Marathon - Party of 5

After the Missoula Half Marathon, I went on to run 5 marathons (Seattle '08-'09, Portland '09-'10, Yakima '10). Misery loves company, and I would like to thank my friends Scott (Seattle '08) and Spencer (Yakima '10) in joining me for their first marathons.

Scott and me

Marathons are never fun, but for some reason I keep feeling drawn to run them. There was excitement before and ecstatic relief afterwards...but during the race, I eventually reach a point where my feet get lazy, my legs feel weary, and my mind goes "ow, ow, ow, ow, ow" for the last 10 miles or so. Better training could probably help, but the only mental stimulation I found was in the audience, the aid station volunteers, and the occasional passing (hunting) of the person in front of me.


Aside from that, I have found other unique ways to inspire myself. Running the Seattle Marathon for a second time, my dear friend Taylor fell to injury and could not join me in the race due to a stress fracture (someday, you'll be invincible). So to entertain myself during the race, I ran the whole marathon with my Timbers Army scarf*...yet sadly, no one was offended by my scarf except for my friend Scott who later saw the photo.

*The Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders have had a blood thirsty soccer rivalry for centuries...

That same race, I had the urge to hit on a girl just for the sake of doing it during a marathon. So I asked this one girl for her bib number, and she totally gave it to me! Score!...and I never heard from her again.

Spencer and me
Yakima River Canyon Marathon

And do you ever wonder what it's like to be winning a race? At the Yakima Marathon I ran straight to the front and was winning for first 10 minutes. Afterward, I got tired and was passed by everybody. It's not all that great being in front, especially with the motorcycle escort spewing exhaust in front of you the whole time. My hat off to those who enjoy that feeling.

Oh, and there was another prompted shenanigan during my second Portland Marathon. Instead of putting my name on my bib, I opted for the word "Single". Yes, I think I'm pretty clever and quite suave for doing that. In the end, it rained the whole race, people yelled "go single!", and I bruised my right foot because I ran the race in trail shoes. Despite the setbacks, thousands of spectators now know my relationship status. It's only a matter of time...

All in all, Marathons are tough physically and mentally. They have helped me discover my passion in running, but that itch just hasn't been scratched yet...It's only gotten worse.