My First Marathon

I cant believe it, but yes, I'm a marathoner. No matter what happens from this point on, I'm Will, and I ran a marathon. For those who are curious, here's what my experience was like. Actually before I get into this, I want to mention that Ill be saying "we" a lot, and the we always refers to my amazing sister, Jill. She did everything with me, when I say everything, I mean everything. She trained, stressed, revelled, hurt and felt the rapture, all the way with me. Theres no way I could have done this without her.

We started the day at 4:00 am (well I did, although Jill still persists that she was up, she just happened to be on the couch, with her eyes closed and completely motionless despite my dog crawling all over her) so that breakfast had its time to settle, run its course etc. We planned to leave the house by 5:30 to give us time to really take in all that race day had to offer and be sure we weren't rushed. Its a good thing we did as both traffic and parking were a bit of a hassle. We jammed out to Dropkick Murphys, the same way we did when we ran one of our first 5k's together back in May. On the way downtown we passed a wreck that involved 3 cars, 2 of which were obviously marathon runners, the wreck wasnt bad, but bad enough that it was going to be a while before anyone went anywhere, and I have a feeling it cost those couple people their race. I know that most people would say "well at least they are alright," and of course thats true, but if they had trained for 8 months and got everything ready for that one day, only to end up on a highway shoulder with my car smashed up, I dont know how I would react.

The morning was quite chilly, in the low 40's, but luckily Jill brought along a spare pair of gloves that really saved me some discomfort. We got in line for the indoor port-a-potties (yeah, actually more disgusting than outdoor I think) and slowly started migrating towards the start.

We had planned to run a 5:00 marathon, which averages out to 11:27 per mile, and were looking for the 5:00 pace group. We found them easily once we got to our coralle, but lost them in the shuffle at the very start. Luckily there were people around us who were running out pace and I also recognized my friend Megan who I had run my longest training run with, and I knew we had a similar pace in mind. The start was as amazing as I had imagined it would be, there were people cheering and screaming and the start was signaled by a cannon. I must also add that I was more than a little pleased that the loudspeakers were playing "Run to the Hills" by Iron Maiden as we started the race, very cool!

The first leg of the Houston Marathon takes you over a hellish elevated roadway known as the Elysian Viaduct, which has always been the bane of my running existence during races, however yesterday, I barely noticed it. Running over the Elysian with 22,000 other people completely removed the perspective of it being steep and you really couldnt tell when you were on an incline or not as there were so many people, so with in a few minutes, we were a full mile in and one viaduct down. And this is where I almost quit and walked of the course.

Seriously, I almost never made it to mile 2. Anyone who has ever trained for a marathon knows that no one really ever makes it through unscathed. Pulled muscles, aching knees, feet, something. I had a few issues with a hamstring and then some fairly serious issues not too long ago with my left foot, however somehow I made it for 8 months with almost zero knee problems, and anyone who knows me knows my knees are horrible. It sounds like a 12 year old with a roll of bubble paper when I walk up stairs, and my knees have always just ached anyway. Since losing 100 pounds takes considerable pressure off of them, I guess they were strong enough to carry me through, until literally the week before the marathon. I did my last long run the Saturday before, a ten miler that for all intents and purposes, was just a formality. During this run I felt my knee kind of lock up and get painful, but I just figured it was taper type pain, and sort of carried on. Then I tried to do a little 3 miler on the next monday and at the end it hurt so bad I couldnt run another step. I was in freak out mode, but stopped all running and figured 5 or 6 days rest would cure whatever phantom, meaningless pain this was. Well for the first mile and a half I thought it had. Then just coming down the Elysian, I felt the same pain I felt the Monday before, stabbing, sharp pain that grew worse, literally with every step. I had told myself that this might happen, and that I would have to just gut it out, but at mile 1.5?!?!? I knew that there was no way I could go 25 more miles the way I was. Jill could tell that I was in serious pain and I think she was probably as scared as I was. The pain was so bad I could swear I as limping, although Jill and Megan both said that I didnt look any different. Jill asked me to rate the pain on a 1-10 scale and I told her it was an 8, although it really felt like a 28. She said we could walk, or do some run/walk, what did I want to do? It was for the next couple minutes that I hobbled along thinking, "Am I really not going to finish?" "Is this really how its going to end?" "Why is this happening?" "How do I tell Jill?" At this point she asked me again, "Where is it on a 1-10?" After thinking for a second, I realized the pain was know at an irritating, but much more manageable 4. So I said, give me a couple minutes, lets see what happened. At this point, I did what I had been doing for the entire week, I prayed, hard. I told God I would never make deals with him, because I dont believe in the, "God if you will let me do this Ill never do x, y or z again." Instead I asked, no, I begged God, "PLEASE let this pain go away and let me finish this marathon!" And thats what happened. Within the next 5 minutes I felt no pain at all, and I didnt feel any more pain in that knee until I woke up this morning, when EVERYTHING hurt. I dont know what the medical explanation is, or if there even is one, but I know that God was with me yesterday morning, just like he always is.

I recongnized my first friend/family member at about mile 5. My amazing friend and running partner, Anne, and her fiance Jeff were along Studemont cheering. I cant tell you how much of a boost seeing a familiar face gives you. Furthermore, Anne has been the most supportive, patient and motivational friend throughout this process. I had the privelage of running with Anne at her first half marathon in San Antonio at the end of 2009, and although she wasnt training for Houston, she kept me motivated, let me whine and moan about training and even through us a fantastic party after the marathon. There are so many people without whom I never would have made it anywhere close to the start line, much less the finish, and Anne is right at the top of that list. That would also not be the last Anne and Jeff sighting, they were our cheering ninjas, and just when we would least expect it, there would be Anne (even dancing at one point!) and Jeff. Jill and I were like, man, how are they doing it :)

Right after that we saw Theresa and her daughter Melissa and my friend Judy. They had made signs and were screaming their heads off for us. It almost brings me to tears, even now to think about how I have such awesome friends. Theresa and her husband David would later join us to celebrate, and she even supplied two of my favorite deserts in the world, brownies and her strawberry cupcakes! I even took two home to have for breakfast, but... alas, they didnt last until this morning :)

One of the first of several extremely touching moments was just after this when we heard people behind us telling us to move to the sides. As we turned around, a mom was pushing her son in a wheelchair on the course. As the descended a hill and started to climb back the other side, we actually saw other runners helping the mom get him up the hill. It was very touching, and Jill was especially touched. Jill is a cryer anyway, but adding motherhood to the mix meant that Jill really couldnt dry it up for almost a mile.

Around mile 9, the folks running the half marathon made a u-turn and headed back into downtown. This was a huge moment for Jill and I because we remembered so vividly that moment in November when we were the ones turning and watching the full marathoners continue on into oblivion. And it does feel that way a little. Until that point the street was packed with people. You were running literally with 2 to three people on all sides of you, and as soon as we passed the turn around, there seemed to only be a few here and there. Jill and I had a little bit of a "chills" moment from that, and continued on past Rice University and into Rice Village.

Our pace was great, in fact when we looked at our splits after the race, we ran exactly 11:32 for both our 10k and 1/2 marathon splits, which meant we were right on pace for 5 hours. We were having a blast, talking, noticing everything and just loving the experience. In Rice Village, just before the half marathon point, we saw our family that came out to see us. My mom, step-dad, brother-in-law and nephews were all on the side of the road screaming and waving signs. It was so fun to see them and we really got so much from it. I know this moment, seeing her kids was especially touching for Jill, who let me know this was true, with another dose of tears.

As we continued on through West U and turned towards the Galleria, I saw some friends from work, and Im sure the Anne and Jeff ninja team made several stops along the way. It was at about mile 15 in the Galleria, right about the point where you know the finish is right down the road if you could only turn right, but know, you turn left. This was about the point where I first thought, ok, this is tough, this is really going to take some work.

At about mile 18, you make what is ultimately your last big turn on the course, where you turn West onto Woodway and are more or less headed straight for the finish line. As I have told a couple people, its at this point that my mind first said, "ok will, weve run a long way, we about done yet?" I always get this little voice, but I generally dont like to hear it when there are still 8 long miles to go. Luckily about 5 minutes later I got a really unique surprise. We were running by a church on Woodway and we kept hearing people standing on the side saying something to us, we just couldnt ever make it out completely, we would here words like "hand" "bush" "president" "up" Then with about 5 seconds to spare I hear clearly, "President Bush is up there, be sure to shake his hand!" Sure enough, I look up and sitting in a chair on the side of the street with no fewer than 3 secret sevice guys was Pres. Bush (40) and I, in the middle of my first marathon, get to reach over and shake his hand and say, "Thanks for being here Pres." I really meant to say Mr. President, but after running almost 20 miles, he was lucky I didnt just drool and sweat on him. It was truly an unexpecte, awesome experience.

And then the real fun began. After crossing the 610 loop, I thought I would begin to feel better because I was back on familiar turf, Memorial Park. Its where the bulk of my running has been done, and its almost every Houston runner's home away from home. However when you get to mile 21, home aint so homie. It was at this point that both Jill and I werent really having anymore fun. We were still in complete awe of this event and what we were doing, but it was taking everthing we had to put one foot in front of the other. When you've run 22 mile, 4 miles might not sound like much, but I promise every mile gets progressively longer. 2 miles feels like 4, 4 miles feels like 8, and we are running on, well, I dont know what we were running on at that point. I do know we were tired. Allen Parkway sucks. There are 2 man made underpasses that are steep and treacherous, and yes, we walked up them, and believe me there is no shame in our game for that :) Theres really almost nothing to tell at this point because literally, ever ounce of energy I had was going to each step. There could have been topless dancers on the side of the road and I wouldnt have noticed...well...maybe I would have, but it would have taken something like that for me to notice.

Then we entered downtown. Let me be clear, it didnt get ANY easier at this point, but the euphoria present with 1.5 miles to go is indescribeable. I kept waiting after mile 20 to reach a point where I could reasonably say to myself, ok, youve done it, you KNOW you can make it to the finish from here. To be honest, I didnt get there until I could see the finish line, its THAT hard. You have to make one turn in downtown, and the last turn leaves you .7 mile from the finish line. There was still a good croud along Rusk as we neared the finish, but let me reiterate, even when we could see the finish line, it was so hard at this point that Jill and I could only occasionally muster a "Oh my gosh, we're going to do it." With about .25 mile to go, I think the pain went away some. When I saw the numbers on the clock, I knew I was going to finish, and I was about to be a marathoner. We crossed the finish line in 5:17:10. I could not be more proud of myself, and of my sister. I find even now its hard to write how I feel about it, because any words I write seem really futile in describing my emotions. I hugged my sister and said a prayer to God, thanking him, yes, for letting my knee hold up, but for so much more, for bringing me to that finish line, for bringing me out of the depression and the mire that my life was less than a year ago. Yes, I did the work, my two feet carried me, and for that I am imensly proud, but I would never dare have the arrogance to think that I did it all by myself. In "Spirit of the Marathon," Dick Beardsley says, "When you cross that finish line, no matter how fast, no matter how slow, it will change your life, forever." I dont think I could possibly put it any better, and even here, only 24 hours out from the marathon, I know that statement is completely true. No matter what comes in my life, Im Will, and Im a marathoner. I can do anything.

Oh boy...

Im not sure if I was encouraged or driven further into insanity to see how many things popped up when I entered "Im totally freaking out about running my first marathon" into google. Fact of the matter is, I am. I dont know how much of it is nervousness, how much of it is excitement and how much of it is soul wrenching terror. I believe that I have trained about as consistently, smartly and fully as I possibly could have, and I feel about as ready as my body can be, but its the unknown that has me doing backflips in my head. So, heres what Im thinking all day, every day, all at the same time, non stop:

-The weather. Looks like its not going to rain, will it be cool enough? Will there be clouds? Will it be too sunny?

-What should I wear? Do I bother with the arm sleves?

-What is this knee pain business? Ive trained for 7 months for this and my knee hasnt hurt once, now 6 days away it decides to start aching?

-Will my foot hold up? It hasnt hurt at all in 2 weeks, but I also havent run more than a 12 miler in two weeks.

-Will I be able to sleep? Usually next day excitement keeps me up more than a six pack of redbull with a nodoze chaser, I NEED SLEEP!

-What do I eat the night before? I know Im supposed to eat carbs this week, then eat light and normal on Saturday, but what? What if I get something that doesnt agree with me?

-Where should I start my pace? Do I just try and run all of my splits the same? Run slower at first, pick it up at the end?

-Have I done enough? Can I do it? Will I do it?

So yeah, my head wants to explode, then I stop, take a breathe, and remember some things that people have told me, and things that I KNOW are true:

-"Trust your training, Respect the distance. You'll be fine" Lisa

-"Stop freaking out, you just have to go out there and run." Dana. She said this to me this morning, and I have to admit, it was exactly what I needed to hear. She's right, I just have to go out and run, I do this every day. I have to respect the distance and know what Im getting into, but its running, I know I can do that.

-Ive prepared for this. There is so much that is unknown, but I have trained really hard, and really consistently, and I know that all of the variables that I can control, which are only a few, are under control.

-Ultimately I know this will be an unforgetable experience. Just like "Spirit of the Marathon" says, when I cross that finish line, no matter how fast, or how slow, no matter how good I feel, or how much pain Im in, it will change my life forever.