Before the Lodz marathon in Poland. I have already ran a handful of marathons since my debut in New York in 2005 where I had experience the unexpected. Just to name a few: Running alone in New York 2005 Tight shoes in Twin Cities 2006 (I almost strangled my poor foot) Hot and humid conditions Osaka, 2007 (No shade to be found) Wind, rain and cold temperatures in Boston 2007 (Dressed like it was summer) Olympic Trials 2008 (Blisters at mile 22) World Championships in Berlin 2009 (Blisters at mile 13) Running with a broken rib at Olympic Trials in 2012 Massive hills in Sand Diego at the Rock n Roll in 2015 The day had arrived, the training was done. It was time to check if I could put into practice the lessons learned from my previous experiences. One thing I notice was that the level of excitement was quite thesame from my previous experiences.
I take pride on my water bottles. I prepared them with lots of excitement thinking that on the way I will find a kid that will adopt them and keep them as a souvenir or for their next show and tell in their classroom. I started this tradition back in Osaka 2007. My signature, butterflies.
Then I leave with the most inspiring quote that I nailed soon after the gum went off..
Well, all these experience came in handy at my serious attempt back at the marathon in Lodz last April. The conditions were less than ideal on race day. It was 68F and 90% humidity at the start. At 10km I was 5 minutes behind the leaders and in 11th place. By the time I reached the finished line I was 4th fully aware of what had just happened in the past 2:41:1 seconds. I had just ran the smartest and most strategic marathon of my life. The marathon and I were friends again. I learned that yes, its is possible to enjoy such distance and in the process to learn from yourself.
Always an honor to step on a starting line and represent In The Arena and L.L Bean
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