First Marathon

Many of you will be running your first marathon. What an exciting time! It may also be a very scary time since you just do not know what to expect. I bet that most of us can remember our first marathon experience in quite detail since it is such a dramatic event in one’s life. I will now share my experience since there may be some good “lessons learned” (See Marty’s comments “Lessons Learned The Hard Way.”) that I hope I can share with you all. I also encourage everyone else to share their experiences as well, not only so we can give you first timers some words of wisdom, but to give you all encouragement that everything will be OK.

My first marathon was running Grandma’s Marathon in 1984. I just finished my freshman year at Mankato State University. I was talked into running the marathon by my high school friend, Tracy, who ran distance for the CC and track teams. Tracy contacted me in the spring time in 1984 about running the marathon because she thought it would be “so much fun.” I will never forget that she said this because I laughed my head off at the very thought of it being “fun.” While Tracy was the distance star, I focused on sprints and middle distance in high school and at Mankato State. I also thought that distance runners were a bit “nuts.” I told Tracy the only way I would run a marathon is if she could convince our friend Darren to run it as well. I felt I got out of this since Darren was a sprinter and middle distance runner like me and we both disliked running any further than we had to! However, it didn’t take long for Tracy to convince Darren because before I knew it I had an entry form mailed to me by Tracy! I was stuck!

Since I was running track at Mankato State, I did not really think much more about the marathon at all once I registered. I was too busy training for my track events that did not go further than 800 meters! When my first year of college was nearing to an end, my roommate, Sue, who was also on the track team and a distance runner, asked what I was going to do in the summer. I told her for starters I was going to run Grandma’s Marathon. Before I knew it I was getting drilled by Sue as to how many miles I was putting in a week and what my longest run was up to that point. Sue had run several marathons already so she was experienced enough to know that I was not prepared at the time. So that very weekend Sue dragged me out for a “long run” and I really did not know what she meant by this. She just told me to put on my shoes and we were going to be running for awhile! I ended up running about 16 miles on a very hot and humid day. We had many stops at the gas stations along the way for water. This run took place about 3 weeks before the marathon. I guess I was so naïve about the whole “marathon” thing since I really did not know you had to train for this thing.

The Friday before the race, Tracy, Darren and I started our drive up to Duluth. Our lunch consisted of popcorn made by Tracy and a bag of Snicker bars that I brought with for the trip. When we arrived at Duluth, we got our race number and walked around Duluth for a long time! We finally ate the Spaghetti dinner the marathon offers and then we headed to Helen’s campground located near mile 5. Yep, I camped the night before my first marathon. Before we went to bed, I saw Tracy put out a few pair of shoes. I liked one of the pair she had out and she told me that she was not going to run the marathon in those, but the other pair. So I asked if I could run in her spare pair. “Of course!” So I took those shoes and put them by my side. I decided I would wear them because they looked like they had more cushioning then my pair. That is logical, don’t you think?

When we awoke, I remember the butterflies in my stomach. I was still thinking of ways to get out of this thing! I was thinking that I should pretend I’m sick or my back hurts from sleeping on the hard ground. Then all of a sudden Darren tells us we have a flat tire and asked if we knew how to change a tire! A feeling of sheer thrill went through me! Yes! We won’t be able to make it to the start line. That was quickly dampened by Tracy’s remark that we should then run to the start. “Run to the start?” “Are you kidding?” “It’s 5 miles away!” Tracy was not kidding. She was very serious. I was about to run 31 miles so I quickly dashed up to the front office and started asking people if they knew how to change a flat tire. However, Darren was able to get it fixed and we quickly dashed to the start. We made it with a few minutes to spare.

What I remember most vividly at the start line is that it was a cloudy, cool day. They announced that it was 38 degrees. There was also a light mist. Tracy was wearing a light blue tank top and shorts and I was wearing a pink tank top and shorts. Darren had on a white cotton t-shirt and shorts and we were all freezing! As we were waiting for the start, Tracy thought I must have looked like I was going to pass out. She just looked at me and said, “Debbie, we are going to finish this race…OK?” I said “OK,” and with that the gun went off.

I recall that we were chatter boxes the first few miles. We laughed at how our morning started out and then we started talking about what we wanted for lunch later. We were always talking about food! However, before I knew it, it got really quiet. All I could hear was breathing and the sound of everyone’s foot strike.

The race was moving along quite nicely. We had a lot of people cheering for Tracy and I. Go pink and blue!” That was encouraging to hear. All we had along the course was water. We did not eat anything along the way. We did not have Gu’s back then! We just took the water at the scheduled water stops. Darren decided to stop and stretch at mile 12 and said he would catch up to us. We never did see him again until the finish. I then started to feel something in my toes. They felt like they were burning. Then for the next few miles I was complaining to Tracy how I felt my toes were bleeding. I was fixated on my bloody toes. Then at about mile 16, I started to feel “something” in my legs. They just were not moving the same as before. I told Tracy I was going to slow a little bit and she went on ahead of me. Before Tracy took off she said to me, “Debbie, just take it one mile at a time. You are going to make it to the finish line.” I said “OK” and wished her good luck. Now I was left lone to battle my bloody toes and sore legs. It was my toes that were bothering me the most. So for the next several miles, I took Tracy’s advice and focused on each mile. I also tried to think of other things bedsides my bloody toes.

Before I knew it, I was at mile 23 and I thought I could see Tracy up ahead. Sure enough, it was Tracy! I was so happy to see her. When I caught up to Tracy, she did not look so good. All of a sudden, she started vomiting right towards my shoes…I mean Tracy’s shoes, which then started me too think about my bloody toes! I remember thinking Tracy’s puking and I have toes that are bleeding. As I said, distance runners are “nuts!” However, it was my turn to give encouragement; I told Tracy that we are going to finish this thing together! I remember us both getting a drive in us that is beyond explanation. We were like two locomotives. We were in perfect stride with each other. We continued to hear “Go pink and blue!”

Then one of the most miraculous sites I’ve seen was the Finish line! I was so excited! I could not believe I was going to finish. When we crossed the finish line, it was one of the best feelings ever. I remember feeling just so awe struck by what just happened. We were 88th and 89th women overall. It was an incredible feeling to say “I finished!” Of course, the first thing I did was sit down and take off my shoes to look at my bloody toes. I was convinced they were bloody! However, they were just blistered. Not a drop of blood!

I was very happy I ran the race since I now enjoy distance running. My first marathon taught me a lot about myself. Some of the good lessons that I learned immediately was to eat better the day before. Popcorn and snicker bars do not sit to well in your stomach! It probably is not a good idea to borrow someone else’s shoes the day before the race. Definitely not a good idea! I also learned that long runs really are important for the marathon. Although I made it to the finish, my legs would have been much happier if I had trained them a bit more.

The one thing that stands out the most though is how important it is to believe in yourself and believe you have it in you to finish. Tracy taught me this, even though it seemed impossible for me to run a marathon at the time. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should not drop out if you are physically not able to finish! You still need to make choices that are right for you.

I wish you all the very best! You have done the training. Just BELIEVE that you will finish!