2017...And That's A Wrap!

I honestly can't believe I'm even typing this and still pinching myself to see if it is real. You see, I gave up on the marathon distance a long time ago after a scary incident at the Disney Marathon in 2006 where I got very sick from medicine I took pre-race and ended up with my first and only DNF after running 22 miles.  I was SO close!

Then, as I started to realize I was only one race away from qualifying for Marathon Maniacs, I had to give it a shot.  I completed the Portland Marathon in October and the New York City Marathon in November, so I needed one more before the qualifying 90 day time limit was up.  Really, Kim? You have a calf strain and PF returned after the NYC race, you can't do another marathon.  Upon medical advice, you haven't even done more than a 5K in a month, how are you going to pull off another marathon?

Is it Tenacity or Stupidity?

Well, for some reason, I have either been given the gift of tenacity or the gift of stupidity.  You can decide.  So, on New Year's Eve, I woke up not really ready to head to Seattle for the Sporty Diva End of the Year Run at Green Lake, but I had to try. I had arranged to go with running friends and some travel plans changed within the prior couple of days. They could get me to the race, but had to leave after finishing 14 miles. A friend of a friend who was doing the marathon agreed to take me home after the event, problem solved.  Well, so we thought. After I had gotten dressed and headed downstairs, I checked my messages and my backup ride was ill! Oh no, she wasn't going and I no longer had a way home.  My immediate thought was "Oh well, I will just do the 14 mile option and ride home with the girls who were kind enough to drive me to the race. Maybe it is for the best. I am injured after all."

That Pesky Mental Game

On the hour ride, I told them my ride home fell through and I would just stop early and head home with them. Mentally, I had convinced myself that a marathon wasn't going to happen and maybe that was for the best. Funny how our minds will rationalize and make you settle, right?  Well, they weren't having it and assured me that they would find me a ride home.  Luckily, my Skirt Sister, Marie was doing the full distance and could drive me to Tacoma and then another friend met me there and brought me the rest of the way home.  How amazing is that?  They wouldn't let me have an excuse not to finish this goal. Pretty amazing friends if you ask me.  Here's a photo of me and Marie.  Thank goodness she was there that day to help get me home!  She's pretty amazing by the way and has completed more than 200 marathons!  That is not a typo, people. I'm convinced she is Wonder Woman.

About 3 laps into the race, I thought how in the world am I going to do 6 more laps around this lake plus a mile?  Honestly, loops really test your mental muscle.  You start to loop around and see people finishing, eating, chilling out, laughing and you suck it up and start another loop of 2.8 miles. But, the mind is powerful too and to get me through the negative thinking, I had found a couple of landmarks to keep pushing me forward.  When I reach the little theater on one part of the lake, I would perk up and head to the next landmark of a set of bleachers and then around to the checkpoint. After lap 5, I stopped to say goodbye to another Skirt Sister, Cathie, who had finished her distance for the day.

I remember saying to her, how am I going to do another 4 laps?  But, I better get going...somewhere along loop #6 (I think) Marie caught up to me and walked and talked with me for a little while.  A young couple with a baby stopped me to ask what event I was doing that day and got a fist bump and good conversation for another .25 miles when I really needed support. I then drifted to finding things to occupy my brain - a rowing team was practicing in the lake and I watched them push off from the dock. I listened to several conversations of those just at the lake for a leisurely walk. One talked about an endowment at Columbia University and all I could think about was student loans, ugh!  Nope, not a good space to be in this late in the game. I wanted to look for eagles, which frequent the lake, bu tthe sun was really bright. Bright sun for me means look down or the squinting will lead to a headache.  I didn't need that on top of all the negative thinking I had going on. I was a champ at negative thinking at this point.

I Did It!

Somehow, I made it those last couple of loops around the lake...26.2 miles!  It still feels like a dream although my sore left leg reminds me it is real.  I can't believe I completed 3 marathons in 2017 in 84 days. By the way, the race director, Rose, is awesome!  She's a ball of energy and lots of fun.  I wanted to stop after 7 loops and she reminded me of my goal and I simply couldn't stop. She was more determined than I was that this race would make me a Marathon Maniac.
 

So, I begin 2018 as a Marathon Maniac and so excited to have reached a goal I had given up on a long time ago and given up on about 5 loops into this last race of the year.  This girl, who always said marathon training is too time consuming and just not fun anymore found love for the marathon distance again and this time, no DNF's. I think I'm back!