Des News Marathon

Three weeks ago I ran the Deseret News Marathon. This had to be the toughest 26.2 miles of my life. First of all I woke up at 2:30 to catch the bus that takes the runners to the starting line. After arriving at the top of Big Mountain I had to wait an hour until the start of the marathon. My thoughts were racing during this time I was wondering if I had put in enough training or if I was even going to finish this run. Finally the race began and I knew I would soon face the reality of my training. The first couple of miles were extremely hard. My legs were definitely feeling the downhill pounding and then around mile 6 we had to trudge uphill. By mile 8 I was feeling very discouraged. At this point I told myself that I needed to change my attitude or I would never finish the marathon. I started to tell my self that I feel great, I feel strong, I feel confident and I can do this. I repeated this to myself for miles and it made a difference in my confidence. The last 7 to 8 miles I found myself unable to run. This was so disheartening because I knew that I would not make my goal time. So after miles of dodging parade spectators and vehicles I finally made it to the finish line and received my medal. Crossing the line I grudgingly told myself that I would never run the Desert News Marathon again.

This race was hard for me. There is no faking a marathon and I know I can do better then I did. With the anticipation of a glorious finish I will make my return to Top of Utah Marathon in September.

Favorite quote I heard on the course belongs to the cyclist that passed me around mile 15. After passing me he says “ Why do only ugly girls run marathons”. I refrained from throwing a rock at him or yelling a variety of obscenities. However, I did want to challenge him to run the 15 miles I just did and see how pretty he feels. To answer his question, ugly girls don’t get asked on dates so we use our weekends to run.

That's Life

So lately I have been thinking about a man I met three years ago when I was training for the first marathon. One day I was doing my regular four mile run when I encountered some fierce young dachshunds heading straight for the my ankles. The dogs’ owner was a man in his eighties sitting on the porch with cigarette and beer in hand. He came to the street to retrieve his dogs and the first thing he said to me was what gorgeous eyes I have and introduced himself as Carl. Every time I would pass his house that summer his dogs would come for the ankles and Carl would quickly rise from his chair, cigarette and beer in hand, to see how my day was going and how far I was going to run. Carl was always ready to pull on the charm as he complimented me every time I saw him. One of my favorite memories of him is when someone was giving away a piano and left it on Highland Drive. When I came to the piano I saw Carl with a friend in his eighties trying to push this piano down the road. I offered my assistance but Carl snapped at me saying what kind of gentleman he would be if he let a lady move a piano.

A couple days after not completing the marathon I saw Carl again. He asked me how my race went and with head held down I shamefully told him that I did not finish it. His response was simply “sh.. happens”. He actually had that phrase on his shirt that day too. Sometimes in life you can get the most inspirational quotes about defeat but it really comes back to that simple phrase. To avoid cussing too much I’ll use the toned down term “life happens” Well my friends life happens. You may have a bad run, a terrible final, the guy you like doesn’t like you back or things just seem to not be going your way. That’s life; it is full of heartbreak, trials, tears and pains. Fortunately life is more wonderful than any of the pain we may feel because you will have great runs, good friends and family and days when you relish in the journey. I saw Carl a couple more times that summer and then I didn’t see him again. He wasn’t in the best health so I’m not surprised if he went to the spirit in the sky or maybe he moved to Albuquerque. Whatever the reason, I will remember how he didn’t let me fall victim to my circumstances that day. Frank Sinatra sings in his song That’s Life “Each time I find myself, flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race”. Here I am my friends, back in the race.

The Power of 26.2 miles

I finished a marathon. What a great phrase to be able to say. On September 20 I ran the Top of Utah Marathon in Logan. I felt like I could conquer the world after completing that marathon. Although my time was slow I had reached my goal and had fun along the way. I met great people and learned that completing a marathon is an amazingly unique experience. Last week I ran the Salt Lake City Marathon. I was nervous coming into it because my training had suffered through the winter. However, I am proud to declare that I have finished two marathons.
My favorite thing about the marathon is the power you get from the other participants. I love talking to people along the way asking them how they are feeling or what made them get out of bed at four am to run a marathon. People's motivation is astounding, I felt honored to be running along participants who were pushing themselves to go beyond their limit. I have learned that a marathon could not be completed without the support of family and friends. I am grateful for everyone who offered their encouragement when my confidence was struggling. Thanks to Geoff for helping me through the last six miles. I really could not have finished twenty minutes faster without your help. The power in finishing 26.2 miles is incredible I know that the strength that I had to finish was an answer to many prayers. I am a marathoner!