The Marathon

The Marathon. The single most demanding goal that I and my friends set for ourselves has finally been achieved. Wow. This was truly a team effort for ARG (Auerbachian Running Gals) and all of our supporters. We started our serious training program clear back in February, and we all stuck to our guns until the end. Of course there were injuries, pregnancies, and any number of other obstacles to overcome, but we did it. The entire team was there, and although not all of us ran the race, every single person there was integral to the effort. There is no way that I could have crossed the finish line without the help and support of everyone on the team. Between Marg making us believe we could all run a marathon, then designing our training schedule; Joss, Bryan, and Marg watching M for me during long runs; other members of the team making me practice when I didn't want to; and the group effort of encouragment and baby sitting during the marathon itself, it was truly a team effort. So, THANK YOU to Marg, Joss, Bryan, Logan, Mae Mae and Ki Ki (you know who you are ;-) ), Vicki, and Jen, and of course to my Jimmy whose long-distance pride and support both brought tears and strength. I love you guys.
Now a warning: feel free to skip to the end of the post if you don't want to read about every step I took during the marathon...

The blow by blow of the race: starting at 5:50 a.m. waking up after a night of almost no sleep thanks to the butterflies, quietly getting dressed and sneaking out of the house with Joss and Vicki (the other runners) while not waking up babies, in order to walk down to the pier and catch our 6:50 ferry. Ride ferry, arrive in Limone at 7:30. Proceed to gathering area, strip off outer layers to stuff in the official bag (that will be transported to the finish for us) to stand shivering in the cold morning for 2 more hours while waiting for the race to start. Mill up and down the hill several times thanks to conflicting directions from race officials, to finally end up in the correct starting position. Stand there for another 30 minutes while chatting with a fellow American and a Canadian we met and eyeing our fellow runners. Immediately spot many people who look as un-marathony as we do, which is comforting. Among these is a rather heavy-set man in dark clothes and a giant back-pack containing water and food, who is wearing a black beret and eating a hoagie sandwich. Name him "Chef Boyardee" (Thanks Vicki!), and decide that we should probably finish in front of him. Enter loud music and excited announcements in Italian (we understood the "Lake Garda Marathon" part), and the crowd starts to press forward. We are herded like sheep toward the starting line, when suddenly everyone breaks into a trot!!! We trot behind a "pacer" who is supposed to finish in 5 hours, down a street lined with cheering crowds, and the race has begun!!! The road is immediately lined with fellas whose backs are turned to us and in front of whom the plants are becoming very wet... just couldn't miss the start I guess. Luckily Marg had forewarned us of this strange marathon phenomenon. Now it hits us... we have started a MARATHON, in ITALY. It doesn't get much cooler than that! We forget our first walk break in all of the excitement, but the need for some quick breaks of our own brings us back to reality. Still, we are off to a great start, and it is hard to stop and walk like we should (it's part of our training plan). Before we know it 5k's are down, we stop for water, and Vicki moves on ahead. She has to take off her tights in Riva (where the rest of our crew waits to cheer) and wants to be far enough ahead to have plenty of time. Joss and I stick to our run walks and enjoy the beautiful scenery. (Part of the race was the road just above the water in the picture above.) This is fun! We are now close to the back, it is not crowded, and the folks we are with are taking a similar relaxed approach which is nice, until an official on a bike comes along and warns us that the road will be open to traffic in 10 minutes. Luckily in 5 more minutes we are in Riva del Garda, where we see the whole crowd of ARG supporters cheering like crazy... what a boost, and much needed after the relative loneliness of the tunnels and lake front. In Riva Joss decides she needs to slow down a little, and urges me to go ahead. I am worried, but also too full of adrenaline to go any slower at the moment. After a bit of inner turmoil I decide to go on ahead and strike out on my own. Soon I'm heading up the valley toward Arco, running through vineyards, along streets, and with a beautiful view of a castle on a cliff. My muscles are warm, everything is flowing, and I feel great, although the iPod is nice with only my thoughts for company. I pass Chef Boyardee and feel some inner satisfaction. Around 15k I spot a familiar short stature in a blue jersey ahead of me... Vicki is in my sights!!! With this sighting I have a new goal, to catch her, but damn is she quick! Every time she stops to walk I think I'll catch her, but then she starts running again. It takes me until 20k to finally get within yelling distance at a water stop. She turns and lights up, and I'm relieved that she seems to want my company as much as I need hers. Keep in mind that Vicki was intending to stop at the 1/2 marathon (the longest distance she had trained for), but we crossed 1/2 together (21.1 kilometers) and she decided to make a try for the end. Meanwhile I keep hoping that we will sight Joss, but no luck so far. I hope she's OK. Vicki and I now run our fastest 1/4 of the race, exhilerated by our new-found companionship (and in Vicki's case an apple-induced high). It is definitely easier to run when you have someone to pass the time with. The k's click by and we are feeling GOOD. We have our "peeps", people that we have been passing and re-passing... stinky green guy, yellow guy, glitter calves lady, red shirt lady, orange shorts guy. They help pass the time. Then comes 30k. The race seems almost over, only 12k to go, right? However, the course now turns back up the opposite lake shore, and we are faced with a long gentle up-hill slope and a hard wind in our faces. Suddenly the last 10k becomes a lot of work. We talk, we sing, we walk when it's time. Thankfully there is fruit and water available every 3 miles, because we need it! Pretty soon we are on autopilot, our legs moving forward despite the numerous aches and pains that are developing, and we find that it is so hard to start running after stopping that we skip our walk breaks. This is it, the push for the end. We are among the last 200 or so racers, so there aren't many peole to cheer, and we really need each other, sometimes just to look down and assure each-other that yes, our feet are still attached, and yes, they seem to be moving forward. A medical crew gives us a long look as they pass on a motorbike. Whatever...we're still running! Each kilometer seems like eternity now. I miss the sign for the 41k mark, and am elated when Vicki convinces me that we truly are in our last k of the race. FINALLY we round a corner to see the ARG team waiting for us, and the finish line, which we crossed in 5 hours and 18 minutes. The best part of the whole race was being joined by Joss (yes, she made it to 30k and then caught a ferry to the end to watch us finish), Marg, and Jen to cross the line together as a team. Because as epic as my description just was (sorry), the marathon really was just one day. The real race has been making it through the last 15 months sound in body and mind, and we are all here.