Congratulations Marathoners, Your Dedication Is Crazy

Runners as they come through mile 14

Over this past weekend the Twin Cities Marathon took place in Minneapolis. Having a couple of friends running it, I went out with my wife and a friend to cheer on runners at various points throughout the race. My wife mapped out when the runners we were cheering on would get to strategic checkpoints that would allow us enough time to cheer them on, drive to the next checkpoint, cheer some more, make our way to the next checkpoint, and so on. It worked out quite well, actually, and instead of cheering on many runners from one spot we were able to cheer on our friends at multiple locations.

As the waves and waves of runners passed by, it was hard not to get caught up in the festivities of the event. I'm not a huge yeller or screamer when it comes to cheering (well, unless it's for a particular person), but seeing the support that all of the spectators were giving to all of the runners was pretty amazing. I know that it's this way for most marathons in cities across the world, but it's so much fun to see it happening in your own back yard.

The Cheer Squad

Watching all of the runners speeding by, I find myself getting caught up thinking to myself, "Self, you could totally do this. Just put in a little training and then during the race just dig deep and DO IT!"  And in years past I tried kicking up my training regiment, but as I tried to sketch out what I would need to do in order to successfully finish a marathon, it is quite daunting and I quickly give up. I've done plenty of 5K and 10K races, even tackling one half-marathon, but a full marathon is beyond scary when I really think about it.

But each one of the runners on the course had put in time, effort, and planning that leaves me in awe. Just talking with my runner friends who do marathons about their workouts, I am envious of their ability to focus on running, putting in the time needed to get in shape, and preparing themselves mentally and physically for what they need to do. I honestly don't think that even if I really, really wanted to that I could actually follow through on everything I'd need to in order to get to the point where I stride through the finish line after 26.2 long, grueling miles. So, runners, I offer up countless kudos to you. I'll always remain in awe of your accomplishments... and silently wish that I had the will to do what you do.