1. Passing the Air Force Cadet somewhere around mile 7 in the marathon who was wearing a 30 pound pack, sizing him up and realizing that even with his 30 pound pack I had a good 40 pounds on him. Next year I am thinking I will lose 50 pounds, carry a 30 pound pack and have an easy run. I really think they need to come up with a pounds moved per minute stat, I would go much higher in the standings.
2. Speaking of weight, I should probably drop beer from my training regimen. My carb loading excuse is looking a little weak these days.
3. Keep smelling the roses. God bless everyone that wants to run every minute but sometimes I want to soak it in. I have done the Disney marathon a half dozen times now and I always take it down to a brisk walk for the last 3/4 of a mile through the Showcase. Hey, I have been busting my hump training for 4 months, just covered at 25 miles and know I am going to get it done. I am enjoying that moment and sneaking in a few extra minutes, I am pretty sure the winner past me awhile back.
4. Seeing so much human spirit and realizing how lucky I am, again. I couldn't go more than a few minutes without seeing a runner paying tribute to a loved one they lost or that was fighting a disease. It is hard to complain about tired legs or how tough the race is when your following a teen who has a picture of her Mom on her shirt in honor of her memory. Or the older man in the tent running for his wife who passed away two years earlier. I always say in training 90% of it is mental, that your brain gets in the way of your body, but I should remember your heart can kick 'em both in the ass and get your through it.
5. There is no way I could do this alone. Jeanne wasn't with me during the races but she might as well have been right there. Many a Saturday I turned her into running's version of a Golf widow, disappearing for 2 to 4 hours at a stretch for my long run during training and on random weeknights. She never complained, well maybe a couple of times but I undoubtedly did something to provoke it, and I can't thank her enough. Everyone needs a safe place to land and she is always there for me, we did this as a team.
Finally, it connected me with Dad and my son Daniel. They were with me for the first marathon and I know they were at the marathon as well. There is a stretch of highway around mile 18 to 20 and it isn't much fun, wide expanses of asphalt seldom are compared to theme parks. The sun had risen though and the sky was crystal blue and as I felt the warmth of the sun wash over me after starting in the dark and cold I could feel their spirit. Months of training and the exhaustion of the run strike me as an insignificant price to pay for that moment. I don't run to a finish line, I run to be closer to them, if just for a moment.
Thank-you Jeanne, my friends and family that supported me (with words and donations!) and Team AllEars, who inspired me to get back on the road after 4 years.
