Marathon #3
This past Sunday, I completed my third marathon. I decided to stay home this year and run the second annual Grand Rapids Marathon. I've done Chicago twice, but thought I'd save us the drive and the waking up at 4:45 AM to catch the train into Chicago from Westmont to get there in time for the 8:00 start.

I thought this year would be different--I was sleeping in my own bed on the night before the marathon, but still did not get any sleep the night before the marathon. It wasn't so much nerves, really, but more like the excitement a young child feels the night before Christmas. Jim's parents took Abby and Becca for the night and brought them down to the race. They had been excited all week in anticipation of Mommy being in a "running race." The weather was gorgeous, starting out near 40 degrees at the 7:00 start for the "velocity challenged" runners (of which I am one). I made it through the first 13 or so miles of the course just fine, but I think I may have over-hydrated too early, which made me feel quite uncomfortable for the rest of the race, to say the least. I finshed in 5:12:00, a few seconds better than I did in my second Chicago Marathon. The GR Marathon course went along the Grand River, mainly through woods along bike trails, with loops through Millenium Park and an industrial park/residential neighborhood in Grandville. It was flat and fast, but I'm used to training on city streets in residential neighborhoods, where one regularly sees street address numbers and can gauge where in the current mile one is. I loved the scenic parts of the course (this is about the best time to see our fall colors in this part of Michigan) but we have some very distinctive and beautiful neighborhoods--North Monroe, Heritage Hill, Eastown and the Reeds Lake area that maybe they might want to consider having the race go through. The course also went past junkyards and scrap metal recyclers, hopefully this didn't make a negative impression on runners from out of town. GR is NOT all like that! But, the race was well-staffed and the volunteers at the aid stations were wonderful and always quick to encourage. Even the fast guys who passed me were very sweet and encouraging. My friends Dawn and Mike from work came down to see me at the finish line as well as Jim's mom and dad and my sister Sue and her friend Bill. I'm still a little sore, though, but I'm mostly recovered.
- posted by Kristen @ 11/01/2005 11:58:00 PM