In two days, I run my first marathon. I have been training for a long time for this, both mentally and physically. Most of my time spent training has been by myself. But that doesn’t mean that I have not had a lot of help and support
along the way. As I run my marathon on Sunday, I plan to have a person every
mile to inspire me. Some of them have inspired me physically, some have inspired me mentally and some are just
inspiring in general.
Mile 1: Mira, who was my first running
buddy. She was the one who helped me get through my first long run. We used to
run along the levee in New Orleans, from work back to our room, which was a 10
mile run. She was great company and a fabulous running partner. I ran my first
Half Marathon with her by my side the entire time.
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| Mira and I at the Newburyport Green Stride Half in October |
Mile 2: Dad. My father was my first
fan, and is still my greatest fan. He has sacrificed many a Sunday morning to
not only cheer me on but to take photos, run the 5k races and even sometimes
jump in to finish the last quarter mile with me. He even brought water and
Gatorade for Mira and I when we ran our first long run.
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| Dad came in 3rd in his age group in the City of Roses 5k! |
Mile 3: Granddad. There have only been
two people in my family who have run a marathon. One of them was my Granddad.
He died when I was a teenager, but I always remember thinking he was crazy,
because he would tell me how he got up at 5 am to get his runs in. Now I know
what he was talking about (it is still crazy though!)
Mile 4: Craig. My uncle was the second
person to run a marathon in our family. Even better is the fact that he ran the
same marathon I am running. When he ran it, he was also about my age. This is
very special to me that we have this in common.
Mile 5: Lea, my friend who always tells
me that I inspire her. What she doesn’t know is that she inspires ME every day, by
believing in me and being there for me no matter what.
Mile 6: Jack is another CIM alumni and
my friend who will be keeping tabs on me and promised “not to make fun of me”
if I run really slow. He ran this marathon last year, but got hurt around mile
20. He walked the rest of the way but still ended up finishing. Not finishing fast,
but finishing all the same! I can finish this too!
Mile 7: Hal Higdon. He doesn’t even
know me, but I used his training schedule for both my half marathon and this
marathon and I have felt great the entire time. I may be a little premature in
thanking him, but even so, I do.
Mile 8: Bloggers who run are great
people. Everyone is always so encouraging, whether you are running a mile or a
marathon, whether you run a 20 minute mile or a 5 minute mile. People have
given me advice on everything from what to wear, what to eat or where to run.
When I express nervousness about a race or have questions about a run, the running
bloggers are there for me. For a taste of some of the bloggers who inspire me, go to Jill's Fitness Friday page!
Mile 9: Bloggers who don’t run are also
great! They still are encouraging, even if they don’t know exactly what I am
always talking about or going through. They are still there for me when I feel
scared, excited or nervous and when I am having either a good day or a bad one. You can see some of my favorites over on my right sidebar under "Some Blogs I Follow".
Mile 10: Lisa, my friend from
Minneapolis, who has been a wealth of running advice and support. She
introduced me to the Yasso; she has suggested nutrition and hydration methods
and products. I met up with her earlier this year to run a 10 mile race in MN,
so mile 10 is for her.
Mile 11: Chris and Alan, my second set
of parents, who have not only put up with my stupid, crazy, idiotic antics for years, but are letting
me stay at their house AND driving me to the start line early (the race starts
at 7!) in the morning on Sunday. They will be cheering me on from somewhere
near mile 11, so this one is for them.
Mile 12: Bart Yasso. He doesn’t know
it, but he helped me realize that I could be faster. His program for intervals
helped me become faster, but more importantly, gave me confidence in myself. I
was running at a certain pace, which was “good enough for me” but then I pushed
myself a little and realized that I can be faster if I just work a little
harder.
Mile 13: Grandma S,
who always keeps up with what I am doing and is very supportive. Here is what
she said recently via email: “Think
of you a lot as you practice and then run those horrendous marathons!
I admire your stamina!” So, as I am reaching the halfway point of this
“horrendous marathon” I will be thinking of HER a lot! Also, hopefully I still HAVE stamina at this point!
Mile 14: My East Coast Family, who I
got to spend Thanksgiving with this year. We had a great time, as always, and
it was great to catch up with them, to eat, drink and be merry and to remember
how great times with family really are. My Cousin and Aunt have also both lost
weight recently and are getting out more, walking around and eating healthier
and I am so proud of them!
Mile 15: All my friends in New Orleans.
NOLA was the first place I really ran seriously. It was where I ran my first
half marathon and where I did the majority of my “firsts” (first 8 mile run,
first 10 mile run…) There were a lot of people there who I was hanging out with
in those days (you know who you are). They were my family away from home. They
were there when I was taking my baby steps.
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| My first Half Marathon: Mardi Gras Marathon |
Mile 16: The Race Volunteers. These
people are tireless and friendly and sometimes not even runners! They do it out
of the goodness of their hearts. Without the volunteers, there would be no
races, or the fees would be much higher! They give us water, Gu and directions!
Without them we would literally be lost.
Mile 17: My West Coast Family. Many of
them will be cheering me on from the sidelines on Sunday. They are great to be around and
I always have a good time with them. I can’t wait to see them and am glad that
an event like this is bringing us together, even though it’s not a holiday! I
just hope I don’t fall asleep at the table during lunch.
Mile 18: My San Francisco friends. I
actually got to see many of them last weekend when I visited the city. I miss
them and it was great to see them, although I did not get a chance to see
everybody. I had a great visit with some of them though and will be thinking of
all of them (and dreaming about buying a house in the city someday) as I run
mile 18.
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| Dinner in North Beach. Bad photo, but good people! |
Mile 19: Karen and Nadine, my other
“mother” and her daughter, who is my oldest friend. You know those people who
you don’t see for years and when you meet up, it’s like no time has passed?
They are like that. They are family. And they make a darn good coffeecake! As I
am eating a Gu at mile 19, I will pretend it’s Nadine’s coffeecake.
Mile 20: When I hit the wall (and feel
like crying) at mile 20, I will think of my
Mom. She is always encouraging me no matter what I am doing and I will remember her
kind words in my head, and she will help me through my struggle. I usually
don’t run races near home, so she watched me for the first time only last month
and will be here on Sunday to support me once again. Thanks Ma!
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| Mom and I at Almond Bowl Half in November |
Mile 21: Kara, my friend who has an
energy that I can never match. She recently got married, had a baby, bought a
house, moved and got a new job. In between that she does about 4 million other
things. Hopefully during the race I will have her energy to get me through the
wall and to the end.
Mile 22: My honorary nieces and nephews.
They are little bundles of energy. They are full of life. As the miles start to
drag, I will keep them in mind, knowing that they believe in their Aunty and
that I can do it for them. This mile is for the children!
Mile 23: My Uncle Jay, who died of
Cancer last year. He fought it and fought it and was very positive about things
until the very end. He didn’t let anything get him down. I will fight these
last few miles like (and FOR) Uncle Jay!
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| Uncle Jay, Christmas '09 |
Mile 24: My Brother, who is a huge pain
in the butt, so, when I am getting my butt kicked by mile 24, I will think of
my brother and I will kick the butt of mile 24. I will not let it beat me. I
will beat it, just like I still used to beat up my brother ;)
Mile 25: Mr. Lovely, who has put up with
my running, racing, sweating, smelling bad, telling him repeatedly how many
calories are in things, talking about running blogs, nagging him, making him
drive me places, making him wait for me, making him be the event photographer,
boring him to death with talks about running, running shoes, running pants, Gu,
the newest fad and the fact that I am hungry (again) and I need my bunions feet
massaged. To top it off, all my races are on Sundays (football days). Since I
was a difficult pain in the butt to him for the last several months, I will
think of him on this most difficult mile.
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| Yes, it's a Lovely Mustache. It may look ridiculous, but it won 100 bucks in a contest! |
Mile 26: Myself. This one is all for
me. I will finish this race for myself. I am going to cross the finish line. I
may not be fast, but I will finish. For all the work I have put into this. For
setting goals and attaining them. For proving to myself that I am strong
enough. The last mile (point two!!) is all mine. I am going to own it.
