My Detroit Free Press Marathon Recap

Perhaps you have run a marathon, want to, or never will. Whatever the case, trust me when I say the best kind is the uneventful marathon, which I just recently experienced. By saying that, I do not mean boring, as 26.2 miles, although tedious, is fascinating in some weird way. The Detroit course was excellent, as were the weather and crowds. Furthermore, it’s not every day that one can flee another country on foot and not get shot at or have to climb a wall to get out. I joke, but the Detroit marathon was an international one where we entered and exited Canada, making it my first international run.

Besides the international experience, nothing from my 18th marathon, the Detroit Free Press Marathon, stands out - a beautiful thing.  What I’m trying to say is the number of “why the heck am I doing this” moments were nonexistent, most unusual for the hours of toil involved. When it is all said and done and across the finish line, that is what a distance runner hopes for - no significant amount of pain, injury, or hitting-the-wall moment as often comes, as I’ve experienced in many of my past races. With my latest marathon, and hopefully the first of many after 70, I went, saw, and conquered. Ha My elation is especially high because last year’s marathon journey did not go well, with numerous thoughts of “Father-Time-having-caught-up-to-me.”  I can lay them to rest for now, at least.

Winner, Winner, and What It Takes to Be One - Steps to Win

First, it’s best never to ask a slow runner for their time; just know that I finished, which is winning in my book. I jest, but coming out with the attitude of looking forward to another marathon next year makes me a champion.

Steps to Success

It is not as if anyone truly has the answer to winning all the time, but here is how I did it this time.

1.      From the beginning, and more than believing I could do it, I made finishing essential to my being. There was never a moment where I justified just doing my best would be good enough, it was all about making the finish line happen.  

2.      I prepared the right way, which meant putting in the miles with few if any, shortcuts. Additionally, I used my latest book, 365 Peak Sports Mentality Quotes, to fortify my mind, daily.

3.      I executed my lead-up to race day plan well. It involved rest, hydration, and eating, the most fun part of marathon training. Of course, that also means going to the bathroom often, a not-fun annoyance that diminishes the joy.

4.      On race day, I came to play and believed I deserved to win. The mindset one brings to the table comes from the seemingly unending weeks of physical and mental training.

5.      I stayed in the moment during the race, never lusting for the next mile marker. Of course, there are good and bad aspects to that. It can be a confidence boost to see the miles whittling away, but on the other hand, continually watching for each mile marker can make the miles seem longer the more the body wilts. With zero-mile markers lining the route of the Detroit Marathon, as most marathons have, I could take in the scenery and fans. I had a rough sense of where I was, but without having to anticipate the next marker continually, I just ran and was quite surprised, in a super-happy way, when the finish line appeared.  

6.      I gave my all. Running far is a mind-over-matter thing, and I was mindfully absorbed for the five hours out on the trails. Thinking about life — friends, family, St. Jude’s donors, past and future events — the entire way is challenging, but I was up for it.

Finally, as mentioned, not come away wondering if this should be my last run excites me for next year – an enormous win! Give me “uneventful” whenever I run far and I will be satisfied.