10 Days Later I Completed a Marathon

I DID THIS!

It continues to blow my mind that I did. It wouldn’t have happened without my partner.

He set a goal for us to train together for long distance walks. You know the ones. The typical 5K or 10K race events.

He had taken part in these runs in years past. He knew I wasn’t into running so he committed to walking with me. Staying by my side throughout — which believe me was no easy feat.

I thought it was a great idea. We could do this together and maybe, just maybe, I could reach my goal to get off my blood pressure medication.

I wrote about our first couple of training months in the article titled - Our Third 10K in Eight Days.

What I didn’t share back then was my partner had entered us in the Honolulu Marathon. A goal that had never been on my radar.

Walking Towards Our Goal

It wasn’t easy. We endured a few obstacles along the way, but we kept movin’ and we kept groovin’. We didn’t stop. We had to keep going.

The physical setbacks were the worst. Because when you hurt yourself, you have got to rest. Without rest time, you can make the injury worse.

The first time was the day I fell and face-planted on the sidewalk.

We finished our route that day and completed our 3rd 10K in 8 days. That feeling of accomplishment while pushing through the pain made the difference for me to keep going. Article below.

Another time, I pulled a muscle or muscles in my right glute. The pain was excruciating and seemed to take forever to heal. Ice bag therapy was a must along with many days of rest.

I learned how to walk down the stairway backwards, then sideways, to ease the pain. I was impatient with the healing process, and at times, depressed.

My partner encouraged me throughout. We were in this together.

When I asked if we could change our entry from the marathon to the 10K , he seemed to ignore me. Once, he told me the date had passed for any changes to our registration.

I recall thinking, “okay, this is it. We are walking the marathon.” That was the last time I asked. Honestly, I’m glad he kept the truth to himself.

Every day. Every single day, we got up and did our morning workout routines. Every week we walked twice a week. It took a couple of months, but we got back to our 10K walks and back to good health.

The Marathon Plan

My partner planned everything. The event registration, the flights and the hotel.

He considered the time difference as well. If you’ve never prepared for the time difference when you travel, you should. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

The race start time was 5 a.m. We live two hours ahead of Honolulu time. We had to get our bodies and minds in sync with Honolulu’s clock.

We gradually increased our wake-up time from 4:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. The day of the race we would wake at 2:00 a.m., do our morning workouts, share an energy bar, a banana and dress for the race.

My partner also packed his backpack with supplies we would need while we walked. The roll-on sunscreen, energy gel packs (very grateful he had those), lip balm, tissues, hand lotion, paper towels and more. I am lucky!

We made it to the starting line just in time. Another story I may have to share.

The fireworks were still going off as we walked the start line. A moment I’ll always remember.

My First Marathon

I’m not gonna lie. It was grueling. But wow, was it worthwhile. My walk certainly was not the prettiest of walks. I had an extended break at the halfway point and wasn’t sure I would finish.

My partner supported me with time to rest, to close my eyes and to breathe. It was the silent encouragement I needed to keep walking.

He could have chosen to run. Or to jog. Or to walk for his own best time. He certainly could have walked a heck of a lot faster without me. But he didn’t. He stayed with me.

After all that was our goal — to train, walk and complete the marathon together. We did just that.

Complete. Don’t Compete.

About a month before we left for Hawaii, a runner posted the words — Complete. Don’t compete.

He wrote at his first triathlon an athlete seated next to him, an athlete he thought could possibly end up on the podium, shared the words with him.

Complete. Don’t compete.

The words resonated with me as they did with the poster. I often repeated them during my walks and during the marathon.

My time of under 9 hours may not be impressive to most, but it’s my time. I didn’t participate to impress anyone. I walked to complete the marathon.

An accomplishment I completed with my best friend and partner. He kept me upright and moving forward.

We walked together. We completed the marathon together.

And we’ll continue walking together.

Keep Movin’ ~ Keep Groovin’ ~ Don’t Stop

Have you considered walking? I’ll be writing more about my walking journey plus — choosing a healthier lifestyle, fitness at any age, plant-based cooking & eating, and whatever else I need to: Keep Movin’ ~ Keep Groovin’ ~ Don’t Stop

Eat Well! Stay Well! Live Well!