Happy 4 Year Marathonniversary!

This morning as I dressed for my first post-shinasco HALLELUJAH! 8 miler I was thinking about a race in Orlando this weekend.  This coming Sunday is the Disney Marathon.  As I was looking at my running shirts deciding what to wear, I thought that on my Sunday run I should wear one of my Disney race shirts to show solidarity with my favorite marathon.  That's when I got to thinking how I did my first marathon at Disney in 2005.  On what day was the '05 marathon held?  I think the 9th?  What day is it today (run to find a calendar)?  Well what do you know?!  It's been four year's exactly since I first became a marathoner.  So I donned my 2005 Disney Marathon race shirt for today's run (see above).

When I was training for Disney '05 I was out on a 20+ mile training run.  In Central Park around Harlem Hill a man came up on my right and said, "Are you doing a long run today?"  I was obviously not out for a quick 3 mile run because I had a fully-loaded 4 bottle Fuel Belt and two gu's dangling from my waistband.  The man's name was Dave. He was clearly well-known as many runners would say hello to him as we passed.  He told me how he had run 29 consecutive NYC Marathons.  If I remember correctly he could have had one or two more but one of the early years he ran the race it was raining, the going got tough and he ended up with a DNF (and got a ride in a golf cart off the course with none other than Fred Lebow). 

We chatted a lot about races and training.  Realizing I was clearly in the company of a veteran long distance runner I asked him if he had any advice for me and my upcoming first marathon.  I thought he was going to give me some sort of nutrition or pacing tip.  Instead, he said this:  "Keep a journal leading up to and through your first marathon.  There's nothing like your first marathon and you're going to want to remember it."  We probably ran about 7 miles together before parting ways (incidentally a couple of years later he struck up a conversation with me again in Central Park as I was running-- I remembered him but I don't think he remembered me.  He must be very chatty with runners in the park).

I dug out the race report I wrote 4 years ago.  Here's a short excerpt:

"I'm proud of myself.  But really, no more proud than I was when I did my first 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon...I'm hooked.  I can finally say it -- I am a runner!"