Things to do before I turn 30: Finish a Marathon...Check!

On May 16th 2010 I crossed the finish line in Wilmington DE and now I can truly call myself a MARATHONER!  I definitely had my doubts about my ability to do this and now that I've crossed that initial barrier I feel as though I can do anything.  It is truly an amazing feeling. 

During the race the fellow runners were supportive and upbeat (most of them at least).  I found myself cheering on others which in turn made me feel optimistic and uplifted.  There were not nearly as many onlookers as I anticipated, but they made a huge difference.  One guy sat on the sidewalk with his drum set playing for what must have been hours.  Little kids handed out water and watched from their yards.  At one point a little boy yelled "Run faster!" at us which brought a smile to all of our faces.  My Uncle John and his wife Donna were near the finish line cheering for us.  It was fantastic to see their smiling faces!

The race was a social event in itself.  We met Maniacs, 50 Staters like my dad and THE original 50 Stater, Steve Boone.  The runners were so diverse.  There was a 70 year old man that started along side us that had a slow shuffling run but never stopped moving.  There were elite runners striving for their personal best time.  And the winner, one onlooker pointed out that we were only a few yards behind the leader (plus the 45 minute head start!).  But my favorite runners were the ones just like us, normal folks that wanted to do something extraordinary.

As I crossed the finish line it was exhilarating!  My dad was just in front of me and Sam just behind me.  The feeling of pride was overwhelming.  My body was happy to be done as well.  My feet were covered in the largest most disgusting blisters I've ever seen and my body ached.  But it doesn't matter...I'm a MARATHONER!

Now that I've reached my goal of running a marathon everyone asks if I planning on running 50 like my dad.  I'm not sure that I am interested in doing that many but I think I would like to run one or two a year.  The next goal that I want to accomplish is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  In order to do that I will need to finish a race in 3 hours and 40 minutes.  I have given myself until my 34th birthday to complete this goal.  In the meantime I would like to enter the big marathons with lots of spectators like New York, Chicago, San Diego, Philadelphia, Miami and of course Columbus.

I plan to continue my blog but now the purpose will be to chronicle my journey to Boston.  First stop...a 4 hour marathon.  Columbus is on October 17th...so the training begins.