Perhaps it’s a cliché that I was inspired to run my first marathon because of Oprah and because I was about to celebrate my 40th birthday. But come on, if Oprah could do it, surely this girl that had been running for years could do it. And seriously, what better birthday gift to give myself for my big four-o than to do something that most people wouldn’t dream of doing.
Once I made the commitment to myself, I was a girl on fire! Thank goodness Mark Zuckerburg was only 13-years-old and Facebook wasn’t an option, or I would have had friends dropping like flies as I posted the gory details of every training run! Even without Facebook, word spread in my close-knit community and I got mostly positive encouragement… except for two people. Both had been successful collegiate athletes, both were triathletes, and both were friends that I held in very high regards. Both said pretty much the same thing to me when I told them my exciting plans, “I don’t think you understand what you’re getting yourself into. Training for a marathon is no easy task and will take a lot of discipline.” Those right there were fighting words, and I set out to prove them wrong!
As I’ve mentioned before, the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) was the race that I chose to be my very first marathon. I trained for it alone before I started running with my BRF’s, before I started coaching, and before I met the Cruisers. I set up several different loops in my neighborhood, and I set those routes up old school style… driving along the road beside the trail and measuring the miles with my car’s odometer. Remember, this was before cool smart phone running apps, MapMyRun, and Garmin watches.
I charted out various shorter courses of four, five, and six miles; all starting at my house. For a 20-miler I would run four-five-mile loops. As boring as this might seem, I didn’t mind and felt a little safer being in the confines of my community since all of my runs were alone. Eventually Bill started joining me on some of my longer runs and we ventured to the W&OD Trail to run on what would become our running home-away-from-home.
Forty marathons later, this disciplined marathoner got the last laugh!
- Questions:
- What inspired you to run your first race?
- How do you set up your running routes?
- Who raced this past weekend?
Those are fighting words! It’s hard to imagine anyone – even the most decorated athlete – questioning your drive and dedication!
Fighting words, indeed!
Love that Oprah inspired you! I also find it hard to believe anyone would doubt your ability. I’m glad you’ve proven them wrong time and time again!
Funny- I remember my mom driving routes I had run to measure the mileage for me; those were the days before GPS and before I could even drive!
After I’d been running for a while, I just felt like it was destiny that I would eventually run a marathon. At that time, the group that I ran with were a bunch of long distance maniacs (they used to plan and run a 50k in the desert in August!). It just so happened that about that time I met my now husband, who had raised money for the Leukemia Society and run the Honolulu Marathon for about 5 years (back in the mid-90s, before it was cool).
When I bought my house, I must have had some running karma, because almost all my running routes are easy to measure by intersections. Of course I used my car back then to measure my routes, and I can still remember all the mile markers!
Our lot backs up to a community trail system, and it connects to the W&OD Trail that I talk about all of the time. Like you mention of your home, it’s the perfect place for a runner to live!
That’s pretty cool! I totally know what you talking about. I decided last Fall that I would run my first half marathon this spring. I feel like a girl on fire too! I don’t know why I decided. I think I just wanted to finally do something big for myself and I just decided that 2014 is the year I would do it.
Oh how exciting! Good luck with your training, and have fun!!!
Love this. I’ve always thought about running a marathon, but those +13 mile runs intimidate me…and I honestly don’t think that I could balance all the training with my group fit job. The half marathon works for me, and a good medal is highly motivating…haha!
The good news is that you get “the coveted medal” with the half, and don’t have to worry about those intimidating extra 13.1 miles! 🙂
I can’t really say yet what has inspired me to do the marathon! I think I’ll find the answer during those 26.2 🙂
And you may question your decision a few times during the race, but you’ll finish so glad you did it!
This is fantastic and I love that Oprah was the one to spark the fire under your bum 🙂 You are amazing.
I think that Oprah inspired a lot of people around that time!
40 marathons? Dang, Deb that’s awesome!
One of my husband’s friends will be doing his 60th this year and he’s under 30… I just can’t even imagine! That’s a neat story of how you got inspired.
I am actually signing up for my first marathon this week! And what inspired me to do it is my friend Ashley who has been inspiring me to run ever since we met. She’s why I did my first half marathon, my very first race. 🙂
I’m so excited that you’re signing up for your first marathon! Can’t wait to read all about your training!
That was one of the many reasons why I wanted to run a marathon. I thought if so and so could do it then so could I! I set up my routes by usually just running a certain direction etc until I get my miles in and then go from there. That’s so funny you brought up the getting in the car and driving the route for the distance. That is totally what my hubby and I used to do before garmin watches, phone apps , etc. Before we would run a route we would get in the car and measure it out and drive around until we were able with the distance..
Yep, back in the “old days” that was the only way to do measure our running routes! 😉
I started running to lose weight a year out of college in 1989, but didn’t run my first race until 2012. My brother ran his first marathon (Wineglass) in 2011 and had challenged me to join him, and I was like ‘yeah, yeah’ but my running had really slacked. After he did it, he said ‘next year you join me’. Again I was ‘yeah, sure’ … but really didn’t do anything about it.
He visited for Easter 2012 and I had just barely started out again with regular runs, and he and I went out and did a run, and he had his Garmin … I was appalled at how little I was running and just how SLOW. Ugh! That was the defining moment. Within 6 weeks I did my first 5K, then another and a 8k, then a half marathon in August, then the Wineglass at the end of September. I was 46 when I ran my first marathon. I have 3 more marathons and 2 more halfs under my belt, and no stopping me now.
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I love your story and how one very particular moment defined what you have been able to accomplish since then! Congratulations!