It was just over a year ago when I registered for the Baltimore Marathon. I had always thought about doing one. Wondering if I could do it. Visualizing it. I remember mentioning it from time to time over the years...but I would always say...it would probably be too hard with my T1 Diabetes. That was an excuse. After registering, when asked why I decided to do it, I would always say that it was something on my "list". That is true, but there was something more. Not many knew the real reason why I decided to do it. It was simple. A few weeks into 2013 I knew I could not decide to have a boyfriend, but I could decide to get myself 26.2 miles. So that is exactly what I did...
When I mentioned doing a marathon to my trainer/friend Stacy K...she didn't doubt that I could do it. In fact, she agreed to do it with me. She had never done a marathon before, so it was something new for her too. To test the waters...she twisted my arm and got me to agree to do a
half marathon in June. I had never trained for anything...I had never considered myself an athlete...but 2013 changed everything for me. I trained on my own...but on both race days...Stacy K and I...walking/running...got 14.6 miles in June and then 26.2 miles in October. Stacy could have easily run the whole thing...but she held back to slowly get each mile. I can still hear the sound of her Garmin watch with each passing mile.
It took me 7 hours, 30 minutes to finish...that is almost a full work day. It was bliss. I was lucky. I never hit a wall. I just kept moving forward. My mind was clear. It was zen. I felt fantastic. I never needed my headphones to pump pulsating music through my ears. I was able to run/walk the first 12 miles...and then my right knee pain got to a point where I felt like it would be safest to just walk to finish versus risking being in so much pain that I couldn't finish. Not finishing was not an option. It was cloudy. It was cool. It rained a bit. It was really perfect. I just kept moving forward. One foot in front of the other. I had five Gummie Lifesavers every hour. My non-working pancreas was never an issue. I listened to my body. I trained hard. I trained hard so that I could enjoy each and every moment of race day. I did. 26.2 miles...through the streets of Baltimore. It was bliss. I had a smile on my face the entire time.
Here is the pictorial documentation of my long weekend...
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| Only one more thing to cross out on the training plan... |
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| All my gear... |
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| Hitting the Road...with my biggest supporters!! |
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The lucky charms for the journey...my first Camp Fantastic Badge, Camp Bracelet,
Shamrock "Lucky" Earrings (so my Gma would be with me), Charm Bracelet (with Owl...so my Gpa would be with me).
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