My First Marathon

March 21, 2011

To help set the stage for the story, try to image me sitting on my living room floor with ice packs on my knees and ankles as I type this.  The total climb for this course is 1,535 feet…for comparison, the Empire State Building is 1,250 feet tall.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the race…low to mid 60s and overcast (answered prayer # 1).  I began the race with 4 friends.  The first 13 miles were all fun and games!  I was full of energy, laughing and joking with my friends.  At mile 14, I found myself along stride a woman presumably in her late 50s with her hair pulled up in a bouffant up do, wearing a blue sports bra covered with white stars and red running shorts.  She wasn’t even breaking a sweat.  She had a sign pinned to her shorts that said she’s run a marathon in all 50 states + DC.  So I asked her about it…turns out she is making her way through the states for a second time around.  This was her 65^th marathon (yeah, I know…crazy, right?)!  I asked her how Atlanta compared to the others and she said VERY hilly.  First clue for what lie ahead. 

Greg & I around mile 3...when I was still smiling

Around mile 15, in Decatur, the pain set in.  I’m not talking about a little tweak here or there.  I’m talking pain like I have never experienced before in my life.  With every step, it felt like my left knee was about to explode.  That alternated with my right Achilles tendon.  It felt like I was being stabbed with each step.  I began praying with a new found boldness, pleading with God to numb my pain.  He did (answered prayer # 2). 

 Around mile 17, other runners began sharing what they had heard about miles 23 – 25…and it wasn’t good.  Around mile 22, in Piedmont Park, my legs began to act up.  It felt like my quads and my calves were in a race to see which could make me stop first.  It was a tie…I stopped to stretch.  So glad I did because the hill that waited on the exit of Piedmont park was in a word: Evil.  And that was just the beginning.  The rumors about miles 23 – 25 were true.  By the time I made it to mile 25, I was making noises I didn’t know I was capable of and using my last remaining drops of energy to fight back tears.  My body was rebelling against me.  The toes on my left foot kept curling involuntarily.  My right foot stopped flexing to take steps so I was swinging a limp foot. 

BUT THEN I HEARD IT. 

The loud speakers at the finish line booming C&C Music Factory and welcoming runners as they crossed.  I rounded the corner and saw my friends cheering me on and I got a boost of energy.  Then I saw the race clock and that I was within seconds of missing my time goal.  So I kicked it into high gear…failing to realize there’s no longer a high gear after 26.1 miles!!  My right calf immediately locked up and I came within inches of doing a face plant across the finish line…how’s that for a photo finish?   Thankfully I didn’t and I was able to cross the finish line with at least some of my dignity still intact (answered prayer # 3)! 

After the race with Greg & Kayte

After the race with Jamey who was a life saver that day and drove me home afterwards