Glenda and I at the finish of my first and only marathon
Just short of 13 years ago, on May 17, 2009 I ran my first and only marathon. It was an accomplishment of which I am possibly even unduly proud...and I always intended to repeat it. Unfortunately I was injured the next year while training for my second. Over the years with one thing and another it never did happen again, but I did many more half marathons and shorter distances as well as triathlons and duathlons. In fact, at last count, I had participated in 300+ races over the years since my very first 5k in 2006.
I didn't start out to be active and you can read about some of that in earlier blog posts. I mean, I was an active enough kid....absolutely loved my Schwinn Hollywood with the pink streamers gifted to me by my paternal grandmother on my 7th or maybe 8th birthday. And I played tag and mother may I and horses and all manner of running games with the neighborhood kids in elementary school and into Jr. High. I had swim lessons (which I liked) and dance lessons (at which I was a miserable failure)...and even ice skated in the winter.
Me on the prized Schwin...the start of my triathlon career?
Coolest ice skater on the block in the zebra parka
But as I got older, I got less active, more a spectator (I was crazy for the local semi-pro ice hockey team in my town...the Waterloo Blackhawks) than a participant. In fact by high school a friend and I competed to see how slowly we could walk the mile test that we did in gym class twice a year.
For years I was the world's greatest indoors woman. In fact it wasn't until I was nearly 50 and working on my dissertation that I began to exercise in earnest again. I did it to clear my head...but I got hooked. Nearing my doctorate, I realized that a big part of my life was soon to be over...and there would be lots of empty time. I decided to run a marathon. I had only been running for about 4 years and had only run one half marathon. But I made up my mind, talked to my coach and started training. I had originally signed up for a different marathon, but ended up settling on the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon. It was close enough for my Madison family to drive up and see me finish. Glenda was running it with me. My plan was just to finish before the 7 hour cutoff.
I did accomplish my goal 6:43:48. But what was really important was the experience...the scenery, the signs, the group that had an inflatable wall at mile 20, the run down the tunnel and into Lambeau Field and then back out to the finish, even the smart Alec that yelled at 24 "only 5 miles to go" (idiot) are all vivid memories.
On the run in Lambeau Field
But even more was the support of those at a distance. At the time that I did the marathon, I had a group I ran with when I was in Rhode Island, where I taught during the academic year at URI, called The Naragansett Running Association. I also had a group I ran with when I was in Austin with Glenda, called Riff Raff. People from both of those groups, as well as other friends and family, were tracking me. Glenda was also sending out social media messages along the way, and people were commenting. As I hit the wall (closer to 15 miles in than 20, though thankfully I rallied to finish) she read me their encouraging comments, and knowing that they were there, not only following me, but supporting me, was everything in that moment.
In fact at one point to keep me going, Glenda asked for jokes to tell me. I still remember one of them. And here it is:
A pan of muffins were in the oven. One muffin turned to its neighbor and asked, "Is it getting hot in here?" The neighbor replied with a scream, "Oh my god, a talking muffin!"
Now that is cute and kind of funny....but at mile 22 it was flippin' hysterical.
Fast forward to now...things have changed considerably since the start of 2022. In January, I was diagnosed with cancer, in February I had emergency surgery for an arterial blood clot in my left leg, I have also been treated for anemia and a small duodenal ulcer. There are no classic marathons in my future. However, as I have been seeing PT and getting back on track with healing my leg, I saw that the local Parkinson's 5k and half also included a 1 mile family walk. I talked to my PT about it and said I wanted to do it (at that point I was struggling with a quarter mile) and he encouraged me to train for it, just as I would train for any race. I told my coach this, and though I had put her on hiatus, she said she wanted to write me a plan. So, I've had a Training Peaks plan with things like "walk .33 miles" in my workouts...and mostly I've executed it.
In training...
Mentally coming back from this and training to walk a mile has been the hardest. Physically it has been a challenge, but mentally it is a marathon. Thus #themileismymarathon.
And now that marathon mile is coming up. April 9 at 8:30 am central, I will toe the line...and just like the marathon so many years ago, I feel like I could use support. I hope to complete the mile in under 40 minutes (which doesn't sound like much...but will be an accomplishment for me at this point in my journey. Since this is much shorter than the 6:43 it took to do a full marathon, Glenda probably won't post during the walk...but I'm sure there will be posts before and after.
So, if you so choose, here are some ways you can support me.
Post in social media and tag me:
My twitter handle is @suellenphd2b
My instagram is @suellenadams1956
And if you are reading this where I post it you know how to find me on FaceBook
On twitter and insta, I am using the hashtags #themileismymarathon and #onesteponebreathonemile
If you want to do more:
Do a walk or a run with me virtually and post a picture...or dedicate a mile of your workout on April 9.
Or if you are local it is not too late to sign up for the mile and walk it in support...you don't have to do it as slow as me...or just hang out and cheer for all the participants (not just me in the half, the 5k and the miles).
Thanks!
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