I finished my first marathon last Sunday the 7th of October 2007.

It was the Loch ness marathon in Inverness Scotland (it is the most scenic race) and I had being closely following the Chicago marathon thread here, as this was the other race I know off that was taking place on that same day. Right now I am really really sore and any movement provides the most remarkable pain but when I look at my medal on my bedside table, I just can???t believe that I could complete 26.2miles. It is almost the most surreal mixture of pride, humility and awe. I chose to do this race exactly 5months ago and it was literally from couch potato to start line. It was not the sexy idea of running a marathon that made me sign up but it was from a personal goal like mnlakefish and runfattyrun?? (That???s his posting name right?) So I can see what my body can really do and I was frustrated of being upset everyday for being overweight and using this to make excuses for not living fully. So I signed up, and decided what better year to do it! 26.2miles and I would be 26 years and 2 months (clever heh?) but to be honest I didn???t think I would do it, I really really did not think I would follow through. I have signed up twice for a 1/2 marathon and a full one and found excuses not to go; I didn???t think this episode would be any different. At as one would expect, arousal was high so I researched and produced a training programme (from the book a non runner's marathon program) and typed it up in table format stuck it on my door so it was the first thing I would see on my way out and I would tick and write how long it took to do each run on it. I will never forget my first 3mile run! It was not fun! I was gagging at the end and I sat on my doorstep and actually cried; how was I going to run a race when felt so ill after a 3miler? And that 3miler included a few pauses and was at a 12-13mph pace, and course was flat and the weather was cool and comfortable. I made a theory on the steps that day 'some people are not meant to run and I am one of them'. So you can imagine my shock and pride when 4 weeks later I filled in my 10mile entry. My flatmate started calling me an elite athlete and whenever I didn???t look or feel as good as I would prefer in jeans for example or if I was

wasn???t dropping the pounds, my body could no longer do wrong in my eyes, my child bearing hips were wonderful engines. The secret to completing a marathon? Tell as many people as possible you are doing it! Because I knew my flatmates and friends will be asking 'how many miles today Ann?' I would complete that 18miler in the rain. So having gone through the pain, discipline, self doubt at times and sacrifice of training for a marathon, my heart sank when I read about my Chicago marathon colleagues, yes running wild keep your medal and be proud of it because if you hit mile 18 in the heat I believe you would have finished because I knew at mile 18 I was going to finish the marathon if I had to walk it (which I did www.runnersworld.com/RWemoticons/whistle.gif" alt="whistle" width="35" height="20" />) I was so blessed, the weather was cool and clear , and the race had 1433 entrants. I had prepared the night before drinking and drinking and I forcibly ate an energy bar and a banana that morning. I had pinned 3 energy gels to my running tights and decided to divide the race into thirds (8miles) and to walk through water stations to drink. The other runners were sinewy clubby type runners who were there to probably cane the race. oh well. The announcer sent us off with a 'keep on smiling and I would see you at the other side!' folks I was so scared at the first mile I stuck with my plan of taking the first half slow and it seemed everyone was passing me by even the hunched over man of 85+ (who finished in sub 6hours in the end). I passed the first mile and looked at my garmin and it reported 9:13 oh no I thought, slow down drastically now! I found a man with support brace on his left knee like mine and he was running at a very comfortable pace so I stuck with him for next 6miles, we didn???t talk but we stayed side by side and we ran foot to foot for those 6miles. At mile 6.2 I lost my bad-left-knee-similar-pacer-soul-mate as I walked to fill my bottle at the water station. there was a hill (as they are, always, in Scotland!@??$%) and to get over the angina type pain hills induce in me, I speed up and passed him to get over the pain. after that there was a sweet downhill, where a journalist shoved a microphone in my face asking me about how I was finding the marathon, she said I wasn???t breaking a sweat and

wished me good luck, I thought ha, this is mile 6 woman!! check in at mile 16, then we will discuss! For the majority of the race we ran beside the loch ness, at one point I thought I saw nessie the monster (I am not joking...) and I tripped on my self in shock, but It was a smooth line of grey rocks. Yes at mile 18 I was that delirious. I didn???t hit the wall, I decided to speed walk up the hills (I found this does not make much of a difference race time wise and as people are so tired you could speed walk past people running) but I was EXHAUSTED. at mile 23 I hungered for the finish line, I struggled with a run walk pattern, then I saw my flatmates and they were screaming so hard, they said they were so proud of me, that gave me something (not enough though I still ran walk I was so tired) because my fatigue was so much I didn???t care anymore that I was part of something big. one of my flat mates ran with me for a while he kept on saying, you can do this, you really can! when I got to the finial .2 miles and I could see the finish line I looked at the timer it read 4:46:59. People, I ran like a crazy woman, I could finish in sub 5hours-Ya! I ran! my heels were touching my buttocks I was running so hard!! As I walked through to get my medal, I thought that was not bad I would like to do this again, but the second the lady volunteer put the medal on around my neck I started to cry (I am misty eyed even now), I was a winner, a good person, a worthy person. My body was wonderful and strong, my spirit is great, how could I ever be hard on myself if I wasn???t a size 6? this was what the human spirit is about. I didn???t have to do this, but I did. I am so happy and can???t believe I did it until I attempt to go down stairs, then I remember. I cannot wait to heal and continue my journey as a runner. I really can???t wait! I came 1255 place in the race with a time of 4:57:03 thank you for sharing in my story. Ann xxx-