Well, the marathon is over. I survived and am here to tell the tale! Actually, I am basking in a post-marathon glow. What an amazing, emotional, joy-filled, challenging experience! Before the marathon, I had planned to write one more blog post as a cumulative reflection on this entire process. I’ve changed my mind. I want to write these first – just some random reflections on the marathon itself, to capture them here and share. They may or may not be of interest, but this experience is one that has been so amazing, I just don’t want to forget anything! So here are some thoughts and memories of the before, during and after…
The day before…
I drove to Duluth Friday afternoon with the pit in my stomach that had been with me for days. Probably nerves. Excitement. Apprehension. Doubt. Whatever it was, it was there. The trip north was uneventful – radio station hopping and a pit stop in Hinkley were the highlights. Road construction was a-plenty along the way, so I decided to follow the directions I had and headed to the UW in Superior first to check into my dorm room before going to the Marathon Expo at the DECC (Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.)
I stayed in Ostrander Hall at the UW campus on Friday night. It was a reasonable option compared to others and I could stay there one night as opposed to the required 2 and 3-night minimum of other lodging options. I know I could have asked to crash on any number of friends’ and family members’ couches, but I really needed to have my own space. I knew I’d need to be by myself that night so the UW was a great option. I was checked in by student workers who were friendly, helpful and very welcoming. I love the “feel” of college campuses and that, plus these great young people helped take the edge off that pit in my stomach. After moving my things into my room, I headed to the DECC.
As expected, the energy at the DECC was palpable. There were hundreds of people milling around, carbo-loading at the Michelinas Spaghetti feed, taking in the great freebies and shopping at the booths of the running expo, and picking up racing packets. It was great. I got my running packet first, checked the chip to make sure it worked (it did) and headed off to the booths. I knew I wanted to get the official Grandma’s Marathon poster, a shirt, and whatever marathon chachki caught my eye. I found the poster and shirt, and also bought a couple magnets for my car, stickers and a little bling for my running shoes. A plastic rain ponch got my attention at one booth. There was a chance of rain in the morning and for $3.00 I could have a disposable poncho to keep me dry prior to the race if needed. Seemed like a good investment to make so I approached the woman at the booth to make my purchase. As we made small talk, she asked “are you running tomorrow?” “Yes.” “The half?” “No, the full marathon” I replied. “It’s my first. A bucket list thing.” She got a big grin on her face and said “Congratulations!” Shaking her head, she added “Welcome to the slippery slope.” I laughed and assured her it was a one-and-done sort of event. She added that she had just celebrated her 72nd birthday and finished her 50th marathon - the Hatfield and McCoy Marathon in Kentucky. I congratulated her and asked how long she had been running. “30 years.” If you do the math, that means she started running marathons at 42. It didn’t appear that she had plans to retire any time soon. Even though I didn’t end up using the poncho, it was worth the purchase and meeting Bonnie. What a cool woman.
After an hour or so I had my fill of the crowd and was getting hungry, so I found a place for my own carbo-loading, then headed back to the UW to settle in. After getting myself organized I checked e-mail and Facebook one last time and found countless messages of encouragement and good wishes, including a couple more donation confirmations – I had surpassed my fundraising goal! There were a couple more names to add to my mile list, which I wrote in, and decided it was time to hit the hay. I opened my door to make a last trip to the bathroom and standing there, ready to knock on my door, was a former student of mine – Cari! It was so fun to see her – we shared stories of excitement and nervousness, and said we’d look for each other at the start the next day. We hugged and wished the other well for a good night’s sleep and the race in the morning.
The pit in my stomach was still there, but not so prevalent. I set my alarm for 4:15 am, turned the lights out just before 10 pm, and surprisingly, fell fast asleep.
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