What I Wish I Knew

Growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, Grandma’s Marathon has always had a special place in my heart. I knew at a very young age, I’d either be volunteering at the water stop before lemon drop hill or running in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon. What I didn’t know is that I would be running marathons myself one day.

Well.. here I am. 3.5 years of training and 6 marathons in. Training for marathon 7 and 8 is just starting… and there are a few things I wish I knew when I started running consistently since it ultimately turned into how I spend all my free time, favorite form of exercise, my “me time” and my most favorite thing to do.

Grandma’s Marathon:

• Make a trip out of it
  • If it’s an option, spend more time in Duluth. Come early, stay late. I’m a Duluth native, so I may be a little biased… but this city has so much to offer. I grew up sailing on Lake Superior and can confirm it’s absolutely beautiful to be out on the water. Lincoln Park has also expanded with different restaurants and breweries! My personal favorite is Ursa Minor for sours. I also love Corktown Eatery and Bar. There’s a cute gift shop next door as well with local artists.
• The incline from London Road to Superior Street by the Super One grocery store is worse than Lemon Drop hill. (This could be more of an unpopular opinion).
  • I know the majority of the focus is the incline at mile 22, the infamous Lemon Drop Hill. But every single year, the abrupt turn and incline to go one block up gets me. I wish someone would’ve warned me about this because to be honest, this is what I’m least looking forward to every year.
• The community around this race is unmatched.
  • When I decided to run the full marathon, I submersed myself into the running community. Through the GM organization, I met some really amazing runners, and even better people. They’ve become close friends and a really great support system. Not just in running, but in all aspects of my life. I will always be so thankful for those I met while training for my first marathon.
• You might miss your coral start.. And that’s okay.
  • I think every single year, I’ve been in line for the porta potty when the race started. During my first marathon, this was very stressful for me. I envisioned how race day would look, and missing my start time was not part of the plan. It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I didn’t feel the adrenaline of going out too quickly and didn’t have to weave in/out of runners.

Running

• Don’t compare yourself to others… but be interested in what others are doing.
  • Everyone’s running journey looks SO different. Some started running when they were younger, some picked it up later in life. Every single person has a purpose for running. And everyone’s purpose is individual to them. They say comparison is the thief of joy… and I’d agree. But being interested in what other runners are doing is okay. Wondering what their “why” isn’t a bad thing. I think as runners, we can learn a lot from each other. We can be inspired by each other. And that’s why running is so special.
• It’s okay to take time off. You don’t always need to be training for a marathon.
  • This is one I’m still learning… I started training for GM 2023 in June 2022. Since then, I’ve run 6 marathons, my most recent being GM 2025. After training for 3 years straight basically. This summer, I took “time off”. I still ran, but I cut my monthly mileage almost in half. I didn’t do more than an 8 mile run. It was a mental adjustment for me, but also a physical break my body needed. I felt guilty for the first couple of months for not running as much. But I needed to take a step back, let my body relax and find my love for running again without the need to train for something.
• I wish I knew how much this sport was going to change my life.
  • Running has been my constant through the past 3-4 years. It’s given me my most favorite version of myself. It’s something I look forward to everyday. If I would’ve known all of this, I would’ve started running marathons sooner! 😉

Like most things, in retrospect, there are a lot of things I wish I knew when it comes to running. But that’s the beauty of it as well.. The unknown. The new adventures. Meeting a new version of myself. Finding new limits I can push myself to. It’s why I love running so much. So while sometimes, we wish we had more answers or a heads up about things, sometimes the point is to find something new again.