Every marathon seems to have a theme. My first marathon, Top of Utah in 2006, was about finishing; it was about what it takes to climb over the wall and finish a marathon. St. George, in 2007, was my best yet. I was strong and fast and it's still the time to beat. After three years of the-thing-I-don't-talk-about, I ran the Honolulu Marathon in 2010 to find myself and set a new baseline.
This one was about friendship. Yeah, I finished. Yeah, my time improved over last year. But what I will always remember about the Marine Corps Marathon is how much fun I had running it with Pam. That's what I said: I had fun! Through a mix-up at the starting line, we got separated and didn't catch up until about mile 8 (Georgetown). We were separated again when the Granny (me) had to stop at the porta potty, but I caught up to her and we ran the majority of the race and finished together. We talked, we cried, we encouraged each other, and we both had the time of our lives. I love my Pammy so much and I'm so proud of her for finishing her first marathon! May there be many more for both of us...
There's also a camaraderie among runners whether you know each other or not. Around the halfway point, I mentioned to Pam how one of the volunteers had dumped half my cup of Gatorade on my arm/hand as he handed it to me. This girl running right next to us piped up and said she had a wet wipe in her running belt that I could have. Another time I was whining about how thirsty I was and another runner, without hesitation, handed me her water bottle. It was around mile 20 and it saved my life. And I still get choked up thinking about all the Marines, in uniform, who volunteered at the water stations and finish line, and spoke (and sometimes yelled) meaningful words of encouragement that kept us going.
I feel so grateful that my body's held out for me to be able to do these races. As long as I can, I'm going to keep running and working towards my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Up next: St. George 2012. Lottery opens April 1; I'll keep you posted...
Me and Pam at the finish line (Iwo Jima Memorial behind us)
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