Running on Empty

Fall means one thing to a dedicated distance runner... marathon season. Currently, it would be dead wrong to use either of those two adjectives to describe myself, but a runner I am and a sucker for anything marathon related, I just couldn't let this weekend's Hartford Marathon pass me by without participating in some form or another. Luckily for me, my best friend Caitlin wanted in on the action too so I didn't have to run the roads alone. Caitlin signed up for the marathon months ago and has been training (like a responsible marathon runner) for the race all summer. I, on the other hand, decided last week I would try and run along side her for as many miles (maybe 26.2?) as my out-of-shape limbs would allow and then drop out at some point when the pain (that's inevitable whether you're trained or not) became unbearable. I wasn't sure how my plan would pan out, especially considering I haven't been running much (or at all) in the past six weeks and due to oodles of injuries and many hours in PT, I haven't run more than 12 miles in one outing in over a year and a half. Some distance runner I am, haha. But, being the stubborn mule that I am (insert your own creative adjectives here), I was determined to give it a shot.

Caitlin and I before the start of the 2007 Marine Corp Marathon, in Washington, D.C.
We ran the marathon in honor of our close friend who died that year in Iraq.

Unfortunately, Caitlin came down with a bad case of bronchitis last week and decided (smartly) to pass on the full marathon and run the half marathon (13.1 miles) instead. I feel really, really bad that she had to give up her plans for the full race. I know how disappointing it can be to spend months and months preparing for a race, only to realize your body can't take the punishment (I, of course, learned this the hard way after running a marathon injured and then spending the next two years recovering from knee surgery). Still, the race was really hard for Cait, running with bronchitis on top of asthma may be harder than running with no knees. So we struggled through it together -the race certainly wasn't a shining moment in either of our running careers, but we finished together and that's what matters. So, thank you Cait for getting me out there with you to enjoy a beautiful marathon weekend. And thank you for re-energizing my steadily declining running mojo. I definitely needed a jump-start! Next year, how about a spring AND fall marathon? Sounds good to me!

Before the start, heading to the start line near the state capitol with 10,000 other runners

The finish line in sight. Are we there yet ?!?

Down the home stretch!

Side Note: Did you know that the Hartford Marathon is the "greenest" marathon in the country? Way cool!!! Read all about it here.