31. Run 1st Marathon

It finally happened. After 18+ weeks of hard training, I finally completed my first marathon. It was much harder than I had anticipated. I guess that's why it's not called an "easython". - wow that was stretching... I was going strong for the first 18 miles- averaging better than 9 minute miles. Right at mile 18, a major leg cramp settled in on my left leg. I'd never experienced this on any of my training runs and I wasn't sure what to do. I slowed my pace and kept running. It was VERY nagging and never went away. I transitioned to a sort of "limp jog" and this only made other parts of my body cramp up. Considering my pain, I think I still maintained a decent pace for those last 8 miles. My overall time was 4 hours and 18 minutes. It was the hardest run I've ever done in my life. The distance was insane and to factor in the pain that I'd never experienced before, I was extremely proud when I crossed the finish line. I was holding back tears when my finisher's medal was put around my neck. I didn't expect to be that emotional but without a doubt, I can say this was the hardest thing I've ever done. In fact, if I had to rank the 5 toughest accomplishments in my life, it might look something like this: 1. Lakefront Marathon 2. Lakefront Marathon 3. Lakefront Marathon 4. Lakefront Marathon 5. Walking to the car after the Lakefront Marathon Even though it was harder than I thought and I welcomed death for the next several hours after the race, I think I got the marathon bug. A lot of first-time marathoners do the race and check it off their life's to-do list and never consider doing another one. I know that, for me, I'm not done with marathons. They're challenging, but now I know that they're worth it!

Click here to see Gretchen's post about the big event!