Most of you don't know that for the past eight months I have been training for the Marine Corps Marathon...a race I ran on October 26th. It wasn't something I wanted to tell everyone...just in case I proved to be a big weenie when it came to pain.

I've delayed writing about it and quite honestly have thought once or twice that I might just skip it altogether. The marathon has been difficult for me to talk about due in large part to how emotional it was for me and I guess I've felt that if I couldn't even talk about it how would I be able to write about it? But, as we all know, a writer writes - at least this one does, so here's my best effort.

What we do when the pain sets in.

The weekend was a series of highs and lows culminating in one of the most emotional experiences of my life. I can't even begin to explain why running 26.2 miles was so emotional for me but I can tell you that after running a fantastic pace for the first 12 miles, an old ski injury flared up and I finished the rest of the race with a series of run/walks. By mile 22, after I just didn't think I could go another step, I started crying. Were it not for the saving grace of a 27 year old Navy lieutenant named J.J. who refused to leave me behind, I might not have made it. J.J. and I ran the entire race together finishing in 5 hours and 39 minutes.

The marathon was a test I set for myself, to see just exactly what I was made of. Sometimes (okay, most of the time) during my long training runs I would wonder how I was going to be able to get through an entire marathon. Those long runs can be painful. I began working on a little mantra I could say to myself whenever I felt the urge to stop running and was able to come up with this..."The truest test of courage is what you do when the pain sets in." For the most part, it worked for me as I have a tendency to want to prove how tough I am. However, during the marathon when faced with increasing pain in every cell of my lower body, I walked...I'm going to have to work on my mental toughness.

My friend Mark, a major in the Marine Corps, lives in Annapolis and so I spent the weekend hanging out with him and his friends and trying my hardest not to get dehydrated by drinking too much beer. Mark has some great friends and it was the most fun weekend I've had in a long time. Hanging out with Marine Corps officers is truly an experience... but back to the marathon.

The Marine Corps Marathon 2008

I wish I could describe the Marine Corps Marathon in the greatest of detail. It just doesn't seem right not to share every moment of the day and about how impressively organized the event was. Everything down to the food bags handed out to runners at the end of the race was flawless. (How exactly did the Marines find 18,000 perfectly ripe, unbruised bananas?)

Maybe someday I'll be able to tell you about the actual marathon...about how packed with people it was and how J.J. and I had to literally fight our way through the crowds for the first 7-8 miles to get ahead of the slower runners.

...about how long the lines to the port-a-potties were and how grateful I was to see the men "watering" the trees on the side of the road rather than taking up port-a-pottie space.

...about how nearly every mile along the route was lined with helpful Marines who couldn't do enough to make sure we had everything we needed to run... and how when they were thanked for giving up their Sunday so we could run they would respond with a "No Ma'am, thank YOU" at which point I wished I could have told each one of them how much I appreciated their willingness to be so giving. The Marines were not just at the water and aid stations, they were all along the course handing out words of encouragement, too. "Lookin' good, Ma'am!" "You're doin' great, Ma'am!" "Keep it up, Ma'am, you're almost there!"

Maybe someday I'll can describe what it felt like to cross the finish line, completely spent without a drop left in the tank... and to have a young Marine place a large, shiny medal around my neck while saying "Congratulations, Ma'am" all the while secretly feeling unworthy of such a glorious prize because when the pain set in for me, I walked (and cried)....and for feeling guilty because I took the medal anyway.

I'd like to say I could give you a play-by-play of the marathon, but it's just not possible. I was in another world for most of the race. What I can do is tell you how it all began.

Once Upon a Time....

It all started in Nicaragua in late February. MaryAnne and I were nearing the end of a perfect vacation and the prospect of returning home was more than a little depressing. A relationship with a man I cared for (T) had recently ended quite suddenly and without warning and though I tried to be brave about it, I found myself in the uncomfortable position of dealing with a broken heart; Nicaragua had been a nice diversion.

When our vacation was over, MaryAnne returned to Indianapolis and I returned to work. The great thing about work is that it always takes my mind off whatever else is going on in my life...but I don't work 24 hours a day. I needed a healthy way to deal with my broken heart and so I began running.

For years I had been a 2-3 mile jogger a few times each week. Suddenly, 2-3 miles wasn't enough. In early March, I found myself heading out the door for daily runs that stretched from 5-7 miles and by the beginning of April I was easily running 7 miles at a 10 minute/mile pace, at which point MaryAnne suggested I train for a marathon. I thought it was a great idea and since I had friends who were running the Marine Corps Marathon, I signed up on April 30th, the day registration opened.

Seven miles soon turned into 9 and in early July on an overnight in San Francisco with a pilot friend (Steve) who is also a runner, we ran from our hotel in South San Francisco to just short of Fisherman's Wharf for a total of 12 miles in just under 2 hours. I had no idea I could keep that tempo but Steve pushed me and it felt good trying to keep up with him. The next day in Vancouver (we were on a four-day work trip) I suggested we do a short run (no more than 5 miles) to work out the lactic acid. We ended up running 8 miles for a total of 20 miles in 2 days! It was the most fun I have ever had on a work trip.

I began following a marathon training program I found on Runnersworld.com and my weekly long runs stretched to 18 miles before I finally began tapering two weeks before the marathon.

As a by-product of focusing on my marathon training, I've (almost) completely recovered from the broken heart that started all this running. I could never have imagined myself saying this last Spring, but a few good things came from that relationship ending, not the least of which is I've discovered I'm capable of running long distances and I actually like it. And I'm grateful for the pain it caused because it showed me I'm a lot stronger than I thought I was. I still cried, which I really can't be faulted for...I did, after all, love him completely. But I'm proud to say that when I was faced with THAT pain, I kept right on running.

Maybe I earned that medal after all.

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