It was 6:45 in the morning when my boyfriend dropped me off in front of TD Ameritrade Park. This was where the starting point of the Omaha Marathon was going to take place, in the heart of downtown. There were tons of people gathered, who were stretching and getting their I-Pod playlists ready for the marathon to start. I felt a rush of nervousness and excitement, because I had been training for this event for the past few months and the day was finally here. As I started stretching I spotted a woman dressed up in a banana suite and tutu getting ready for the race. I thought her outfit looked so cool that I just had to take a picture with her!
As the speaker gave a few words and thanked everyone for coming out on such an early day, the National Anthem began.
"1 minute left" came through the loud speaker and with a BANG!, the marathon began.
At first it was hard to move since everyone was in a tight-knit spot trying to get through the starting line, but all of a sudden the pace started to pick up and people started jogging and running: Some alone, some with partners. I kinda wished I had someone to run with or talk to as I ran but I had my handy dandy headphones and Pandora playlist as my companions for this adventure.
As we passed through the downtown area and into the neighborhoods, I saw groups of family members, friends, nieces and nephews standing and waving on each sidewalk as runners ran by. I felt the rush of excitement as they all cheered, yelling out, "You can do it!" or "Great job stranger!" There is something about someone holding a funny poster like the one below, that makes you wanna keep going.
As I reached the half-marathon turn around and started heading back to the downtown area, I felt a sudden urge to stop because my legs were starting to get tired. I kept telling myself, "you're almost there" or "you can't stop now, you gotta keep going" to keep me motivated. The only times that I found myself stopping was when I had to tie my shoe, so that was pretty impressive.
From afar I could see the buildings of Downtown Omaha which made me happy because I was almost to the finish line. People were still outside of their homes cheering as runners were making their way back. I started to smile because I got to see one of my old co-workers and my boyfriend cheering for me. It made me really happy.
As I approached the downtown area, towards TD Ameritrade Park I noticed that I had picked up my pace and started running faster. I could see more and more people crowding around the entrance of the stadium clapping their hands and taking pictures as we each entered the gates and into the stadium. As I looked up I could see runners being displayed on the jumbo-tron as they entered the finished line. A few moments after, I did, too! With a big hooray, I had made it through!
Overall, I had an amazing experience! I can honestly say that I am proud of myself and the hard work that I had done in keeping myself motivated. I know it wasn't easy training myself and I know there were times where I just didn't want to run anymore because I felt tired or got lazy, but one of the lessons that I learned through this experience was that you can't give up. With the helpful advice from previous runners and running various distances every week, I was able to do it!
What has been your most memorable marathon?
From LA, With Luv
Fati <3
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