I did it! 26.2 miles and It’s time to blog about it!
This past Sunday, I set out for my first ever marathon in Madison, Wisconsin. I never in my life thought I would say I ran a marathon. Well, I did it, and here’s what I learned:
- I respect runners!
The amount of time it takes to train for any race big or small is a huge commitment and I commend anyone who has ever done it or consistently does it for fun. Those of you who do this competitively, for time, pace every mile the same, I applaud you!
- I wasn’t as gross as I thought I was going to be during and after the run.
Confession, one of my biggest fears throughout this entire process was that I was going to lose control of all bodily functions at some point during training or on race day. I know, you’re reading this and thinking that’s so gross and way too much information, but seriously I was terrified of that happening. Then, something happened the days leading into the race and on race day itself. I realized how hard I’ve worked and if it came down to pee my pants and cross the finish line so I could meet my goal of not walking, then hell I was going to do it! For the record, I maintained full control! :)
- Madison is HILLY!
Wow! Madison, you got me good. I literally cannot believe how hilly that course was and I’m so proud of myself for finishing it. It’s on me that I did not prepare for that many hills, and honestly I’m okay with it! Sometimes for me and my mindset it’s better not to know!
- I needed my “Crew” more than I thought.
When I signed up for this race a few months ago, I honestly thought I was going to drive up, run the race, and drive home on my own. Thank God I have family and friends that didn’t let me do that. The truth is I needed them. Marc, Mom, Brytne, and Melissa words cannot express how thankful I am to the four of you for being there in person. Marc had the course navigated so well that he and my mom were able to meet me and change out water and supply me with more figs for energy. Seeing these 4 people along the way gave me the strength I needed to keep going. Seeing Melissa and Brytne around Mile 23 after telling Marc at Mile 21 “I’m going to need help” was absolutely amazing. I learned that it’s okay to accept support from others. After the race when pain was setting in, all I could do was smile and laugh with these 4.
- I learned how POWERFUL having a positive MINDSET is.
It is absolutely 100 percent true that your mind controls everything. It was after reading David Goggin’s book, “Can’t Hurt Me” and being impacted by my boxing trainer Brian Akins that I decided I would run a marathon. I wanted something that would challenge me mentally and physically and attaching that goal to helping a friend (Brian) was just what I needed to do. I cannot tell you the number of training days I felt pain and literally convinced myself I was okay. I learned how to control my mind. While running the race on Sunday, there were many times I thought about walking, or how badly the next hill was going to kill, or start to feel my feet getting heavy, but I’m proud to say that in addition to seeing my crew, I talked myself out of it EVERY SINGLE TIME! Here were some of my thoughts (some may sound crazy, but it worked for me)
- If you walk now, you’re going to do another marathon because you said your goal is to run the whole time
- I have to keep running, because I don’t want Marc, my mom, Melissa, or Brytne to see me walking
- I can get a pedicure and manicure after I finish
- Can’t hurt me
- You are strong
- I am proud of you
- Marc, Mom, Brytne, Melissa, Brian
- Grandma’s and Grandpa get me through
- I’m lucky to be able to run
- God doesn’t put in front of you what you can’t handle (said that multiple times before each hill)
- This is my race. Remember your goals Jacqie. Keep shuffling, but do not stop.
- The time doesn’t matter
- If you stop, you’ll be in pain
- Your next major goal/accomplishment in life depends on this…if you walk, you won’t get it
- I’m feeling good!
I cannot believe how good I feel two days later. Sunday was the worst! After crossing the finish line, my ankles, knees, and hips progressively got tighter and felt painful. I stepped out of the car after about a 10 minute car ride to get out for lunch and literally thought my ankles were going to snap! I was not walking well, yet I just laughed and laughed. I was surrounded by loved ones and I just reached a goal. I had to laugh it off, though I was slightly terrified of what Monday would bring. At one of the gas station stops we had, a kind stranger asked if I was okay! LOL! Thankfully, Monday I slept in a bit longer than normal, and woke up with those spots still feeling tight but overall doing GREAT!!! It goes to show that proper training, maintenance, fuel, and mindset will get you a long way in life!
- I won’t do another one. (Seriously)
One and done is great for me. One of the biggest lessons I learned is that it’s important to at the very least like what you are doing when setting a big goal. To be blunt, I never enjoyed running. Each morning that I would wake up while training for the marathon, I didn’t have that “Yay, I get to run today; I love running” feeling. It was something I knew I had to do if I wanted to achieve my goal. I did learn the importance of incorporating running into part of my weekly training to help continue to build my endurance and plan to do some short runs a couple times a week. Also, it taught me that sometimes there are going to be parts of life that I do not like, yet with a positive mindset, knowing that it too shall pass, I will continually help me grow as a person.
Thank you to EVERYONE who believed in me. There are honestly so many people to thank that I won’t name you because I don’t want to accidentally leave anyone off the list. Those of you that donated to my Go Fund Me page for Brian, called, texted, sent messages on Facebook, talked to me in person, I appreciate you. It made a huge difference; it really did. I thought of so many of you, said your names out loud, thought about your stories, and pushed through.
So now, WHAT’S NEXT?! I’m not sure yet, but you better believe I’m taking this week to brainstorm while having fun at the gym!
