Today I completes my fourth marathon. I didn't ever think I would run a marathon, especially after Jbo and I trained one year till we realized how much of our social life it killed. I have run the Chicago three times, and it has always been right after when I say "I'm never doing that again." This year when we moved we heard about the marathon here and then I saw this amazing
Ted Talk about the marathon. Anyways, after seeing that I decided to give it another go. Ryan got a team together from school to do a cheering section, and we had 3 of us that ran the full marathon for Braveheart, which is a nonprofit that works to combat childhood heart disease. There was also a relay team of teachers who did the marathon, as well as some teachers that did the 10k. Overall, there were about 600 people that ran the marathon, which is sooooo small compared to the 40,000 that run Chicago. I was nervous because I knew the course was going to be hilly, and it did not disappoint. Man, it was tough plus, they don't really do cheering sections like they do in Chicago, so at parts it was just me running through the streets of Beirut with police and army men watching. A very crazy experience, and a lonely experience too. At the 35k mark Ryan showed up on our neighbor Fabio's bike to go with me till the end which was so needed.
Also strange, there were not as many water or Gatorade stations and instead of cups they were full bottles, which is way to much and a little hard to open while running. It was great to cross the finish line and see Jesse and Jalal there cheering me on, and if course Ryan. These great new friends made me really want to push it at the end to see them. It was a good event that clearly took a lot of organization and street closures, except at one point where we crossed the highway with traffic stopped for us, interesting. I'm glad it did it, but seriously never again. Here at least....remind me of this next year when the pain is long gone.
Recovery time. Ice on knees and ankles, pizza and cider in belly.
Jared, another history teacher and Jamil our neighbor who we had
brunch with last week, posing before the marathon. So happy, so little idea of the pain to come.
Warming up with the elite runners, since there weren't that many of us, why not pretend.
Start line.
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