My Marathon Adventure

Two days ago, on Saturday, April 15th, I ran my first marathon! The adventure really started several months ago, when I made the decision to challenge myself and take on a marathon, but I'll start this account on Friday, April 14th.

On Friday, myself, Rob and Jessie met up at the College Park Diner for a late breakfast. It was a good meal, as diner's go. After the meal, we stopped by the house, picked up our stuff, piled into Rob's car, and off we went to Charlottesville. It was a nice drive down; we entertained ourselves by playing this truth or dare game that I have. It was pretty funny, some of the things we had to do. Among them were channeling the spirit of Elvis, making up rap songs and screaming out the window, "I LOVE PINK LEATHER!!!" to a passing truck-driver.

When we got there, we stopped by the Charlottesville Running Company to pick up my racing packet. Usually marathons have some sort of big running expo where you can buy all kinds of running gear and all kinds of other overpriced stuff you'd only buy in the heat and excitement of the moment. However, since this marathon was pretty small (only 1700 signed up for the marathon and half-marathon combined), there was no expo. The only running gear you could buy was the stuff sold in the Charlottesville Running Co. store. I picked up my packet and a couple other essentials (a Clif bar and some bodyglide) and we headed out to the downtown mall to explore and wait for Bobby, our Charlottesville contact.

Eventually we met up with Bobby and from there we went to this Italian place called Regazzi's for some pre-race carb-loading. I knew Bobby from back in the day when we were both in college. He went to UVA and I went to UM. I hadn't seen him in a while, and it was good to catch up with him. Turns out he's getting married in June! Congrats, Bobby!

After dinner, it was already dark and getting late. Bobby, Jessie and Rob went over to the UVA campus to meet up with the rest of the UVA campus ministry of Bobby's church; they were going to watch a screening of "Crash." I wanted to come with them, but I knew the movie would finish up late, and I wanted to get a good night's rest. So they dropped me off at Bobby's place, and I got my stuff ready for the next day. It really hadn't hit me yet that I was hours away from running almost 30 miles at one time. I was pretty calm about the whole thing. I didn't feel really comtemplative or anything like that; I was just ready to run.

I got up at 5am so I could eat something before the race. I downed that Clif bar I bought the day before and a Gatorade. I tried to go back to sleep for a bit, but I ended up just laying down, resting. Soon enough, it was time. I got up, got dressed, and Bobby took me over to the starting line. On the drive over, we prayed. It was one of many prayers that I'd be saying that day. Near the starting line, it was your typical pre-race atmosphere...people were lined up to make those last minute bathroom stops at the line of port-a-potties, runners were running up and down the streets, getting warmed up, etc. I didn't see any real crazy costumes; usually marathons are good for a few of those. I guess since this one was so small and challenging, everyone decided to for-go the cutesy stuff and dress for business. I saw a guy carrying a large American flag wearing a shirt that said "United We Stand." Aside from that, I think MY shirt qualified as the craziest. It said on the back, "Entry Fee: $55. Energy Bar: $2. Bodyglide: $7. My first marathon: Priceless." A lot of people said they really liked my shirt and they wished me good luck on the race. I was really happy about all that encouragement...I would definitely need it as the race went on.

At 7:30, they shouted, "GO!!!" and we were off! Right before the start, I saw Rob and Jessie making their way up the sidelines of the crowd, looking for a good spot to try and find me. As the crowd started moving forward, I saw them to my left and I jumped up and down to wave at them. Unfortunately, the little packet of energy jelly beans (yes, I said energy JELLY BEANS) that Jessie had given me for the race flew out of my shirt pocket as I jumped up and down. There were WAY too many people behind me for me to stop and try and find them, so I just had to count that as a loss. Too bad though...I was looking forward to trying those.

The race began in downtown C-ville and wove through the town. The hills started right away, and I hoped that they wouldn't be too bad throughout the race. Everyone was all happy as they started running, chatting it up, waiving to spectators on the sidelines, adrenaline racing through them as the reality of running 26.2 miles was just starting to sink in. I heard that it's best to start out slow, so you don't burn up all your energy, so I kept it at my usual training pace of about a nine-minute mile.

Eventually we made our way out of the downtown area and started getting into the back roads and country side of C-ville. It was a very pretty town, but my mind was kind of distracted because I really had to pee. My bladder must have gone crazy! From the time I woke up (5am) to the start of the race (7:30am) I had to pee three times! No way one Gatorade does all that...it must have been nerves. Anyway, after about mile 5, I finally had to stop and pee on the side of the road. I didn't feel bad about it, because a lot of other runners were doing the same thing.

As I ran, I kept on getting compliments from the runners on my shirt and well-wishes on my first marathon. Turns out a bunch of other people had chosen this race as their first marathon too, so I wasn't the only crazy one. I must have heard "you picked a really hard course for your first marathon" at least three or four times. I know they meant well, but that wasn't really helping me to hear that...especially after climbing some of the most GI-NORMOUS hills I've ever run on. Around about mile six, the half-marathoners hit their half way point and turned around. The marathoners kept on going straight, so that thinned out the pack by half. I didn't like that, because I felt a lot more on my own. I could still see people in front of me and the occasional person would pass me, but it felt like I had a lot less support. That changed around mile eight or nine, when a guy from Mississippi saw my shirt and started running along side of me. We still had enough breath to talk at this point, so we chatted for about a mile or so. He was a nice guy, who was also running his first marathon too. The big difference was, this guy was in his 40s! Much props to him, because he ended up pulling way ahead of me and I'm sure finished a good thirty minutes or more in front of me.

I took advantage of most of the water stops I came across. As the day went on, it got hotter and hotter, so water and Gatorade became dearer and dearer to my heart (and my parched mouth). I popped my first energy Gu around mile nine or ten, and that helped. As we made the turn onto this soft running trail, I began to wonder where my friends were. I hadn't seen any of them since the start of the race, and at one point I even wondered if they had left me. But I shook that off and figured they must be at a more convienent spot, because that running trail was kind of in the middle of nowhere.

Sure enough, as we came off the running trail and back onto the concrete roads (around mile 14), I saw Rob and Joneil. They cheered me on and ran with me up another monster hill. Boy was I glad to see them. My legs were getting pretty heavy by then, and I was really starting to feel it. At the top of the hill, Matt, Carla and Jessie were waiting. They were definitely a sight for sore eyes (and legs). They cheered me on and that gave me a bit of a boost.

Around mile 17, I couldn't take it anymore. I had initially had the goal to try and run the entire race without stopping to walk, but by 17 I was too tired. I had to walk. Initially I felt dissapointed in myself, but as the race went on, that feeling went away REAL quick. At around mile 20, I was just in survival mode. My legs were killing me and I felt so exhausted. My friends popped up here and there, offering water and encouragement. Thank God for them, because they helped me a lot. At around mile 22, I thought that I would never make it. The hills kept on coming, and the pack was getting thinner and thinner. I felt comforted by the fact that pretty much everyone running along side me now was mixing it up with walking and running. The cumulative effect of those hills was killing us all. I actually saw an ambulance have to pick up one guy off the side of the road. I wasn't sure if it was heat exhaustion or if he was injured. I hope he's doing ok now, wherever he is.

The last four miles of the race seemed to go on forever. At one point, it actually felt like I was going backwards. The good part was I was back in familiar territory; we were making our way back to the downtown area. There were still hills hear and there, but I was determined to get past them and finish the race. At one point while I was running, I actually started to get a little teary-eyed at the thought of even finishing. That surprised me, because I thought I had sweated out every drop of moisture in my body.

Finally, I got to mile 25. I happened to see Bobby along side the course, and he started to run with me, encouraging me all the way. We got to the downtown mall, and there were people lined up all up and down the mall, just chilling and enjoying the day. But they were also cheering on the runners that were winding through the coned-off running area. I had my name written on the front of my shirt, so all kinds of people were shouting out my name and cheering me on to the finish. It was fantastic; even though at this point I felt like I would pass out at any minute, those cheers gave me reknewed strength. Matt, Carla and Joneil were also there, cheering me on. Matt ran with me part of the way, and it was great...exactly what I needed.

As I got to the end of the mall and ran up this one little alley, I turned left and there it was...the finish line...only about 200 feet away. I couldn't believe I finally made it. Not even the pile of vomit that was right in the middle of the straightaway could bring my spirts down. I couldn't believe I finally made it. As I got closer, I could see Jessie and the professional race photographer getting ready to take my picture, and I held up my arms in victory. I crossed the line in just under five and a half hours. Yes, the time was way more than I would have liked, but at that point, my time was the last thing I could have cared about. As I crossed the finish, a group of volunteers congratulated me and gave me my medal. From there, I went over to the grassy area next to the finish line and just layed down. I was DONE. Jessie sat next to me with the biggest smile on her face. I was so glad she was there...Jessie, if you're reading this, you have no idea how much it meant for you to be there. Thank you from the top, middle and bottom of my heart!

After the race, I could barely talk. I was just glad to be done. My friends gathered around and congratulated me. Eventually I went over to get some post race food...bagels, fruit, energy bars and vitamin water. It all tasted so good. I saw that there was a girl giving out free massages to any runner that wanted one, so of course I got in line. Salt was caked all over my body and my legs were like lead. But it didn't matter; the only thing that mattered was that I DID IT.

After the massage, Bobby took me and Joneil back over to his place where I showered and a few of us went to this buffet place to eat. It was a great way to end the day. After that, we headed back home. The drive back was great...me, Rob, Jessie and Joneil rode back listening to 80s music, Stevie Wonder and CCR. Good times were had by all...especially Joneil because he fell asleep. To all my friends and family, whether you came with with me to see me run or wished me good luck or prayed for me throughout the ordeal, thank you so much. You contribution, whatever form it took, helped out a lot. THANK YOU!!!

What a day at "The Glen"

I'm here at work now...it's about 3:20pm and it's been a pretty exciting day down here in ol' Glen Echo! During our apparatus check, we got our first call for a person injured after falling. We got to the house and it turned out to be a lady who had fallen after an argument with her husband. She was screaming and moaning the whole time we attended her, so we did our best to package her up and get her going to the hospital as fast as possible. Turns out she had a punctured lung, as well as severe back pain. Good thing we were quick.

The next call was for a person injured on the Capital Crescent Trail. We broke out the ATV we keep at the fire station (know as "the gator") and headed down the trail to find the person. Fortunately, she wasn't too far away from our trail access point. We got her loaded up on the ATV and got her back out to the ambulance. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt too bad; just some cuts and scrapes.

After pulling up to the station, we immediately got another call! This time it was for an unconscious person. We got there and found an elderly lady unconscious on the toilet. We got her on the ground, started giving her some oxygen, and had to suction some mucus out of her throat. We were going to insert an oral airway to help her breath better, but she started to come around as I was inserting it. The medics got there and took over patient care. Turns out she had something called a "venal-vagal episode," where pressure on the vegas nerve near your brain causes you to basically pass out. After the pressure is off, you snap out of it. After she started to come out of it, she was doing a lot better. The medics transported her to the hospital, and we headed back to the station.

After getting back, I took a shower and as soon as I finished up and was dressed, we got another call for a working code. It turned out to be a lady who we had helped several times before. We got there and she had no pulse and was not breathing. We started doing CPR while awaiting arrival from the medics. We didn't get a lot of help from the nurse assistant at the house, unfortunately. After the medics came, we packaged up the lady and got her going to the hospital. We continued CPR enroute, but it didn't look good. We got her to the hospital and the doctors and nursing staff took over. Unfortunately, there was nothing else they could do for her. That's how it is with codes...sometimes you bring them back, and sometimes you don't.

It's about 3:30 right now and we haven't had any calls since then. The engine has been kinda busy today too...service calls, automatic home fire alarms and a car accident. The Glen is jumping! Who knows what the evening and night will bring?