Running My First Marathon!

Growing up, I had role models that were long distance runners. I ran cross country in Junior High and into High School. I knew that I wanted to test myself and run a full marathon! In December 2014, I took that leap and ran the Honolulu marathon!

I was already working out 5-6 days a week before I started training. One big worry was overtraining… So, I needed to make sure that I took care of body and my mind along the journey. I read books about running and nutrition for runners and naturally, I ran a lot! I received a lot of encouragement along the way from friends, family, and members of my unit.

When race day finally came, my buddy dropped me off to get lined up at the start. There were over 30,000 people running the marathon. The starting gun went off at 5:00 am and we were all off and running! The first 15 miles were fantastic! It was cool and rainy, then it cleared up and the humidity set in.

After mile 15, it was all a grind. Just putting one foot in front of the other. But I kept trotting along, feeding off of the energy of those cheering along the route and my inner determination to finish the race. When I finally ran across the finish line it was a feeling of accomplishment and achievement! Now I don’t think I will every run a full marathon again but I would like to run shorter races, maybe 5 or 10ks will be in my future!