Before I post my Eugene Marathon recap, I wanted write this first:

I probably should have never run this marathon.

For most of February, March, and part of April, I was not feeling very well.  I had a mix bag of symptoms, but the one that kept me from running was that I had no energy (a Ferritin Level of 2 will do that to you).  I had to cancel run-dates with many people (I’m sorry for canceling, you know how you are!), and even if I was able to make a run-date, I either had to quit the run early on (mile 1 or 2) or couldn’t hold the pace of the group (a pace I used to be able to keep).

I owe Meggie and my sister a billion cookies for being my doctors this winter. One a real MD (Meggie) and one a WedMD (Sister). Both took care of me, and brought me to/from the hospital when I needed someone to be there for me. I owe a ton of friends and co-workers ‘Thank yous’ for putting up with me being sick (especially Jessie and Corey who each spent a weekend with me when I wasn’t feeling well).  Posting this happy recap is going to seem odd to some of you because you saw me at my worst.  I still can’t explain exactly what happened at the Eugene Marathon, but I will try.

Something that Hollie said on twitter prior to Eugene that has been stuck on my mind [Regarding the marathon]: “You have to respect the distance.” And Hollie is completely right. And in this case, I didn’t respect it. Did I have a good outcome of the race? Yes. But could the race and my health had a completely different ending? Heck Yes. 

When I post the Eugene Marathon Recap, you are going to read about how I ran a personal best, and all the silly thoughts I think during a marathon.  However, can I tell you what is better than running a personal best? Training to run a personal best….
Working hard to run paces you thought you would only dream about running. Running on the track in the early morning hours when everyone else is sleeping. Long runs that leave you resting on the couch for the whole weekend. Meeting your running friends in the freezing cold temperatures so you can run a tempo run together…and high-five each other after. Working For It. Training for that PR.  In my opinion, that’s the fun part.  That is what makes crossing that marathon finish line feel so great. And that’s the part I missed this year. The best part.

Because at the end of the day, I’m not a professional runner. One race will not make or break me, and I don’t get paid for crossing the finish line.  So if I had to choose four months of marathon training or one great race? I will always chose marathon training. I always want to be working to become a better runner. The actual marathon? That’s just the cherry on top of the sundae.

But Eugene was a super sweet cherry…

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