Lessons Learned

For the second time, I found myself very disappointed after finishing Grandma's Marathon. After having such a successful Spring, I just knew that this race was going to be my ticket to the Olympic Marathon Trials. Yet, only 8 miles in to the race I was simply hoping to finish. Even before the half way point my legs were shot, and my pace slowed to well over 6 mins. per mile. I sulked over the race for about a day, then I was able to reflect on the experience and learn some valuable lessons. Here is what I learned:

1.) God has blessed me with a healthy body and a great ability to run. My mother reminded me of this shortly after I finished the race. She said that many people cannot run at all and certainly not at the level that I can. I never need to take this for granted.

2.) I have a great support system! I am so thankful that I have a wife who supports my running goals and dreams. My favorite thing about finishing a race is seeing her beautiful face. I also have a very supportive family. My parents flew all the way up to Duluth to watch me run--it was great having them there. My sister, Monica, updated my progress on facebook, and my brother followed my progress on the computer as well. The support of my family makes my successes sweeter and helps me persevere through my failures.

3.) My body is the best compass I have as a runner. In my quest to run a trials standard, I neglected to heed my body's warnings many times. Looking back at my training, there were many times when I was probably pushing too hard and my body was screaming for me to back off, yet I kept surging ahead. I need to be more disciplined in this area and always trust my body's feedback.

4.) It's just a race! I think I put WAY too much pressure on myself to hit the standard at Grandma's. I was so nervous on Friday, I really couldn't think about anything else. In the grand scheme of things, this was just another race, and there will be other opportunities to hit the standard. The stress I put on myself to qualify really took the joy out of running the race. I love running, and I do not want to lose sight of that. If it's not fun, I need to re-evaluate why I'm doing it.

5.) Running has given me a chance to experience so much! I have traveled all over the U.S. running races, and I am so fortunate to have had these opportunities. I have also been able to meet some remarkable people. At the Grandma's expo, I was able to have my picture taken with running legend Dick Beardsley (probably the most motivating person I have ever met.).

6.) Finally, I learned that there will always be obstacles on any journey. Of the last 5 marathons I have run, this is the first one that I did not feel was a success. That means 4 out of 5 were great experiences! This is just a little bump in the road. The important thing is to get back on my feet and try again.

Looking ahead. . . .

My plan is to capitalize on my current fitness level. Even though the Grandma's race did not show it, I am very fit right now. So, I will be racing a couple of half marathons in August and September. The goal for these is to go out, race and have fun competing!!