My First (and Probably Last) Marathon

I did it! I achieved one of my lifetime bucket list goals: to run a marathon. This actually feels like a great achievement not because I managed to run 26.2 miles, but because I spent four months steadily working up to it. I ran three to four days per week for FOUR MONTHS! Some people are amazing runners and that kind of volume is not a big deal. I am not. I run because I want to, because the time alone allows me to work through my thoughts without distraction.

Anyway, back to the marathon. Emily and I chose to run the Seattle Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. The race started at the Space Needle, ran through the 99 tunnel onto the Via Duct and past Pike Place Market. We ran through Pioneer Square and Columbia City to loop around a beautiful park on the waterfront called Seward Park. Finally we ran along the water to the I-90 bridge, over the water and through the tunnel then back to the Century Link Stadium. The morning was overcast and cool with a bit of misty rain here and there, in a word: perfect!

Mile 15 was particularly powerful. It began with a series of pictures of people who had died of cancer or were dying of cancer, people who had runners honoring them. After an appropriate break were pictures of military men and women who died in service with their names, ages, and date of death. I forced myself to stop reading their ages and look only at their faces. So many were so young. They died before they even had a chance to live. The pictures were followed by a long line of military members with American flags.

Since it was the Rock 'n' Roll marathon, there were bands set up along the course. The most memorable were a drumming troop set up under an overpass which made the beats reverberate through our bodies, a mariachi band on top of an overpass, and the Army band set up at mile 25.5. The Army band had the greatest energy and totally made the last little bit of the race amazing. I crossed the finish line all smiles. (Our time wasn't 5:44, it was 5:17)

 It was a great experience. Em and I limped away from the race with sore knees and hips, but I couldn't have asked for a better running partner. She waited for me through numb feet and tight calves and we worked through some knee pain together near the end. Thanks sister for your patience and friendship. Much love!