It's blog time again!

It’s been so long since I last blogged…I think there’s too much to write about today, so I’ll keep it on the marathon. Today was the Twin Cities Marathon and it could not have been a more glorious morning for a 26.2 mile run! Seriously…sunshine, blue skies, barely a breeze, 40-50 degrees and it’s no joke! This truly is the “Most Beautiful Urban Marathon”! Not that I’ve done them all but WOW! There wasn’t a single part that was anything less than spectacularly gorgeous. The course ran through our beautiful downtown Minneapolis, around 3 lakes, along a gorgeous wooded parkway, another lake, followed the Mississippi River, past the governor’s mansion and several historic homes/other mansions past the Cathedral and finally ending at the state capitol in St Paul. The course was littered from beginning to end with (what was estimated to be 300,000) spectators and all of this was done with a backdrop of bright fall colors. WOW! Did I say that already?
Some of you might not know the story of why I wanted to do this particular marathon. Oh, you may know that I registered because I was afraid that I’d get depressed once I moved here and stop running, so I rationalized the decision something like this…I paid too much to quit (although I wanted to many, many times) and I pretty much gave a social life for the summer because I was training. And, yes, that made me depressed. So I had to be honest with myself as to the real reason that I was running this marathon...atonement.
Once upon my former life, in 1999, this marathon, the Twin Cities Marathon, ran by my house on Minnehaha Parkway. My new (and now one of my closest) friend Elizabeth and I stood on the sidelines to watch the runners and cheer them on. There were hundreds of people cheering, smiling and laughing and I thought “I never knew that running could be so much fun!” I mean it was a real honest to goodness social event, and we all know that I love me a good party. I saw shirts that said “first marathon” and I was astounded by the goal that these strangers were achieving. Then a man ran by with a shirt that said:
Front: This is John.
See John Run.
Back: John is stupid.
I laughed out loud and thought “I LOVE RUNNERS!” They are quirky and not afraid to laugh at themselves. Well, by the time I got home I was so excited! I told my (then) husband about it and said “I want to do that someday!” His response was “That’s stupid.” and (with an asshole look on his face) “You could never do that, Cindy. Do you know how hard that is?” I was crushed! I filed for divorce 3 months later, not because of his attitude, but perhaps that was the moment that my blinders (of love) fell off and I started to see him for the man he was. I took me 7 years to run my first marathon, and it was not just hard, but excruciating. My time was 5:24. I’ve been unhappy with that for 4 years. Today was a day of reckoning for me. It was the day that I saw my goal come through to fruition.
My time, while still waiting for the official one, was definitely a PR, shattering my previous one by 40 minutes (I think). It was definitely a big day for me, filled with many firsts. In addition to my PR (1) I ran the majority of this race with my friend Annie, it was her first and the first time I ran with someone (2). It was awesome! We were, in fact making such good time that I ignored my urge to stop to pee and instead ended up peeing myself (3). Oddly, it didn’t seem gross until I caught a whiff of myself. Disgusting! My friend Kristen S once told me that I wasn’t a real runner until could pee behind a bush along the race course (which I did that day at Sonoma Carneros) so I’m wondering what, exactly, this make me now. Anyone? It was also the first time I cried when I saw someone I wasn’t expecting and that I love out cheering me on. Thank you, Stacy. (4) I cried for a couple of reasons; one of which was that my legs were cramping SO bad that when I tried to kick it out my toes curled up inside my shoes to the point where I thought I might need to have them amputated (5) and was having serious doubts moments before I saw her about being able to finish. Nothing like rounding a corner and seeing your friend (and son) smiling and screaming at the top of their lungs…alas the tears, and truth be told they are streaming as I type this (6). The toe thing could have been, and I’m just throwing this out there, because I was wearing a brand spanking new pair of running shoes…it was their maiden voyage. (7) That could also be why I am going to be 10 minus 6 toenails after today. (8) Thank god the weather is getting cooler so no one has to see them. It’s really grody. Oh, and when I was feeling like I couldn’t go on at mile 23 a woman actually said to me “You can’t stop now! You’ve been my pacer for the whole race.” What? Me? (9) And finally…I couldn’t have done this without Nick. I never knew what it felt like to have someone standing at various spots to support me with his presence, snacks, hydration, smiles, encouraging words and even a kiss. :() (10)
Soooo, with all of that being said, my day of reckoning couldn’t have been better (or grosser). I loved it! Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have some really smelly clothes to throw in the wash and then I’m going to pass out!