Brad's Marathon

Post race rub down.

Marcy and me after the race.

Almost there. 26.1 miles

Trying to stand up afterwards.

Well the big day has come and gone. Believe it or not...I ran 26.2 miles to complete my first marathon. It was a little more painful than I expected. It started great. I was nice and relaxed and in the groove up until mile #16. That's when my right knee started to bother me. I have never had a problem with my knee so this was very unexpected. Over the next several miles it got progressively worse and caused me to slow down. Eventually I had to stop and walk for a while at mile #23 because it hurt so much. At mile #24 I met Marcy.

Marcy is from Oceanside and had a baby six months ago. As she came up from behind me she slapped me in the rear and started motivating me to finish strong and not walk. Needless to stay, if hadn't been for her I probably would of walked the last two miles. As I approached the finish line I saw Mac, Tommie and Cole cheering for me. They yelled and screamed for me as I turned the corner for the last 50 yards to the finish line. Kris and Jessie were there on that final stretch yelling and screaming as well. Jessie hoped over the railing and ran the last 30 yards with me across the finish line. I was exhausted and in pain. My legs immediately started cramping and even though I tried to get a rub down it didn't work very well. I had many leg cramps through out the rest of the day.

Over the next couple of days I had to learn how to walk again. It's so ironic. I ran 26 miles on Sunday but on Monday I couldn't walk 26 feet. Overall the experience was incredible. My knee seems to be OK and is not bothering me anymore. As I start to feel better I will reevaluate my training and prepare for the next one. Yes, that's right...you can say it...who in their right mind would do it again. But, I think I will.