You’re doing better than you think you are

Five hundred fifty-one miles, countless hours, and moments of excitement, happiness, optimism, sadness, frustration, and determination. Add in having the flu twice, a few injuries, endless aches and pains, and so much more. That’s the roller coaster of emotions that goes into marathon training.

I started training in February, and despite dealing with the flu and a few minor roadblocks, it has been a wonderful journey. See, I’m generally a half marathoner, and I’ve always really enjoyed that distance. Marathon training is time-consuming, hard on your body, and sometimes it even feels like a part-time job. Yet there’s something about it that keeps me coming back. Heck, we all have our reasons.

I knew I wanted to put forth my best effort and see what I could accomplish. A new PR at age 52? Guess what… I did it! I was able to set a personal record by 4 minutes and 8 seconds.

This year, I decided to take on the Great Grandma’s Challenge and run both the 5K and the full marathon. My best friend and I headed down Friday morning to visit the expo. For me, it feels like a holiday. The excitement builds all week, and when we arrive, it’s like one big party. People are everywhere, excited for the days to come.

We first headed to packet pickup. Along the way, I got to see my friends from the Eau Claire Marathon (and if you haven’t run this race, you absolutely should!). As a side note, I ran the Eau Claire Half Marathon in May and earned a PR there as well—a personal record by 1 minute and 6 seconds.

After picking up my packet, we walked around the expo and checked in with more friends along the way. Next, we headed to the 5K. I knew I couldn’t treat it as a race and had to trust that it would serve as my shakeout run. I ran it exactly as planned and had a great time soaking in the race experience.

After the 5K, we headed to the pasta dinner. I always eat a little early because I drive back home afterward, which is about an hour north of Duluth. The pasta dinner never fails. This year, we sat next to a couple of runners from the Twin Cities who were so much fun. We chatted about our race goals and wished each other the best of luck.

After dinner, we went to see the Dick and Carrie show, which was a lot of fun. It’s also where I got my new marathon mantra from Jenny Spangler:

“You are doing better than you think you are.”

On marathon morning, my husband drove me to Two Harbors. I had mixed up the start time and ended up arriving only a couple of minutes before the race began. There wasn’t much time to think—I got into my corral, and off I went.

My training had prepared me as well as possible. I had planned every detail I could think of. What I didn’t plan for was feeling sick at Lemon Drop Hill. I knew I couldn’t keep taking gels the way I normally would, but I also knew I couldn’t afford to stop fueling altogether.

I slowed down a bit around mile 20, but I never hit the wall. The entire time, I kept reminding myself:

“You are doing better than you think you are.”

By the grace of God, I was able to hold on and make it to the finish. I pushed hard, and it wasn’t easy.

My husband and my friend were both waiting for me at the finish line. Unfortunately, my stomach was too upset and my legs were too sore to walk down to Bayfront this year to ring the PR bell. I knew it was either head to the car or head to the park—but not both.

Maybe next year I’ll get to ring that bell.

Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. I hope everyone has a great year, and I’ll see you next year at the finish line—hopefully at Bayfront Park.