I Ran a Marathon!

Someone once told me that the human body is capable of incredible things.

On Sunday, March 24th - the day after my sister’s birthday - I checked off item #3 on my bucket list: Run a marathon. Ever since my high school track and cross country days, I knew I wanted to complete the ultimate running accomplishment in the somewhat nearish future. I didn’t know when, I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted to do it.

Fast forward to age 21, and I thought about all the times in the future that I would have the opportunity to run a marathon. Work, family, friends, more work – I realized that time was fading, and time was fading fast. In conjunction with my new mantra, I decided, “There’s no time like the present!” I signed up right away.

Training for a marathon is very very different from any other gym routine. It takes a lot of planning, and a lot of time - but, like I said, there’s no time like the present! One concussion and two strained tendons later, and the longest that I had ran was 18 miles. Going into the marathon, I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to finish.

Miles 1-5 I felt AMAZING. It was like I was running on air. I was running with everyone running the marathon, half marathon, 5k, and 10k, and all I kept telling myself was that I could do this. We’re all here, together, accomplishing an incredible feat - no matter what race we were running. It excited me, and it still does.

I’ve been joking about it with my friends, but I kind you not - miles 6-18 were a blur. They all blended together, except for when the half marathoners went to the finish, and I kept running. Other than that, they felt the same. I was vibing to the music, I kept my pace at about 9 minutes per mile, and I felt good. I stopped for water, saw the beauty that is Ann Arbor, and I kept going.

Once I got to mile 18, I remember thinking to myself. Wow, 8 more miles - I can do this. Think of all the times that you’ve ran 8 miles, Casey - you’ve got this! I was so proud of myself for getting to this point, and I was so ready to reach that goal … until I got to mile 22.

At mile 22, I hit a wall like never before. Like, I know I’m not a professional athlete, but I’ve been through a lot physically, and I’ve never felt this way before. I knew that running a marathon was a mental game, but this was something else. This was absolute agony. I remember thinking to myself, how the hell am I going to finish? Why did I do this? Let me just walk for a second…

But every negative thought was replaced by another step. Another minute, another mile. If there’s something that I’m used to, it’s fighting. I’ve fought for so many things in my life, and this was just one more thing.

Sparing the unnecessary details of an agonizing mile 24 uphill, as I crossed the finish line, I’ve never felt so cathartic. I had just done something I never thought I'd ever do, and I did it well. After hugging my mom, my best friend Phil, who also ran the marathon, and my ten friends who came to support me, I broke down. A few unnecessary tears later, and I was super proud of myself - something I haven’t felt in so long.

Someone once told me that the human body is capable of incredible things, and I forever believe that to be true. Some may say I should stop testing that theory, and after this one, I might agree with them. Kidding, but not really.

My mom and friends keep asking me why I did it, and I keep joking with them and saying, “Well now I get to say I ran a marathon!” And that’s partially true, but I also was able to prove something to myself. That through all of the shit my body has been through, it’s still capable of doing something incredible.

I encourage you to think about what your version of a marathon could be. Have you been wanting to hit the gym 3-4 times per week? Are you still contemplating signing up for that 5k or want to start walking every day? Maybe you want to run a triathlon, do an Ironman, or climb Pike’s Peak (my dad did this, so cool). Maybe it’s not even physical – do you want to write a book or maybe start a blog? Whatever it might be, we all deserve to feel strong in our bodies. That strength can be physical, but it can also be so much more.

There’s no time like the present, so let’s see what’s next.