After the many weeks of training, the Twin Cities Marathon was finally here. Even though I have run Grandma's marathon twice, I was still nervous and not quite sure what to expect. I had looked over the course, and I actually had run parts of it before (back in 1992 when I lived down in Mpls), but had heard a number of stories about 'the Hill' so we a little apprehensive. I am so glad I had Jim Sloan, a fellow teacher to start the race with. We started strong and I felt good, even through the pounding rain at Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, and Minnehaha Parkway. It was not until Lake Nokomis when I started to get cold, and I started to slow down a bit. Jim and I lost each other a few times at water stops, but after mile 15, we did not meet up again until the end. I walked up most of 'the Hill' and then ran for most of the way down Summit Avenue to the Capital. It was fun to have Deb and the kids, along with Jill, Tom, Taylor, Jordan, and Grandma Judy cheer me on three different times along the course. The Sloans and Scholin's were also out cheering on the runners. There was times when that support was really needed : ) I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 4:05:35. This is my best marathon time yet. I beat my last time by over 25 minutes! It is such a great feeling to cross that finish line. I have not been as sore as I have been in the past after the marathon, and this was the first time that I really did not have any injuries during training. It all paid off. Next marathon: Grandma's Marathon in June - only 251 days away.
