Portland Marathon

I still remember that night in January. In fact, it was the first day of January at about midnight. And maybe there was some drinking involved as we rung in the new year! At any rate, a group of friends were talking about running and races.

Then, we started talking about a marathon. Well, we had actually discussed it before then, but it was just that...a discussion. And we had talked about the Portland marathon being a good one because of it's location, (within driving distance) degree of difficulty (in terms of elevation gain) and the time of year it was being held. But again, it was a discussion. A silly discussion that was being had while under the influence. :)

And then a few days later, Sam officially registered for the Portland Marathon. And then Ben did. And then Vanessa did. And they were waiting for me to register. I remember heavily considering the half marathon option. I could be done 2 hours before them! And it didn't scare me to think about, like the full 26.2 miles did. But they all had their hand in convincing me that I could run a marathon and in the end, I succumbed to peer pressure. I registered to run the 2011 Portland Marathon! What had I done?

10 months went by and I found myself with Sam, Ben, and Vanessa at the starting line. And then again, 5 hours later at the finish line! I ran 26.2 miles. I ran a marathon. And then I quickly crossed it off my bucket list. And I most likely will never add "run another marathon" to my bucket list. :)

To sum up my thoughts during the race, I would say that the first 13 miles were actually pretty easy. At about 18 miles, I hit the dreaded "wall." At about 23 miles, I mentally checked out. In fact, I cried a little. Not too much, I just had to get it out of my system. :) Although there was only 3 more miles, it equated to 30 minutes. 30 more minutes that I didn't think I had in me. And at that point my whole body HURT. I couldn't even point out 1 particular thing. No blisters, no bum knees or hips, no charlie horses, just generalized pain. With every step. In the rain. The last mile was BRUTAL, in terms of running it, but the surroundings were amazing! Spectators lined the streets, shouting, ringing cowbells, encouraging us all. I kind of felt famous. And hearing my first and last name announced as I crossed the finish line brought back more tears.

Kuddos to the Portland Marathon Association. They sure do know how to treat the finishers. Blankets, roses, tree seedlings, 2 shirts, 3 medals, and any kind of food you could ever want.

It was a very memorable day and I am proud to say that I accomplished something that I never would have thought I would EVER do! I was so happy to have my husband there with me sharing the experience (as well as 2 very good friends!)

From now on, I will stick to half-marathons! :)