My marathons, a look back…

As I approach my sixth marathon, I find it hard to believe I ran one let alone five.  My mind is often draw back to when I toed that first marathon starting line and thought “Can I really do this” and the excitement I felt when seeing the finishing line.  I find that even after five successful 26.2 mile adventures and thousands of miles of training I still wonder “Can I really do this” and seeing the finishing line, no matter the race length never gets old.  Here is a look back at my previous marathons.

First, Shakespeare Marathon, 2005:  You'll never forget your first kiss, your first car, or your first puppy and you'll never forget your first marathon.  Seven years ago I had the wild idea of trying to push my body to the point that I could run 26.2 miles.  And after nearly 900 miles, five races, three 20 mile runs and all the lonely cold damp runs in the wee hours of the morning, I was standing on the starting line...full race report can be seen here.

Second, Richmond Marathon, 2005:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY…How many times are you able to run a marathon on your birthday?  Coming across the Runner's World advertisement for this marathon and noticed the date...I knew I had to run this race.  Add in that Runner's World staff was named Richmond the “Friendliest Marathon” and I was sold for my second marathon.  I ran a best time…full race report can be seen here. 

Third, National Marathon, 2009:  A little gap in between second and third marathons. I also had a drop off in performance.  Training for the first two, I ran in the mornings, getting 7+ miles in a day.  2008 saw my USAF retirement and my civilian career.  With the new job my running time moved from the mornings to late afternoon. This move left little energy for my runs.  The result was slower times, yet this was a great run around our capital!

Fourth, Shamrock Marathon, 2010:  My 4th and slowest marathon...I was under prepared for this one.  In the six months leading up to this marathon I was only able to surpass the 100 mile per month benchmark twice.  Not only did I hit the wall, but the wall them collapsed and fell on top of me.      

Fifth, Richmond Marathon, 2011:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY X2, my 5th marathon and second opportunity to run Richmond Marathon on my birthday...full race report can be seen here.

And that brings me up to less then 25 days away from my sixth marathon adventure, Shamrock Marathon 2012.  This run will be special as I’ve been training with a good friend Susan C. and this will be her first marathon.  Wish us luck because I’m sure as we stand on the starting line, I’ll quietly once again wonder “Can I really do this, again?”

Sham Rock On!