(written 10/26/2000)
As a young girl I always wondered what it would be like to run a marathon. This year after deciding I wasn't getting younger and I wasn't pregnant for a change, I decided to find out. The following is my story of that journey.
October 20.
Arrive in Baltimore solo. Go to airport to pick up my Mom. Can't find her. I am waiting outside "arrivals". She is waiting outside "baggage". Finally after reaching other via cell phone, we unite. Drive on to hotel. Get lost. My Mom and I argue. She says East is the same thing as North. I say she is crazy. I pull off the road and let her drive. Arrive at hotel and pass out on the bed for several hours.
October 21.
Mom's birthday. Go to packet pick-up and registration. There is a huge expo with a lot of clothes and running equipment. Mom finds the cutest shirt for my children..... on the front "One day I will run like my Mom!" She buys 3. Continue shopping at the Tyson's Corner shopping mall. Ate at one of my favorite places, California Pizza Kitchen. Meet up with my brother, Rich. Back at the hotel we prepare ourselves for the next morning. Rich irons his T-shirt (something I don't really understand), my Mom gets a shower and does her hair (folks, this is the night before), and I draw all over my tank top so that I can get some moral support as I run (Go PSU).
October 22.
Sleeping was a challenge with my brother snoring and knowing that my Mom was worried sick about me. Plus, when I did doze off, I had marathon dreams...... I couldn't find the start of the race; I was lost; no one else was there to run, etc. Around 5am we got up, got dressed (my brother put on his nicely ironed T-shirt), and made it the Marine Monument by 7:30am. Was to meet up with my neighbor Larry (an ex-marine) but couldn't find him. Saw a lot of babies who I thought looked really hungry (bad time to start weaning Nick - 2 days without nursing - Ouch!). Stood in a long, long, long line to go to the bathroom (did I mention how long it was?) and got in the porta-potty just as the morning prayer began over the sound system outside.
The Start of the Race.
There was a sea of people. With over 25,000 runners and 5 times that many spectators, my dream became a reality. I couldn't find the damb starting line! I saw a sign with 6:00 on it so I assumed that this was the starting place for the 6 minute mile people. Thinking this was a good place to be I waited and waited until Rich screamed from the side "These are the 6 HOUR people". I reached the starting line 22 minutes after the official start. This turned out to be a good thing because I was able to fly by people and maintain an 8 minute mile pace over the first few miles.
Miles 1-13.
Enjoyed the gorgeous day and all of the spectators cheering. Drank water at every water stop which was every even mile and sucked on my banana flavored GU (a "delicious" packet of replenishement). Met my Mom and Rich at mile 6 and they slipped me some Gatorade. Georgetown was fun. People on top of cars and hanging out windows playing "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen and somewhere along the way I heard the theme song from Rocky. Was to see Rich at mile 10 for more Gatorade but missed him. Apparently he was on the opposite side of the street screaming my name but I never heard him. Enjoyed a couple of marines running with large back packs screaming "Who let the dogs out?" periodically to the following barks of runners. They weaved in and out of orange cones and got cars to beep by saying "Honk if your horny!".
Miles 13 - 23.
Lost track of the marine runners. I would love to know if they finished with the same enthusiasm. The water did its thing and wanted out. I refused to stand in the porta-potty line again so I snuck behind several lovely bushes instead. Bagels were given out at some point as well as Tootsie Rolls. Rich and Mom found me and treated me to half a Twix bar and Gatorade. I reached the halfway point at 2 hours and 8 minutes and felt confident I was going to make it. Struck up a conversation with a young girl who jumped in to do 10 miles with her friends but lost them at a water stop. It is difficult to describe the enormous amount of runners. I was NEVER alone and CONSTANTLY dodging people the entire race. This was good and bad.
Mile 23.
Crossing this never ending bridge, with people dropping like flies, no water to be found and the sun beating down relentlessly is my vivid memory of mile 23. My spirit began to wane and I began to understand "the wall". My knee hurt, my back ached, and I just wanted it to be over.
Mile 24.
As I approached the water stop I heard someone say "Jellybeans!". Sure enough the marine dudes were dispensing cups of jelly beans to all of the runners. Those jellybeans definitely helped.
Mile 25.
I knew there were only 2 miles to go - but that was STILL 2 MORE MILES!. My knee was starting to really hurt. I stopped and started to walk. Shortly thereafter, an angel appeared. It was a young man who tapped me on the shoulder and simply said "Come on. Let's go."...... and I was off and running once again.
Mile 26.
As I saw this mile marker I can't describe how I felt. Joy. Elation. Relief. I felt like I could cry but didn't want to use that much energy. The crowds were unbelievable at this point. My Mom and Rich said they were aftraid to blink - afraid they would miss me. My Mom said she did cry when she saw me. I didn't see them or hear their screams. I just wanted to see that finish line.
.2
If you ever decide to do a marathon, don't forget this little number. Psychologically, I was ready for 26 miles thinking .2 would be a breeze. Let me say this......... that was the longest 385 yards of my life! It was uphill around a turn that never ended with people screaming in your face "It's almost over!". When I finally did see the finish line I picked up my pace and crossed the line, hands in the air.
Post Race.
All I wanted was to find my family. I was handed a medal, water, bananas, yougurt and a blanket. I fought my way through hundreds and hundreds of people and after about 30 minutes of searching I found them and was embraced in a hug I will never forget. It ranked up there with the hug the 3 of us shared when Rich came off his ship after the Persian Gulf War. My only regret of this entire event was that Rich couldn't run with me. We had planned to do it to gether but he blew out his knee
The Drive Home.
After showering and saying good-byes, I embarked on the final leg of my journey - the drive home. Rich drove my Mom back to the airport before going back to his home outside of Baltimore. I followed them until we approached Baltimore. I don't think I could have mentally found my way out of the city without his assistance. I couldn't even do it before I ran a marathon. As I drove home, I got more and more homesick. I just wanted to get home and hug my 3 beautiful children. They called to check on me and fighting back tears I said I was fine but I was really tired. They persuaded me to stop and get a nice meal for energy. Not wanting to even think about carbohydrates, I chose instead a big juicy steak from the Outback. I stumbled into the restaurant the best I could. After sitting for 2 and a half hours, stiffness and pain - comparable to giving birth - greeted me as I got out of the car. Ibuprofen and a lot of Ice Tea (no more water or Gatorade, thank you) and a great meal brought me back to life.
Home.
I arrived to find bouquets of flowers from my friends and family. The house was clean and my children even made me a cake. I heard everyone in the basement so I hobbled quietly down the steps to surprise them. I was then attacked with the best hugs a Mother can only dream about. Mariel wanted to know if I won and ifI brought back any treats for her. Jack wanted to know if I saw the cake and the flowers that he picked. Nick just wanted "breasty milk" and practically knocked me over to get it. He immediately fell asleep in my arms.
Gratitude.
I will always remember the journey it took to achieve my goal. Training throughout the summer was a challenge. With 3 children under the age of 5, finding time to do anything other than cook, clean , and referee is a challenge in itself. I am proud that I have accomplished a lifetime goal, but I couldn't have done it without my family and friends. Their support and encouragement motivated me beyond words. I can honestly say that in the months prior to this race there was not a day that went by that somebody didn't ask, "Hey, when is that marathon?", "I saw you running in the rain the other day - why?", or just "Good luck!".
Motivating and Inspirational Tidbits
I saw many people throughout those 4 hours and 31 minutes. Here are a few that still stand out in my mind:
-A lady my age and her GRANDMOTHER running together.
-The guy on crutches who was determined to finish.
-The couple who were married the day before and the bride wearing her veil as she ran.
-My waiter at the Outback who proudly told me his mother runs the Pittsburgh and New York marathon every year......... at age 63!
-My Mom and Rich scouring the crowd trying to find me after the race. I saw them before they saw me. The looks of nervousness and anticipation on their faces is etched in my memory as well as the looks of relief as I ran into their arms.
And on the T-shirts of several runners I read the following:
- Needed Material for the Christmas Letter
- I can do 26.2
- Whoever said running a marathon is a mind game, never ran a marathon.
- Though Him I can do anything.
- Me + God = 26.2
- In loving memory..... and the photo of the cutest child in the world
I can't believe I wrote this 7 years ago! There were several things I chose not to write about at that time. Like how incredibly unsupportive my (ex) husband was during my training. He would purposely sabotage scheduled runs. He would tell me I was stupid for even trying to do it. And, he refused to bring our children to the watch the race.
I ran this same race, the Marine Corp Marathon, right after I got re-married. Wes not only supported my decision to do another marathon, but he even helped me train. He would ride his bike along side me while I ran. He also drove me, my Mom, and my children to D.C. and was right there at the finish line to congratulate me. If you would like to read my recount of that day, it is posted on my website at http://michelledimidio.com/bymichelle01.htm.
1 comment:
You never told me that one!
Post a Comment