Greetings, Tribe!!
I’m still on a high from the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. It may have been a week ago, but I am on cloud nine!
My goal for the race was to check off another state from my 50 State Marathon goal and to just enjoy the day, to not really push myself.
Standing at the starting line, I felt super unprepared. This was all in my head, of course. Since my training was geared towards the Chicago Marathon this Fall, I just maintained my fitness between the races (which still felt like not enough).
The race started and I couldn’t feel my feet because of the cold. Oddly, this was helpful. I kept reminding myself to literally smile and to really take in all of the sights. To appreciate the beautiful neighborhoods, the spectators and volunteers, the phenomenal Fall foliage glowing as the sun came out. My only time goal was to finish under 5.5hours so that I could be on time to teach a couple of violin lessons that afternoon, so I only looked at my watch a few times. Otherwise, I ran by feel and tried to keep a relaxed pace.
In all of my 24 marathons, this was the first where I knew more than just family in the course. From friends to students, there was a surprise cheering squad every couple of miles. Talk about getting the warm and fuzzies!
Perhaps it was because of the cool temps, or the warmth of the spectators, but I never felt as though I hit a wall. There was some pain, as to be expected, but I never had the thought of “I’m going to die! When is this over?! Why am I here??” It was almost pain-free. Seriously.
As I turned onto Meridian Street, heading down the last couple miles to the finish line, I looked at my watch. I would be finishing in almost the same exact time as the Chicago Marathon a month prior. (I think there was a 2 minute difference). A race I worked really hard for was only going to be 2 minutes faster than a race I treated like a long parade. Hmmm. Perhaps I need to not only keep a positive mantra in my head, but to truly be in the moment for a race, to take in all of the beauty of the day, AND work really hard.
I’m not sure why this surprises me so, but the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon is definitely in my top marathon list. I could not recommend it more.
I am now up to 11 states as I work towards my 50 State Marathon goal. Super excited for what 2020 will have in store. If all goes well, I’ll be able to check off a few more states.
Happy Trails!
In Search of My Running Tribe 