CHICAGO MARATHON
The Chicago Marathon was my first long distance
event- in fact my first organized running event. I had started running
two years previously to control my weight. With new found time
to let my mind go, I began to imagine running in a marathon.
Since my longest runs at that time were three miles and I had two
very young daughters, my marathon fantasy never developed.
Last summer some close friends decided to start
running, and set the Chicago Marathon as an immediate goal for themselves.
Having them articulate one of my dreams brought it so close to me
that I began to increase my training. Unfortunately, my inexperience
and eagerness led to a series of injuries that continually set my
training back. I took to swimming and biking to maintain fitness,
but each time I went back to running I could not control the urge
to try to make up training time- and my body would fail.
As the marathon approached, my friends became
excited at the prospect of completion and shared their enthusiasm with me-
as I would have had I been able to maintain their training schedule.
I had convinced them that I was not a candidate for the event, but
could not convince myself. My goal was too tangible.
I entered only for the experience, not expecting
to finish. I had logged considerable time in the pool and on my
bike, but not on the road. I was healthy, but very unsure of my
stamina.
Race day was cool, and relatively calm. The overwhelming
numbers of participants and spectators helped to calm my fears.
So many in the crowd singled me out for encouragement I was almost
embarrassed. I must have had that look of an unprepared newbie.
I was so taken with the spectacle that I did not think much about my
running until mile fifteen. That is when I remembered that I
had not run that distance in my life. Unfortunately, my
body reminded me of that fact every step of the last seven miles.
I completed the race in just over five hours.
There were a few runners behind me, but not many. Of course it didn't
matter- it wasn't about the race. The distance was very reachable,
and now didn't seem so intimidating. Finishing seemed to make
me more confident in my ability to transfer my goals to reality.
Besides, I had spent the better part of that five hours fantasizing
about completing an ironman.
-- Tim
Hanigan, Garden City