I DID IT!

While I would have liked to post sooner about my marathon run, I realized I needed a few days to properly reflect on my experience (at least something beyond: "I'll never do that again")... plus it took a full 48 hours of recovery time for me to be willing to sit in this wooden desk chair long enough to type anything of substance.

First and foremost, I still stand by my initial thought... I have no intention of ever running another marathon.  Of course, I can't really say that with absolute certainty... maybe someday I'll decide that I want to improve upon my time, try to qualify for Boston or even take a different approach to the whole thing (it could be fun to run the whole marathon with the sole purpose of taking photos from the perspective of the runner... being surrounded by 20,000+ people, the spectators, the signs, the amazing scenery...)  But, at this point, if I were the betting type, I would put my money on never repeating this kind of thing again.

But before anyone makes any assumptions about why I don't plan to run another marathon, it's important to know why I wanted to run one in the first place.  This whole thing came about because I wanted to be a better person... a better wife, mother, friend, employee...  I found my life had little direction.  I had no goals, no hobbies, and nothing that excited me.  Don't get me wrong... I was enjoying my life immensely.  I have a wonderful family, a great job and amazing friends... but I wasn't really doing anything.  I was simply watching life go by and enjoying the scenery.  I realized that if I was going to truly live this one life I'd been given, I was going to have to do more than enjoy the ride... I needed to be the one driving the train. 

So, I started by reading.  That part was easy - it was something I already loved to do.  But rather than reading about the fictional lives of fictional people, I decided to try to learn more about real things and actual people... and maybe learn something new about myself in the process.  I looked for topics I didn't know much about and found that, while I may not have any interest in politics or sports, I can still enjoy the process of learning something new about them. 

It was actually a sports-related book that got me thinking about my own goals and dreams.  My husband had recommended I read Winning Every Day by Lou Holtz.  While the author is a football coach and made several references to games and athletes throughout his career, I still found the book to be incredibly inspiring.  At Coach Holtz's urging, I went about making my own bucket list.  In creating that list, I realized I had quite a few things that I wanted to do... and no discernible reason not to get started.  Number one on my list was to run a marathon... so after 12 years of laziness, it was time to get off the couch and start running again...

This process was a long one and started last summer with just a few miles a week.  I knew it was going to take a lot of work and determination, but I also knew that no one was going to achieve this goal for me.  For the first time in a very long time I had something I was going to work for and I couldn't wait to check my first major goal off my list.

So, now, here I am, having completed a full marathon, reflecting on all of that work and the experience I've had and I'm struck by so many different things.  First, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life.  It required a lot of time in the months leading up to the race and a whole lot of determination to stick with it.  There were injuries and frustrations along the way.   And race day was grueling... with temps in the 80s and a few difficult hills along the course, I had a rough go of it.  The first half actually seemed fairly easy and I definitely overdid it when it came to my pace.  I struggled with the idea of slowing down when I was feeling that strong.  This, of course, was silly... I had a long way to go and definitely should have gone slower.  Unfortunately, I couldn't keep that pace for the second half.  That being said, I have no regrets about how I ran it.  Sure, I could have made better decisions along the way, but this was a learning experience for me.  Other first time marathoners view it as a learning experience for future races... I simply think of it as a learning experience for future life experiences.  It was difficult... and I still managed to make it.  When all was said and done, I still crossed the finish line.  Bucket list item #1: Run a marathon... Check!  And putting that pink 26.2 sticker on my car was most definitely a proud moment and worth every ounce of energy that went into earning it.

Officially a marathoner!!!

And now for the contradictory part... this was also one of the easiest things I've ever done.  Not physically, by any means... but mentally.  Even at the most difficult points of the race, it never crossed my mind to quit.  For the first time in my life I set my mind to something, worked hard for it and accomplished a goal... a big one.  At the age of 31, I think I've finally got it figured out... not the meaning of life or anything quite so grandiose... but the simple concept of wanting something, working hard for it and getting it.  This was a wonderful goal for me and I really did enjoy every step of the process when it came to achieving it... even the really hard parts.  So, I have to wonder... what else can I do?  What else can I achieve during this life?  What can I set my mind to next?  The fun part at this point is that I have no idea... but I can't wait to figure it out.

So, no... I do not plan to run another marathon.  But I do plan to set a new goal... something fun, something big and something I can enjoy just as much as I enjoyed this.  I learned so much about myself on Sunday and couldn't be more proud of my accomplishment.  And I look forward to discovering what I accomplish next.

So, here's the breakdown of the official results from the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon:

Erin Mathews (bib #695)

Avon, OH, USA

Age: 31 Gender: F

Distance	MAR
Clock Time	04:18:38
Chip Time	04:15:19*
Overall Place	953 / 14757
Gender Place	255 / 8311
Division Place	63 / 1498
Pace	0:09:44.
Split10K	00:53:06
Half	01:52:37
Split31K	02:53:59

*4:10:31 according to my watch - I actually stopped it for restroom breaks - which doesn't make it official or anything... I'm just sayin' :)

As far as the race itself, I can't say enough about the volunteers and spectators along the course.  Obviously, the water stops were a necessity... especially on a day like that.  But the spectators made the race so much fun.  Some people got incredibly creative with their signs!  I couldn't believe that, after running for 3+ hours, a sign could still make me smile.  But they did.  Some of my favorites: "That shirt makes your butt look fast", "You look so skinny", "You have a great endurance... call me"... and one of my absolute favorites...

Photo by Ryan Haidet, WKYC-TV

A very special thank you to the woman who rode her bike to a couple different spots along the course and put out signs on dry erase boards... the constant reminders of why I was running in the first place were exactly what I needed.  I had reached a point during the second half where I was walking all of the water stops (partly because I absolutely needed to drink as much water as possible and partly because my legs were in desperate need of a break) and those signs reminded me that it was okay to slow down and even walk from time to time.  I was reminded that I didn't need to finish in a certain time... all I needed to do was finish.  I realized that, no matter what happened, as long as I got myself across that finish line, I would have nothing to be ashamed of.  The statistic that less than 1% of Americans will ever run a marathon was always just a statistic... probably because I was still in that 99%.  But, having now become a part of that 1%... that statistic makes me feel pretty amazing... and I'll quote it every chance I get.  I don't know who you were there supporting, but you had a huge impact on my marathon experience and I can't thank you enough for that!

And to all of you wonderful people spending your hard earned money on what is likely to be a rather large water bill... you were also a huge help!  Not only did I find great relief from the heat in being sprayed with water, but for one small moment I believe it made us all feel a bit child-like... running through the sprinklers like we did when we were kids.  I'm sure there were many of us that would have loved to stick around to frolic in the water for the rest of the afternoon... but we had a finish line to get to :)

And, of course, the biggest thanks of all...  To my husband & race photographer: you were there for the whole thing... from the creating of the bucket list to crossing the finish line.  None of this would have been possible without you.  To Bob, Rachel, Michael, Michelle, Kevin, Melissa, Kiki & Coop... you have no idea how great it was to have my very own fans at the race.  From the starting line to the finish, your friendly faces throughout the course helped me through and I can't tell you enough how grateful I am for your support.  And to everyone else who helped me along the way... from the encouraging words and advice of fellow runners to the support of my family, friends and co-workers.  You've made this experience an enjoyable one and I can only hope to one day repay the favor.

Coming in for a big finish... waving to my fans... and somehow still running :)

All in all, I had an amazing experience!  Yes, it was hot and, yes, it was hard... but it was so worth it.  And running this marathon made me realize one other very important thing... runners are freakin' crazy!  And I've never been more proud to be one!