A good friend was going to run her first marathon a few years ago. I had referred her to the same hotel we were staying in, and when we went to her room, her fiance answered the door. She was sitting on the bed with a pillow in her lap. Her head down. She was crying.
Too much stress. All the things to remember. All the advice, the coaching, the books, the "experts" words swirling around in her head. Combined with the next day's venture into the unknown were overwhelming her.
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I jumped off a bridge in New Zealand. Don't worry. I was connected to a big rubber band. As I stepped off the platform into thin air, I discovered something in the next half-second. There was nothing I could do. Either I was going to die or I wasn't. After that, my mind totally changed modes and I was focused on the experience, the fun, the adrenaline, the sensations. IT WAS GREAT!!
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I hugged my friend, told her to relax. All that advice you've been listening to at this point is just extra noise. Either you've trained enough, or you haven't. It's too late to worry about that now. We went out to eat, relaxed, and enjoyed the moment. I saw her at the starting line, still a little nervous, but enjoying it. On the out-and-back course, I saw her, still on her way out, a couple miles behind me as I was heading back. She was smiling. Enjoying. I crossed the road and gave her a big smooch. She was having a great time.
Later as she crossed the finish line, I grabbed a medal from a race volunteer and put it around her neck. The tears of the day before replaced with joy. Her first marathon.
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EVERYBODY HERE LOVES YOU
So, I said all that to make this point:
RE-FREAKIN'-LAX
You're ready. You've prepared. You've trained. And now, it's time for the fun. Feel the energy from the people around you. Find someone from the race staff in a red jacket and give them a hug. It's your day now. Enjoy everything about it.
Don't stress about parking. There's plenty. Don't stress about aid stations. They're well stocked, and they're ROCKIN'. Don't stress about portajohns. We have plenty. (Some of them look like big blue plastic boxes and have white toilet paper. Many others look like big plants with woody stems and have various colored toilet paper them.)
Everybody here loves you. We're all here to help. And YOU? You're gonna be awesome out there.
EVERY STRIDE 5K & 10K AND the Nike Human Race
The 2009 NIKE+ Human Race at the Every Stride 5K/10K takes place next weekend (October 24th), last year the numbers surpassed 750 participants. Already this year, the numbers are well over a 1,1100. This is a great fall event to celebrate running the ½, full or relay marathon this weekend at the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon.
Registration is $18 and shirts are running low so it's a good idea to register soon before they are gone. Included in the $18 registration is your choice of 5K run, 5K walk, 10K run or run both the 5K&10K, a NIKE DryFit race shirt, a souvenir golf ball with the race logos on it, and a post race party pass into the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon and Every Stride 5K/10K post race party; it's a partnership between both races to offer an incredible post race party the weekend after the marathon at a nice cool down event. The party includes burgers, brats, chicken and desserts all included in the $18. There is also a Gazelle Sports Kid's Run for $5 with a 1 mile run, fun run, pumpkin decorating and candy scavenger hunt.
Wear your marathon shirt at the post race party and you have a chance to receive 1 of 2 free entries into the 2010 marathon. Plus, make it a great time to share your marathon stories. Register online at
www.mirunning.com today.
While I am only running the half this year, I plan to check it out to run the full next year. I chose to come to GR for a couple of reasons:
We figured it would be a colorful drive from Chicago
The field was not too large (I ran the half in Chicago in September)
Hotels were inexpensive
My boss is from GR, so it is a good brown-nose tactic....
I have run Chicago 4 times (not this year) and, while I enjoyed the large race experience, I did not get the sense that the race director was approachable....
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