One of the most fun aspects of running relates to the mix of
emotions generated during the run. It starts with amazing anticipation. As you
sit in the start corral, you could literally cut it with a knife. It’s so
intense. Then the race starts and you begin to really feel yourself get excited
beyond words and you are not alone. People cheer, clap and go crazy. At the
bigger marathons, you see people as far as your eyes can see. Chicago is and
will always be my favorite. I am from there, and it’s such a special place to
run a full marathon.
As your journey progresses, you get consumed by the drama of
the endeavor. You see people triumph and fail. Spectator’s hold signs up.
Family members hold signs cheering on their mom’s, dad’s, sisters, brothers,
etc. Some of the signs will choke you up. A child holding a sign that says “Mommy
is my hero- I am so proud of you” will do it every time! You will find funny
signs and ones that purely motivate you beyond words.
At some point, you will have the emotion of self-doubt. It’s
not a fun emotion, but you quickly get rid of that and think of the finish. It
may be 2,8,10 or .2 miles away, but the best emotion starts to hit you. It’s a
sense of pride and accomplishment.
My Dad always told me to “act like you have been there
before” and to not showboat. It’s hard for me sometimes, as I am a REALLY
excitable person and I really love people. I have run three different full
marathons. The first two, I took my Dad’s advice. For my third, I took a
different approach. I ran toward the end and screamed at the crowd, got them to
raise their arms up, told them we needed them to cheer and they sure did. I
kept screaming “let’s take this to the shack”.
It was my favorite saying my Dad and I used to say about our
beloved Hawkeyes when they would score a long touchdown. Announcers would say
take it to the house, but we would editorialize and say “take it to the shack”
or “shack it”. You have a prideful and fun moment at the end.
At Chicago you are greeted by volunteers who place the medal
around your neck. It’s one of the best feelings of accomplishments. The finish
is a big staging area and you talk to runners, console them, high five each
other, scream loud things, and then try to find your family and friends. The
finality of the event leaves you with a mixture of feelings. You may want to
laugh, sigh, cry or any one number of things. It’s possible to have all of them
at once too.
You have just experienced what it’s like to join the 1% of
the worldwide population that has finished a marathon, so it’s natural. If you aspire
to run one someday, I sure hope you do. It will be a great workout of your
emotions. Imagine me telling you to "take it to the shack!"
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