In 2010 I became a marathon runner.

I ran my first full marathon, the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee and I did much better than I ever anticipated.
After that I was hooked and I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2011,and Richmond in 2012.
I have averaged one full marathon a year and always in the fall.
This year I’ll be running three.
Pittsburgh in May.
Marine Corps in October.
Richmond again in November.

I never thought I’d run a race more than once,
especially not a marathon but I LOVED Richmond’s race so much I drank the juice and signed up again last week.
I have to be honest, I almost second guessed doing it.
Why?
Do you remember the craziness that happened with the NYC marathon last year?
Well, Richmond got a HUGE increase in runners entering the race last minute due to the NYC marathon being cancelled.
It literally felt like this:
incoming marathonsTo my surprise (and happiness however)
Richmond did a PHENOMENAL job taking all of us in and making sure we were all well taken care of.

I wrote a recap on the race the week after I ran it and I stumbled upon it this weekend.
Many of you asked for more information from my past races so here you go,
this is my Richmond Marathon 2012 recap.

“Richmond is by far my favorite of the three marathons I have done thus far. I had a level head, I was calm, and I had an amazing conversation with God prior to hitting the pavement. That may sound crazy to a lot of you but I swear He is what pulled me through the last four miles of the race yesterday morning. I was in good spirits from the moment I crossed the starting line and maintained good spirits along the way. The course was lined beautifully with autumn colored leaves and fans cheering louder than the NFL football cheerleaders. People were holding signs, ringing cow bells, blowing whistles, and many for people they didn’t even know.

“Worst Parade Ever”

“Your feet hurt so badly because you’re kicking so much butt.”

Are some of the traditional signs you see along a marathon course but there were some new and comical ones along this course as well.

“Crapping Your Pants IS An Option”

“Beat Paul Ryan ‘unofficial time 2 hrs 30 something minutes, official time 4 hrs 1 minute’ “

That last one made me smile and laugh out loud a little.

Around mile 5 we ran across a long bridge that overlooked water and the tall trees on both sides of us. I have a sincere appreciation and love for bridges. It may sound a little strange but I find them fascinating and inspiring. Shortly after that, around mile 6 we started running along the James River. Breathtaking is the only way to describe it. The strange part about it though was I couldn’t see anyone else in front of me taking in the 2 mile view of the river and remarkable painting like scenery we had on our left.

The rest of the course was no different, we ran through neighborhoods, cute towns with colorful shops, and back into the city.

I cannot get over the way I felt during that run.

Don’t get me wrong, I had my fair share of aches and pains but when I turned the corner to start my descend into my finish I quietly said to myself repeatedly, like a broken record “The Lord Is My Strength” and I crossed that finish line with nothing left to give.

I left my heart in that race for a mere second before God brought it back to remind me how remarkable our bodies truly are.

To see the original post: http://olivetorun.com/2013/04/01/why-i-will-run-richmond-x2/