BlaringSmelly

4 months ago, the thought of running a half marathon didn’t even exist in my head. Marathon was something I didn’t believe I can do, nor did I want to. I was content with my weekly run around Green Lake. At age 35, 5.8 miles in 50 minutes was in my opinion, as good as it gets. Days before running my first 5K race, I half jokingly and half seriously said to my friend Jaime I think I have peaked my running career, “It’s downhill from here.”

Jaime disagreed immediately. He told me female runners tend to excel at older ages. The next day, he sent me a New York Times article to back up his statement. I was very encouraged by this.

My first 5K race went well. I enjoyed it so much I started tempering with the idea to take running more seriously. The next big race event was Amica Insurance Seattle Marathon, which was just over 3 months away. Would I be ready for it? My colleague Lisa is an experienced runner who has done 4 half marathons. I went to her for advice.

“You can do it!” Lisa said it with so much certainty I wasn’t sure she was talking about me. She saw the disbelief look on my face, so repeated again with even more confidence in her tone “You are going to do great!”

There, she talked me into believing myself. Throughout my training, I went to her whenever I had questions or doubts on my techniques. She was always there, eagerly providing her runner’s wisdom.

The 12-week online training program was surprisingly easy to stick with. All I needed to do was commit to the schedule. I was making progress slowly but surely.

Race day weather condition was ideal in the low 50s with occasional drizzle. One thing I learned from my 5K race was to maintain a steady pace. The first half of the race went well, but the run became tougher as I approached the “big hill” near the end of Lake Washington Blvd. The Galer St. climb to Madison St. was steep but manageable. However, once I reached Madison St., it was just the beginning of another hill. Finally a short break as I turned right and got off Madison, but then another hill, and another….

Most hills seemed to be concentrated during the 2nd portion of the course. For the most part my mind was drawing a blank and my feet were moving forward mechanically. Somehow I kept up with a group of runners I was running with throughout good chunk of the race.

The hardest part was the last few miles. As I struggled with the Lakeview Blvd. slope going uphill, I started to experience side stitch. I gathered my thought and returned my focus on rhythmic breathing. Eventually the pain went away. But exhaustion remained, I was getting thirsty too. I skipped all the water stations but now I needed some fluid real bad. I grabbed a sip of water at the next water station. It was much needed for that one last hill and to the finish line.

What a feeling to have finished the run and be able to run with thousands of runners, knowing all of us have worked hard for the same goal of finishing the race. It was truly a humbling experience. I like what John Stanton wrote for the Vancouver Marathon website: “…Training is not a test but rather a magical journey that will empower you mentally, physically and provide a, I can do it, attitude.” It was exactly the case for me. And along the way, I had help and supports from friends. I’m truly blessed.