The Marathon
Wanted to share a little reflection on the experience of my first ever marathon ever.
At the last 10 m of the race
Reflection
It's Monday and right now I feel both sad and accomplished. I feel so proud that I was able to finish a full marathon. 26.2 miles! However I wish I could have more of that feeling. I feel sad now that the race is over. It was such a great experience to see everyone next to me have one goal in common: to finish. There was actually so many people. No matter where I was on the course I could see endless crowds of runners. There were also so many people on the streets cheering for us. Strangers I didn't even know supporting us and I felt so touched by that. I am most likely going to sign up next year. It was so much fun and I hope I can break 3.
What motivated me to do this in the first place though? I think for me, it was because I wanted to be the better version of myself. My parents at first didn't want me to do it because they thought I would pass out. But I still convinced them to let me. Why? My friends were doing it. Looking back at my decision, what I wanted most is to be able to picture myself in the future and ask myself: do I want to be that guy that ran a marathon at 16 years old or the guy who could've ran a marathon but didn't take the opportunity to do it and procrastinate. I've actually wanted to do the marathon for long time but I couldn't imagine myself actually being able to do it.
Not many people can or actually want to finish an actual marathon. In my opinion, anyone can finish a marathon but most people choose not to try because they think they can't do it. But me knowing that I have the drive to do things that most people don't want to do is all that motivates me because in the end I can look back and tell people that "I made it" or "I did it" when most people say they can't. This is one of the greatest feelings to have because you just showed them that what they think is impossible is actually possible with the right mindset.
With the right mindset and attitude, anything is possible.
How the Race Went
Miles 1-10: Felt good. First mile was a little fast but didn't feel hard because it was cold and there was downhill. Holding sub 7:10 pace after that felt easy. Lost Micah already at half a mile but told him I would see him at the finish before he took off.
Miles 11-17: At this point I was still feeling good holding roughly 7:10 pace and decided that I wasn’t going for 3:15 anymore but 3:10 or below. I was still taking fluids at every aid station and didn't feel hungry or thirsty. Had to take a piss during the middle of mile 15 but then sprinted right after and was still able to split a 7:15 which was still faster than my initial goal pace.
Miles 18-21: Legs were a feeling a little tired. But passed through the “breakthrough zone” with cardboard brick walls at mile 20 still feeling ok overall. "Only short Dave's left" I told myself. Seeing the mile 22 sign, I told myself it was time to kick.
Miles 22-25: Hardest miles on the course. Quads, calves, and hamstrings started burning all at once at this point. I told myself it’s only 4 miles left which is just the same as a normal recovery run. Thinking about how every person next to me was also suffering, its about who can overcome the pain the best. Each person I passed only gave me more confidence and motivation. Kicked hard through these miles and was able to run solid sub 7 min miles.
26-finish: Last mile felt the longest but also felt the easiest. Lots of people were cheering and focusing on how close to the finish I was it made it a lot easier run. Full sent the last 200 and got a final time of 3:06:40!