The Famous Run

In 1991 my dad ran the New York Marathon. For as long as I can remember, he has told me the story of him finding out he got in the race, six weeks out. Only having six weeks to train for a marathon is tough and almost unheard of. He spent those six weeks training in some very hilly conditions, on purpose. Since I have always wanted to run a marathon, I have always been curious about his training route. I was curious because of how intimidating it sounded. So, in mid-September, I called home and asked if there was any way I could come home for a weekend to do the run I had heard of my whole life. I thought it was a good idea because not only would I get exposure to cooler weather and steep hills but get to share a memory with my dad that he remembers so clearly from 1991.

 Three weeks later, I was on my way home to run. The day I got home I did an 8-mile run in preparation for the much longer run I would be doing on Sunday. I woke up at 7 am that morning to take the drive up to his running trail. The plan was for him to ride alongside me to make sure I was running a good pace and be there for me when I needed to fuel up. I started the run and within a mile I was hit with a hill much bigger than any “big” hill in Tampa. Immediately, I got nervous because I was told the elevation gain didn’t really start to occur until a few miles later. I ended up getting to the hard stretch and didn’t feel as out of shape for hills, like I thought I would. The hills were just constant and long. I was going a really slow pace, but I did it without stopping. Once I finished up the most difficult part of the route, I felt really content and happy that I made it through a course much harder than the actual marathon. The part that made me the happiest was seeing my dad so excited. He was so happy to be biking through the paths he had gone through years ago and be reminiscing on amazing memories. I am so happy I went home that weekend because I not only got exposure to different running conditions but got to also create a great memory with my Dad.