that they backed up to the street, then we climbed up inside, and waited for the racers to pass by.

A little after 8:00am we started seeing runners trickle by. I didn't realize it at the time, but these were all the people that had started the race at the early start time. Then I was told we were still waiting for the actual racing runners to pass through.

Finally, we saw the front of the race, and it was awesome! There were 2 police-motorcycle escorts, along with a patrol car, and then there was the racing truck with the digital clock rolling the time. All of this was in front of the first racer, just pacing him. I thought that was cool. This guy had a good lead, but there was still 6 more miles to go. I'm not sure how the race played out or if he was the one to actually finish, but it was cool to see all the frontal action--something I will probably NEVER see again!!!

At this point, it became obvious who the racers were. They were running at a much quicker speed than the other folks. I was surprised at how fresh they looked. They didn't look to me like they had just run 20 miles in the pouring ran with 6 miles left to go. I must say that it was refreshing to see their faces. In my training group, I never was in the front of the crowd. I always had a rear-view of the runners as they passed me...and then before long, they were gone completely, and I was eating their dust.

As the steady flow of runners passed by, we cheered and offered encouragement. I only recognized one runner out of everyone who passed by. Did I tell you that it was cold and rainy? There was also lightening and thunder, with a little bit of hail. It was bitter nasty cold. When I first began cheering, I shed a tear or two off and on. I really was sad that I wasn't out there in all the action. A few hours later, I was still sad, but also thankful that I wasn't out there in these conditions for my first marathon. It was miserable! One lady stopped and asked if I could help get her gloves up because they were falling down. I barely touched her hands, and it was painful to her because they were frozen.

When I had drove by earlier, I didn't see any crowds of people cheering the runners. In fact, I didn't see anyone at all. It had to have been a very long, lonely route because people REALLY perked up when they saw us,4 people and 3 dogs, standing in a u-haul truck.

On one hand I was glad not to be suffering so...on the other hand, I know there is this special feeling of accomplishment that you feel after you've finished a task that was exceptionally brutal or more intense than normal. When these people crossed the finish line today, yes...they would be miserable, but they would feel SO GREAT knowing that they completed a VERY difficult task.

Finally, after 3 1/2 hours of cheering, it was time to wrap it up. The owners needed to get on to other things, and there was no way I was going to stand out in the rain with nothing. So... I decided to follow the race to the finish line. I found a parking spot and made my way to the Finish. I was surprised at the lack of cheering. There was a miked announcer, but other than that, it was a dreary crowd. I think everyone was just wet, cold, and miserable.

I stayed for 2 seconds, and then hopped back in my nice warm vehicle. I drove around a little while longer, just pondering over the days events before heading back home. One thing is for sure: I definitely want to do the race next year!