![\"crowd\"](\"https:\/\/www.latter.name\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/crowd-1.jpg\")
<\/a>It was early March when I decided that I was going to run a marathon without dying or suffering serious injury. My virtual running team had a face-to-face meet scheduled at the Flying Pig Race Weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio the first weekend in May, and I had intended to run the half marathon (21k).\u00a0 My training was going really well, and I wondered out loud if I could do a full marathon.\u00a0 Murray grabbed on that and assured me that I definitely could. So, on March 2nd<\/sup> I switched races.\u00a0 Training was going very well, until the day after a long run where I could hardly move. My hip abductors (which you need to climb stairs) apparently were on strike, and also my piriformis (inner butt muscle) was reminding me with every step just how unhappy it was as well.\u00a0 I was suffering from what I call \u201cAdult Onset Athleticism\u201d.\u00a0 To make matters worse, a few days later I rolled my ankle, so now I was also black and blue and limping.\u00a0 I had to modify my training and started physical therapy right away.\u00a0 I was still determined to \u201cattempt\u201d the full.<\/p>\nJump forward two blindingly fast months, and here I am, in Cincinnati along with over 35,000 other runners, many of whom are jammed in my corral, waiting for the race to start.\u00a0 \u201cWhy oh why did I think this was a good idea?!\u00a0 I haven\u2019t trained enough! (even though I finished the program).\u00a0 I am injured! (I got the all clear from the therapist).\u201d<\/p>\n
I know I had a silly grin on my face for the first 30k, as I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and the crowds cheering us \u2013 me on.\u00a0 When I felt tired, I started singing along with my ipod, out loud, to take my mind off tiredness and pain, and put the focus on the embarrassment of singing where it belonged.\u00a0 I did get a few looks belting out my tunes.\u00a0 I got a bad calf cramp with about 5k to go and was ready to stop.\u00a0 I was running on empty and in pain.\u00a0 I drew on a comment my sister made to encourage me.\u00a0 Kelly told me I was the most determined person she knew, so I told myself I had to be at least as determined as the people around me still running. That kept me going for the last 5k.\u00a0 With the finish line in sight I started fist pumping the air in victory, but my arms were too tired to hold up, so I decided clapping was a better approach for me as I ran across the line.<\/p>\n Once I received my medal the emotions overtook me and I cried, great heaving sobs, leaning over a fence as even the crying was taking up too much of my remaining energy.\u00a0 \u201cPull yourself together, girl!\u201d I regained composure and made my way to the exit, spotted Murray, and burst into tears again.<\/p>\n My sisters got me interested in running and helped me get started.\u00a0 My husband fully supported me both emotionally, and with every running device known to man.\u00a0 My virtual running team, who I chat with every day, has provided the advice and community I needed to keep going even when running alone got boring (and cold).\u00a0 I was successful only because of the support I received from Murray, my family and friends, which allowed me to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI have to pee, bad, which doesn\u2019t make sense, because I just went\u2026. 3 times already and it is not yet 6:30am.\u201d\u00a0 This was my pressing thought as I waited for my first marathon to start.\u00a0 Perhaps that is the brain\u2019s way of taking your mind off the fact that you are going to do something totally ridiculous \u2013 run for the next 4 hours and 51 minutes, up some pretty steep hills, for over 42 kilometers. It was early March when I decided that I was going to run a marathon without dying or suffering serious injury. My virtual running team had a face-to-face meet scheduled at the Flying Pig Race Weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio the first weekend in May, and I had intended to run the half marathon (21k).\u00a0 My training was going really well, and I wondered out loud if I could do a full marathon.\u00a0 Murray grabbed on that and assured me that I definitely could. So, on March 2nd I switched races.\u00a0 Training was going very well, until the day after a long run where I could hardly move. My hip abductors (which you need to climb stairs) apparently were on strike, and also my Continue reading The hero lies in all of us<\/span><\/a>As I crossed the start, adrenalin taunted me to speed pass the mob of runners, but everything I read told me to fight that urge, so instead I kept pace with those around me and the first 10k was at what I can only describe as a leisurely pace. My team running coach hinted that there \u201cmight be some hills\u201d and that I should consider hill training.\u00a0 Fortunately I took Ron\u2019s advice and was able to continue my pace, while others stopped to walk on some very steep and persistent hills. Personal victory!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>I think I was the only clapper that day.<\/p>\n