My First Marathon: Christie's Story

We all have people we admire for obvious reasons although the point of “obviousness” is not apparent to everyone.  We admire those who save lives, those that are successful in business, those who have a ton of children and never look frazzled.  We have heroes-we strive to be like others yet try to find our own uniqueness within that similarity.

Mine did not come to me until later in life.  When I was younger, I simply wanted to be a kid-when I was a teenager I went to college, then I graduated and went on to a career, got married and had a child.  These I believe are everyday events that happen in someone’s life and because they are so overwhelming-we often lose sight of the real “me”. 

I have always thought of myself as athletic-I ran in school both track and cross country.  I found a love of strength training after college.  This carried me through my 20’s and 30’s.  I feel a need as I start approaching 40, as I believe so many of us do, to do something GREAT –a goal, an accomplishment-just something. 

"Breaking the Wall" at mile 20
where my dad jumped in 

It hit me one day-the hero, the person I admire, the one thing I wish I could say I did was run a marathon-here I go back to my high school days.  This seems real to me now-maybe because I am older and my determination is stronger.  Maybe it is the mere fact of trying to find the final piece of the puzzle to make it complete.  Whatever, I found the strength and to me the “obvious reason.”

What motivates us to run a marathon varies as much as those who run them.  But, for me thanks to my Dad (my hero, the one I admire, the one who is obvious to me) I am about to celebrate my first marathon. 

The title is important you see-it reflects how much older my Dad is and how many more miles he has run  than me.  The odd thing is –he is this so far ahead of me but yet he has been right by me the whole time.

My Dad, you see, has run for over 27 years and in those 27 years he has run over 30,000 miles-whew – most of us don’t even like to drive that far-Ha!  This to me is amazing.  The most amazing fact is that he has logged every mile since he started running in 1980-this is a tradition that I have continued since I began my quest-I find it self-rewarding to be able to look back and see how I have progressed over the course of my training-he on the other hand is much more humble than I am.

Turning the corner at
 mile 26 to finish the last .2

I decided to run the marathon in the city my Dad believes is the greatest city in the world and where he now lives-Austin, Texas. I can truly say this was a journey I had not anticipated.  There were triumphs, mental breakdowns, blisters, joy-filled times, friendships made, and there has been a bond between a daughter and father that is irreplaceable.

On Feb 17, 2008 the starting gun fired  in Austin and I began my 26.2 mile journey and although my Dad was 19 years and 30,000 miles ahead he was be there  for the last 6.2 miles right beside me like he has been for 39 years.  So as I crossed the finish line with him I wanted him to know that I did this for him-my hero-the “obvious one.”

My First Marathon: Jeff's Story

Jeff  started exercising for the first time in his life in June 2009. Eventually he got into running and he's been improving ever since. He lost 65 pounds running and has completely changed his lifestyle for the better. 

Jeff's first marathon was the Bayshore Marathon 5/28/11. Below is his story of that special day.

Short version:
Stats:  4:12:17 finish time
1/2 split:  1:53:38(8:40 per mile pace)
Second half split:  2:18:39(10:34 per mile pace)
Pace:  overall 9:38 per mile
Place:  800 out of 1,462 finishers
Ranked:  589 at the 1/2 mark
Ranked:  884 at the second half(that means a lot of people passed me!)

Long version:
Wow....what a race weekend it was.  We started off on Friday by driving up to the cottage.  I had a half day off work so we could get up there a little early and beat traffic.  That was a good decision!  We had a nice dinner at home.  I didn't want to eat out that night just in case I ate something that did not agree with me.  It was six of us that went up including my Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law to come and cheer us(my running buddy and I) on along with his wife and my wife.

our awesome dinner the night before

I did not end up getting into bed until 10pm and we had an early morning getting up at 4am!  I think I probably slept 4 hours total since I was tossing and turning all night.

We got up at 4am and I did my usual routine of foam rolling and eating a half banana and a granola bar to get me started along with some water.  My running buddy made some oatmeal for himself and took it along when we left but he forgot to eat it so he had no breakfast before the race!!!  Holy cow!!

We left about 5am from the house and it's a little over an hour drive to Traverse City.  We got there a little after 6am and traffic was starting to build up.  My running buddy picked up our packets the day before so he knew the best place to park.  It worked out great because we were really close to the race start and also did not have much traffic where we parked.  This was one of the great things about running in a smaller marathon.  On the way over, it really started to rain hard but stopped when we got to the race.  Unfortunately, a few minutes before the race it started raining again.  It was not a hard rain but a misting rain.  I tried to stay under a tree until the race started.   Because the race was a small one, only 2200 marathon runners max, I was able to jump into the race start at the last second and off we went!

It was almost a "ready, set, go" kind of start instead of a gun and big hoopla.  We started right next to the high school track and wound around the streets in the college campus there.  There were a few turns to start us out which was good to keep our pace a little slower starting.  I saw Ken from TNT Coach Ken and while I did not have time to talk to him much, I assume he was there supporting all his runners with the TNT.  You could not miss him with his red and white polka dot hat and since he is tall, he stands out.  He was doing a bang up job pumping up everyone!!  He asked me how I was doing and I said good and that I would let him know in about 4 hours!  He said I'd be drinking a beer by then!  Haha!  Ah, my goal of four hours.  I'll get back to that one.

So there we were, starting the longest race I have ever did....in the rain.  All was not lost because at least the weather was in the 50's and it was not really windy either so it could have been much worse.  I chose to wear short sleeves, shorts, arm sleeves and light gloves.  It's a good thing I wore the arm sleeves because with the rain, it helped keep me a bit warmer.

The view was really nice.  There was a water view almost the entire run up and back from the peninsula.  There were also some really nice homes to look at as well so the view helped keep my mind off running.  As far as the crowd support, it was good in pockets.  There were several spots, especially the water stops, where people were cheering.  One spot in particular was really crowded(several hundred people) I think around the 14-15 mile mark.  I love when there is a crowd that can help keep me going.  I pumped my arms up and the crowd went wild!  The first half of the race went really well.  I ran it in 1:53:38 which ranked me 589 through the half.  Unfortunately, that was too fast as you see from my final time.  I should have dialed it back just a notch.  I think that 10-15 seconds per mile slower would have been better for me in the long run.

The course was an overall flat course with some rolling hills thrown into it.  The only real hill was at the end of the split and even that was not that bad.  One thing I did not like was the way many of the road were slanted to one side.  In my opinion, it made it much harder to run instead of being on a flat surface.

My wife said they almost missed the shuttle bus to get there but they were able to get there and only waited about 10 minutes for me to run by.  My running buddy was also about 3 minutes behind me at that time.  Before that my running buddy and I ran probably at least 16 miles together when I got my second wind and picked it up a little so we got separated for a bit.  I'm really glad that they did not miss us so we got some support when we were starting a really difficult part of the race.

One thing I would have liked was a little more crowd support after the 20 mile mark.  It was fairly scarce the last six miles except for the last half mile of the race.  I can say this, the supporters that were out there were troopers.  Since it was raining much of the time, it must have been miserable to be out there.  Probably the worst cheer I heard was "you're almost there".  As many of you know, when you are at mile 16, you are NOT almost there so tell your support crew not to say that to marathoners looking at 10 miles more to go. Haha!

So as I continued to run, I was starting to slip on my times each mile beginning with mile 17 where I ran a 9:01 mile but I was able to keep it under 10 minute miles through mile 22.  I figured if I could at least keep a 10 minute pace, I would meet my four hour goal.  Unfortunately, when I got to mile 23 I ran out of gas and started walking.  That got me at 13:09 mile for mile 23.  I knew after that point, I was not going to make four hours.  At that point, I was just telling myself to keep going.  I walked some and ran some and walk some and ran some.  I kept going.  I even got back to a quicker mile of 12:51 at mile 25 but really struggled at mile 24 and 26.  In the last half mile, my calves started cramping up and I could not run.  Then.....I saw Ken again!!!!!  My leg was really cramping and Ken said WOW, I can see it moving!! Haha!  I said, yeah, I can feel it!! Haha!  He pushed me and helped me get going again and I was able to pull out running to the finish line.  I also saw my support crew again just after Ken and my wife got a picture of this too!

I was completely out of it at this point at about 26.1 miles!

The announcer announced my name which was a nice finish and said, you are a marathon finisher!  We finished on the high school track.  Garmin time - 4:12:55(forgot to turn off my Garmin)  Official time:  4:12:17; placed 800 out of 1462 finishers

The last four miles of the race were the hardest thing I ever did physically.  It was incredibly hard to finish but I just kept my mind to it and kept going.  It did not help that I saw a kid being taken into an ambulance at about 22 miles(hopefully he was ok).  Also, right at the end, just as I was entering the track, I heard a supporter say "that guy looks bad".  I wished I had the energy to say something but I kept on going!  My brother in law did say afterwords that I looked beyond tired!  From mile 23 on, I kept thinking of my #1 goal - finish, just finish and then my #2 goal, finish in 4:30:00.  So that is it, I was able to meet two of my goals but not the four hours.  Given the rainy conditions and that it's only my first marathon, I'll take that automatic PR and be very happy with it!! 

Marathon completed, check!
Moomers ice crea

My running buddy finished about six minutes behind me so we practically ran the entire race together.  I'm really glad that I was able to train and run with him as it helped keep me motivated throughout the process.

After the race, they had all kinds of food....cookies, chips, pretzels, ice cream, bananas, oranges.  They also had a place to get a massage but the line was too long to wait for it.  My running buddy and I brought a change of clothes so we took a shower after at the Phys. Ed building and went to lunch with everyone.  It was nice having that shower available after the race.  My wife asked me if I would do another one and, at that time, I said I could not make that decision so soon after finishing.

The pub we went to for lunch was crowded with all the racers and so many people were wearing their medals, including me and my running buddy!  I ate like I've never eaten before.  I also drank more water that day than I have ever drank before.  My body just soaked up the water and continued to ask for more.  We also stopped at the local running shop, Running Fit and I bought myselfdrank more water that day than I have ever drank before.  My body just soaked up the water and continued to ask for more.  We also stopped at the local running shop, Running Fit and I bought myself a hat.

Waiting for food in Downtown Traverse City!

Having a beer that evening!

Finishers Medal

Overall I thought it was a really great, well organized race.  While I would recommend it and would do it again, my thought is that I want to train for my next marathon during summer so the next one will likely be a fall marathon.  Yes, that's right folks, I've decided I WILL do another one next year.  I've got to get under that 4 hour mark!  God help me! 

Be sure to check out Jeff's blog Detroit Runner!

My First Marathon: Vinny's Story

I started running in February a few years ago, after I quit smoking in late November the year before. Like a lot of people out there, I ran in high school and always thought about a marathon.  I found Team in Training and joined up not only raise some money but to keep my motivation in perspective. I figured, if I wanted to quit at any time, I could think about the people that I was raising money for and it would keep me going. I also dragged my sister, Theresa, into the meeting and she signed up for a half marathon

I joined the team for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June. A local half marathon fell at about the halfway point of our training. Our marathon group got to train with the half-marathoners for the race.  It was a huge group (about 30 of us) running together every weekend and getting to know each other. I heard a lot of great stories and made a few friends.

Midway through the training season, the half marathoners had run their race and weren’t around anymore. At that point, it was just us full marathon runners (only about a dozen). The first time seeing that few of us was a little different for me. I was used to being surrounded by groups of people talking and being part of conversations. So, I started my run and struck up a conversation with a woman who was running about my pace. I had noticed her before and she always ran with her Mother. I didn’t know anything about her at all, but I had about 18 miles to run (my longest run at that point) and I REALLY needed someone to talk to. I didn’t know what to say, so I just said the first thing that came to mind, “So, you left your mother back there huh?” That was around mile 2. I found out through the next 16 miles of our run, her name was Nichole.

During our run we talked about different things, mostly nonsense just to keep the run and the conversation going. I found out she ran in high school, and this was her 4th full marathon. I told her about my life, how I also ran in high school, and how I had smoked for the past 13 years. I explained to her how much I loved a local cross country course. Her eyes lit up and she began to tell me all about her memories of it as well. We made plans to meet there for a practice run on our own during the week. In my high of running my first 18 miler, I totally forgot to get Nichole’s number. Thankfully, she wasn’t as winded from the run, and pulled me aside to exchange.

Midweek we met at the course, Sunken Meadow State Park. We went out again on a run, and didn’t stop talking. We only ran for about 6 miles this time, but still had the same great conversations and laughs. We continued our Saturday runs together, with the team around us, but we also met mid-week by ourselves. After our Wednesday runs, we would stop and get something to eat, to “re-fuel” but more-so to continue our conversations.

Race day finally arrived. We started the race together, running and talking as usual. Somewhere around mile 12, I started feeling it. We were moving faster than I was used to. We were talking way too much, and I was in pain. We both were feeling it. The next few miles were very quiet. I managed to make it to mile 16 before saying, “Go ahead without me, I need to stop for a minute”. I’m pretty sure Nichole knew that we wouldn’t meet up again, but I was determined.

I muscled through what I guess what my “wall” as they put it. Being the Rock-and-Roll series there were lots of people cheering and running. I found a group of Elvis runners, pushing a stroller with a boom box playing nothing but Elvis tunes. I stuck with them for a while. I have to admit, it was pretty cool, and it kept me going. Around mile 24, I did it. I caught up to Nichole. I saw her next to one of the coaches from Team and Training. She was having a very hard time. They were helping her through the end of the run. I wanted to stop and check on her, but one of the coaches assured me she was okay and started to run next to me for the next mile and a half pulling me into the end of my run. Once I crossed the finish line, I was relieved, it was over. I had officially finished a goal I had since high school. I walked around in a daze, and found a spot to sit and just plopped down. After sitting there for a few minutes, I heard my name. Nichole found me and was looking for me to congratulate me. We talked about the run and what we experienced on our 10 solo miles. Then we caught up with the rest of the team.

Later that night, we all went out for drinks and dancing and celebrating. Nichole and I broke away from the rest of the group and went to another bar. We spent the night dancing and having a great time. Some point in the night we kissed, kept dancing and enjoying each other. When we got back home, we kept up our routine of running for a few hours followed by eating and talking for a few more. Eventually we made our relationship "official."

It’s been over two years since then. We've run a few marathons together; even worked our way up to ultras and moved on to 50k, 100k, 50-mile and 100-mile races. We run a lot in the mornings together. We spend our dinners talking about our run, or how we can get our times down. We plan our vacations and long weekends around a race. We look for new local trails to run around and spend time it. We finally got into NYC this year and will be running it together.

My life completely changed because of my first marathon. I found a passion in running that keeps me going, and I found a woman that I can spend my life with who has the same passion. Running has become one of the biggest parts of my life and Nichole has become more than just my running partner, and my partner in life. She is my “sole” mate.

My First Marathon: Chris's Story

My (Chris Hazzard's) first marathon was Los Angeles 2011 (only 6 months ago!). Prior to training for LA, I was not a runner; I was a guy who occasionally ran short distances for exercise and didn't enjoy it. In fact it was painful. I would go on a running kick, and jog two or three days a week for a few weeks and then fall off and not run (or really exercise at all) for months on end. When I did run, it was never more than two or three miles, which when you are not a runner, is just long enough to make you really not want to do it.

This all changed (slowly, mind you) last October when my brother-in-law, Geoff, threw out the idea of running the LA Marathon together in March. He had run the Honolulu marathon a few years before and had been wanting to run another, and he knew that I was interested in running one. Now, when I say 'interested' I mean that in the vaguest of ways. It was something I thought about as a bucket list item. I knew many people who had run a marathon and figured at some point I would too. That was it. Though nervous at first, with Geoff's encouragement I began training. We used Hal Higdon's Novice 1 program and once the running became routine, I started to enjoy it. Something about the challenge of pushing toward a goal that I wasn't sure I could conquer really drove me.

When the day of the marathon finally came I was nervous but extremely excited. The camaraderie and excitement of everyone waiting in the coral at Dodger Stadium was contagious. The weathermen had predicted rain and as of that morning it was overcast but holding off. Cloudy and cool, the day seemed perfect. The announcer said the gun would go off in two minutes. And that's when it started. The rain. It had held off until now, two minutes before the start of the race. On cue the entire crowd let out one unison groan - there's something amazing about 19,000 people all sharing a reaction. On top of the weather, Geoff had hit the insane marathon traffic getting off the freeway and didn't make it to the start by the gun, so I ran without him knowing we'd find each other on the opposite side of the finish line.

When the gun went off we finally started moving and I couldn't believe it was actually happening; I was running a marathon. The rain was steady but not unmanageable, however that didn't last. The steady rain quickly turned into a downpour. DOWNPOUR. The type of rain you try to avoid driving in. For the first ten miles I took care to not step in puddles thinking I would be able to keep my feet fairly dry, however this became a ridiculous exercise. Somewhere between miles ten and eleven I ran through a river on Hollywood Boulevard and gave myself over to the fact that I was going to get wet. 

This was a turning point for me. The first ten miles had been fun, but as soon as I let go of any concept of what dry was the race became a lot more fun. This was good, because the rain somehow got worse. Around the halfway point it hailed for a brief period (at least I think it was hail - it hurt like hell). Yet the attitude of the people I was running near was not put off by the weather at all. Instead we saw it as a challenge. When the rain would pick up there would be loud screams of delight like cheering for your favorite band, and sometimes even laughter. At several points I saw others look to the sky and say, "Is that all you got?" The experience was incredible.

I finally crossed the finish line with a time of 4:43:06 and an incredible feeling of accomplishment. My first marathon redefined what it meant to be wet and the horrible weather only added to my overall high of the race - I knew I would never forget it.

The best thing to come out of my first marathon is that I am now a runner. I caught the running bug, big time. A few months after LA, in July, I ran the San Francisco marathon (this time actually getting to run with Geoff and we both set PRs! 4:29:46) and I just completed the Long Beach Marathon (my third), which was on October 9th. Running has grown to become something I love, it's my time to think, to set goals and to push myself. I've got a lot more marathons in me, but I will definitely never forget my first, LA 2011.

My First Marathon: Vanessa

Below is the first of a series of upcoming posts on "My First Marathon." It's such an awesome experience, I thought it would be great for readers to share what their first marathon was like and why it meant so much to them. The first in the series is from Vanessa Taylor. Read on to find out more about Vanessa and her first marathon: SunTrust Marathon, Washington DC, 2009

I had started running for real in Fall 2008, when I started a graduate program in Washington DC.  I had always wanted to do a marathon, and that seemed like a good time to do it.  I went through a rookie program training plan that I found online, trained all winter, was hoped for the best.  It was my goal to break 4 hours, although I had started to wonder of the likelihood of that.

It was about 30 out when the gun went off at 7AM, but I warmed up within a few miles. I was able to see my parents at the starting line, which was great. The first few miles went by quickly, although when I ran my first mile in 9:30 (21 seconds off my pace), I picked things up, nervous that I wouldn't meet my goal. My ideal goal was to break 4 hours (and I had secondary goals of 4:10 and 4:15). For the first 6-7 miles, I ran alongside of a nice guy named Rich, who was also trying to break 4 hours. However, at mile 7, my right sock rolled under my ankle, and I had to pull over to fix it. I was so concerned about the time I lost fixing my sock, that I picked up the pace again.

The majority of the hills were between miles 3 and 9, and it felt great to knock them out. The crowds were great; everyone was cheering, playing music (including the Rocky theme), and just being very supportive. I saw my parents at mile 11, and I was so happy to see them. Around that point, I think I misread my pace band, and thought I was 4 minutes off of my pace. However, when I got to the halfway point (13.1) in under 2 hours, I then realized, not only had I made a mistake in reading my pace band, but that I could truly break 4 hours with some room to spare. Also, I knew I was halfway done, which was good. Then I was also able to see my mom and dad again at mile 15, which was great.

The next few miles flew by, especially mile 17, which went downhill (weee!). At mile 18, I realized I only had 8 miles to go, which did not seem that bad. I knew that my friends from grad school (Wes, Seth, and Mary - the 3 I talk about the most) were going to be standing at mile 20. I told them to come around 10AM, but thankfully they got there early, since I was running at a pace faster than I imagined. I saw them first, and yelled out, and they were so surprised to see me, it was hilarious. I was so happy to see them. Then at mile 21, things started to seem a bit ugly. 5 miles left, but I just started to feel icky. It's not even that my legs were hurting, it was that I had been drinking Powerade and eating GU, and just had a sickening sweet taste in my mouth. Mile 22 was an "out and back" mile, which meant I ran half a mile, then turned and ran back on the other side of the road. It felt like I was going nowhere. Then I had 4, then 3.

At 3 (23), I told myself there was only a 5k left, and that I would be done with it soon. Then 2 miles left, but 2 hills to climb. Those 2 hills wouldn't have been so bad had they been earlier, but they seemed terrible then. Then the mile sign said 25, so just 1.2 to go. That felt long. Finally, I passed the sign that said 26, so all I had was a 200 yard dash. I dug in, found the last bit of energy I had stored, and sprinted to the finish. They announced my name as I went through the finish line, which was pretty cool, and I saw my friends and parents as I was finishing. The time that showed up as I crossed the finish line was 3:55:47, but I knew it was actually less than that, since it took me a few minutes to even cross the starting line. I then got my medal, and was immediately surrounded by Mom, Dad, Mary, Seth, and Wes. It was amazing, lots of hugging, etc.. I was insanely happy (I'm sure the adrenaline played a role in that). Once I slowed down, I started to feel sore, so I walked around, stretched, and even got a free massage on location, which was great.

Later in the day (following a good shower and nap), I went out for a steak dinner with my parents and friends - so good. It was just great for my parents to meet my new friends, and everyone just had a great time.

When I got back from my celebration dinner, they finally posted the official results of the race.
743 overall (out of 2094)
29/120 in my age division (F 18-24)
Overall Pace: 8:52
Finish: 3:52:18

I did not expect to finish in that time - I was shocked. In the weeks leading up to the race, I was filled with a lot of doubt about my goal, and in the end, I beat myself.

Vanessa Taylor

Check out my blog! www.medievalistrunningincircles.blogspot.com