So, it is done. I have come to the end of my marathon adventure. And I can say, it was an amazing journey. I’ve had really good experiences and really bad experiences. I’ve been hurt and I’ve run through pain that I’ve never felt before. I’ve been on the verge of crying. I’ve been angry and I’ve been happy.
And I can’t wait to do it again!
Sunday morning came quickly. I think I slept ok, but by 6 am, it didn’t matter. Sarah and Emma walked with me down to the starting line in the freezing cold. The start area was jammed with people trying to use the porta-potties, check their gear, say farewell (for a few hours) to loved ones and cramming into the starting corral to get that prime position to start running. After using the bathroom one last time, I gave Sarah and Emma a kiss goodbye and went to stand in line to start, 26.2 miles was ahead of me.
It took only about 4 minutes to get across the start line. Not too bad considering 15,000 people were all trying to do the same thing. The first 3 miles were nice and easy down Broad Street. It was mostly flat with a little downhill. The next 3 miles were pretty uneventful. I was feeling really good and moving at a pretty good pace. At this point, I just kept counting down the miles until I got to see my fan club, “Team Brian” (thanks to great art and a clever idea from Sarah)!
Around mile 7 came the first time to eat. I was under the impression the race was handing out Cliff Shot Blocks (a chewy candy like energy treat). However, the race handed out Cliff Shots - a gel and not what I was expecting. I grabbed one to try it and opened the package. I tried to squeeze out the gel, but it was practically frozen from sitting out in 35°. I put a little in my mouth and promptly spit it out! So I reached into my fuel pack and grabbed a bag of Chomps (the chewy candy like energy). I quickly downed the package of 8 chews, drank some water and started running again.
Miles 7 & 8 were still pretty easy going. I came to mile 9 and started looking for the white hats. When I turned the corner to start heading south on the route, I was wondering where everyone was. Then I heard the loudest screaming coming from the right hand side of the road. There they were, full of energy and excitement. I had the biggest smile on my face seeing all of them standing there braving the cold. Wow.
Miles 10 through 12 again were easy going. I was feeling good and after 11 started the 4 mile run up High Street. Heading up High Street I finally took some time to walk. I was starting to get a little tired and realized there was still a long way to go. After mile 12, I passed were the marathon started and it was quite amazing at how different that place looked.
Mile 13 came and I started looking for my fan club again. I watched as many, many runners turned off to finish the half-marathon on my left. On my right I start to hear Team Brian screaming out as they were running up to the course to cheer me on. I smiled again and started to focus on the second half of the run. Then out of nowhere, Curtis appears next to me screaming my name and cheering me on. I got a good laugh from that!
And now the marathon truly begins. Miles 14, 15 and 16 went very smooth. Up High Street to Ohio State University. The course took me down “Frat Row” before stepping foot on campus. For the record, no one seemed to be interested in cheering us on down Frat Row - most likely everyone was at church that morning.
Next it was onto OSU. The campus was beautiful. It was very quiet with not that much crowd support. The few college students who were awake that early were looking at us like we were beyond crazy. That’s fine, we were (are). It was cool running by Ohio Stadium. I started thinking back to 15 years ago when I saw UW play Ohio State there. Where does the time go?
It was soon after that the run started to get more difficult. Mile 17 and 18 were not fun. Then, Sabrina and I remembered that mile 17 on the long training runs was also difficult. So, we pushed on with the thought that mile 20 was only a few miles away. Break it down, break it down, we kept telling ourselves.
Miles 20 through 22 were a blur. I remember my name being called out at mile 20 and running through some very nice neighborhoods. I remember the crowd support was nice through this area and those with good eyesight did their best to cheer us on by name. There was a good amount of walking during these miles. It was all I could do at some points to keep moving forward. It hurt to walk and it hurt to run. Sometimes, it hurt more to walk. But the end drew nearer with every step forward.
Then, somewhere between miles 23 and 24, I hit “the wall”. I’ll never forget it. We stopped to stretch on a bridge over the river. I leaned on the rail, looked at the water and just wanted to cry. I was tapped. I thought I gave all I could. I just wanted to stop. It had been a while since I was that emotional. I wasn’t panicking, I was simply done. Then Sabrina started talking about how we were so close, we can’t give up, we’re almost there. I started moving and said, this is THE MOST pain I had ever experienced in my life! But onward I went.
After the mile 25 it was Sabrina’s turn to start breaking down. I said the same things she told me plus, I was able to say, without a doubt, we’d be done with the marathon in less than 10 minutes. This seemed to work because we were moving after that. Between miles 25 and 26, candy Buckeyes were being passed out to the runners. As I saw this, the only thing I could think of was not throwing up. Don’t get me wrong, Buckeyes are one of my favorite candies, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of eating one. I got to the last person handing them out and grabbed one anyway. I thought Emma would enjoy it!
I made the turn onto Park Street and people kept yelling “It’s just around the corner!” “You’re ALMOST there!” Where around the corner? I couldn't see the finish line, so as far as I’m concerned, I’m not ALMOST there! This stretch was pure agony.
Then I saw it, the 26 mile marker and the turn to the finish line. Right as I got to the turn, Team Brian was there, yelling and screaming! I remember getting the biggest smile on my face, because they were there and because I was done. An easy downhill slope to the finish line. I ran all out. I threw my hands up and I crossed the line, a marathoner! What a feeling. Joy, relief and the worst pain ever all at the same time! All I wanted to do was to sit down, but I knew this wasn’t a good idea - yet!
I got my mylar blanket, got my medal, received a winter cap with the race logo on it and downed two bottles of water. I took a bite of a bagel and spit it out. I took a bite of a Krispy Kreme doughnut and spit it out. I picked up a bag of potato chips and chose not to touch them. I couldn’t eat anything. All I wanted to do was to find Sarah, Emma and the rest of Team Brian and celebrate. When I found everyone, I smiled and sat. I took a minute to take in what I had just done.
It still has not sunk in what I have accomplished. I’d say that if it were up to miles 22 through 25 of the Columbus Marathon, I would never run another. Fortunately, there’s mile 26.2, an ice bath, a hot shower and 3 ibuprofen that got me thinking I could do this again. And now, there’s 3 days removed and knowing I could do better the next time.
And most importantly, knowing that I still have some unfinished business with that 26.2 mile distance.
