Today’s subject in the Runners Lounge is the Marathon. The Holy Grail of running! Anybody can be a runner but not everyone can call themselves a marathoner. Even with the growing popularity of marathon running only about 1% of Americans will ever run a marathon in their life time. 

On August 5, 1984 my dad and I sat in front of the TV in our living room in Germany and watched as American Joan Benoit won the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in a record time of 2:24:52. A mere 14 minutes into the race the woman from Port Elizabeth, Maine had pulled away from the pack and gained a lead that only widened with every mile. No other runner chased her, assuming that Benoit would eventually crash in the increasing heat and fall back into the pack again. But by mile 19 Benoit had extended her lead to two minutes and none of the other runner ever caught up with her. The picture of the lone woman in her white cap would become the indelible image of this historic race. The roar of the crowds as Benoit entered the Los Angeles Coliseum was unforgettable, even to this day. It was on that day that I told my dad that one day I wanted to run a marathon myself.  And even Swiss competitor Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss, suffering from crippling heat exhaustion by the time she entered the Coliseum did not scare me off.

I was on the Track Team in high school but my specialty were short distances up to 800 meters. When I moved to the States in 1987 I started running longer distances on a daily basis. At first just around the circle of the street I lived in Chester Springs, PA. After I moved to California the following spring I started running longer and longer every morning. My life at the time was all but confusing and the daily run gave me solitude and kept me sane, something I looked forward to. I kept this daily routine up all through my time in Cupertino, my four years of college in Munich and my years back in the Bay Area (after I had returned to the country I had come to love and consider my home). But with all the mileage on my shoes, I never raced. The daily runs were my “me” time and it never crossed my mind that I should challenge myself in competition. 

All this changed in 2003, when my then 16 year old stepdaughter signed up to train for the Honolulu Marathon with Team in Training. At the time she committed to this she was recovering from her second Stem Cell Transplant and by the time she left for Hawaii she was exactly 10 months post transplant. She walked the marathon with her mother and finished in just over 9 hours. It was at that moment when I decided I was going to sign up for a marathon myself, something I had wanted to do since I was 17 years old and had now found my first hand motivation and inspiration for. I had done a couple of Century Rides in Tahoe with Team in Training but it was definitely time to attempt the ultimate running goal: finishing a marathon. If my stepdaughter could follow through with this what could possibly me excuse? Exactly!

I trained for the 2004 Los Angeles Marathon and to say it was humbling would be an understatement. During the 16 weeks of training I had set a goal to finish in the Boston qualifying time of 3:45:59, certainly an achievable finish time based on my times during the training runs. I trained during the winter on the California Coast with morning temperatures in the lower to mid 40s and fog. I was well prepared for the distance and speed, but not for the heat wave that came upon Los Angeles the morning of the marathon. As we lined up for the start the temperatures were in the mid 70s (in the shade) and we faced what turned out to be the second hottest L.A. Marathon with temperatures around 97 degrees at 10am. People were literally running until they dropped and when I reached mile 18 I had forgotten all about my time and only wondered why Pheidippides had not collapsed at this low point. My one and only goal was to finish. I did eventually cross the finish in what seemed like forever, almost 45 minutes over the time I had had in mind when I lined up at the start. The disappointment was huge, I had no idea what had hit me. In retrospect I realize that my goal of running a 3:45 had been way too lofty, especially with the heat factoring in. If I had talked to my coach that morning he would have told me to slow it down. But, I was a rookie in every sense of the word, going out way too fast instead of adjusting my minutes/mile to the temperature. Looking back I believe though that even without the heat factor I would not have run a 3:45. No matter how much you train or how prepared you think you are, your first marathon is like nothing you have ever experienced.

And I don’t mean this in only a negative way, not at all. The sense of accomplishment matches no other. And there was not even a moment of doubt that I would attempt to do this again. In fact the moment I crossed the finish line and gathered my thoughts I had already decided which marathon to run next: the inaugural Nike 26.2 in San Francisco the following October. My goal this time was a bit more realistic and achievable: finish under 4 hours.

The Nike was tough due to the hilly terrain, but it was a beautiful course and helped me get the hang of running 26.2 miles properly. And there was no question I was going to do this again. By the time I ran my third marathon the following spring in San Diego I had finally gotten into the art of racing, pacing myself and finishing strong. I finished in 3:31:35, well within Boston qualification time and felt nothing but pure joy. I knew then that I would do this for as long as I can. I did make use of my finish time in San Diego and ran Boston the following year, an experience like no other (and subject for another post). I LOVED every mile of this legendary race. In 2007 I went back to San Diego and ran a PR. I had become a marathoner for life!!!

Unfortunately I had to take a break from training and marathoning last year due to a serious car accident but next month I will start training for San Diego. I cannot wait!!! And I hope to see many of you at the start and finish line!!!

After the long winded introduction here is a short summation:

Run a marathon because you can!

Run a marathon because it will humble you as a runner. In a good way!

Run a marathon because it is the induction to the Hall of Fame of the Few!

Run a marathon because you will get a free shirt!

Run a marathon because you will want to do it again and again!

Today’s Running Tip: Run a Marathon!

“Befitting its Greek roots, the marathon unfolds as a classic drama, carrying equal doses of comedy and tragedy, euphoria and agony.” ~ Josh Clark for Cool Running

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