Sunday, May 2, 2010

Marathon Madness

Well folks, this morning I completed my first marathon. It was a 26.2 mile adventure, and I am now walking like an old man.

I ran a clock time of 3:40:03 (from start to finish a 3:39). I started out with the 3:10 pace group, and ended up being passed by a lot of runners during the second half of the race.

Two notable lessons learned:
Concerning the mental aspect of running - although I was really struggling the last six miles or so, thinking that I was barely going to be able to make it, and watching people pass me right and left, I was motivated when I saw the 8:40 pace group pass me with only a few miles left. For the past several miles I had been mentally pushing myself to simply keep jogging, and having fallen so far behind my friend Seth (whom I had been training with and keeping up with), I kept telling myself to keep going despite the sight of other racers flying past me. So when the 8:40 pace group passed me, I tried to gut it out and stick with them for the last two miles. To my complete surprise, I was able to do it! This fact alone, despite my intense pain, inspired me to go even faster and see if I couldn't outrun the group the final few miles. Once I started going faster and passing people, I began to gain my confidence back, and spurred on by this accomplishment, I ended up nearly sprinting the final mile of the marathon. That's the typical competitive Lincoln for you. What a difference our mental attitudes can have - this lesson was learned afresh this morning in a new way.

Another interesting observation concerns the effect of cheering. Throughout the race as I passed by onlookers and supporters, I would let out a victorious holler and raise and pump my arms while passing by. While running past the several relay stations, where a couple hundred runners gathered waiting for their relay team members to arrive, I would lift up my arms and shout "let's hear it!!!" This would inspire a bout of enthusiastic cheering, clapping, and overall good cheer. I performed these and other goofy activities for most of the race. I do believe that this cheered everyone up, and helped them to run happier races.

P.S. - Also of note were the wonderful comments when running through the black neighborhoods. One man said to me "keep it up Slim, you're lookin' good!" I love that. It's encouraging and fun. There's only one word for it: soul.

4 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a great bit of writing, Link! I really enjoy hearing your 'voice' on the page as well as in real life. Congrats on finishing the marathon!

    ReplyDelete
  3. congrats brother... you're AWESOME!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, Lincoln! You finished the race, and that's an amazing feat in itself. And when we think about what you went through to attain 3:40, we have to be shocked that there were people who ran the distance in just over 2 hours. That is simply stunning. What are they made of? Some sort of outer-space stuff must be! Likely as not, with one marathon behind you, there are now others in your future. Massage those legs, and....happy trails.
    Your distant cousin, Ted, of Kenmore, WA

    ReplyDelete