ACE Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Institute
21st annual Potomac River Run Marathon & Half

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_and_Ohio_Canal
• www.bikewashington.org/canal
• www.onthecanal.org
• www.nps.gov/choh
• www.bikecando.com
• www.patc.us/store/XX250.htm

This was my first marathon. Before this, the longest I had ever ran at once was 6 miles. My first impressions: A marathon is grueling, hellish, torturous, absurd, insane... and I'm glad I did it! On the last leg (last 7 miles) I was walking with care to avoid impact sending waves of pain from my feet to my head. The very same care I had taken for the previous 5 miles before a woman started passing me with a pace not much greater than a walk. I thought to myself... maybe I can keep that pace! So I started moving at a pace not much greater than a walk beside this woman as she asked, "do you want any nutter butters?"
Shocked, stalled, stunned - I chuckled to myself as she had a back-pack on with beanie babies and a full pink get-up.
Doesn't this hurt and slow you down, I thought to myself?
I replied, "no thanks, haha, I can't believe you're able to do this with a backpack on, I can't even run this with a shirt on!"
I told her, "a mile back I was repeating to myself, 'If you can move, you can finish! If you can move, you can finish' until I saw you pass me and you inspired me to pick up the pace."
We started introducing ourselves and talking about work, life, etc. as I thought to myself, "if I can keep my mind off the pain shooting down my neck, lower back, abs, chest, quads, abductors, knees, calves, feet, and toes, maybe I can finish!"
I was awe-struck as Tammy was able to keep a consistent tone and conversational tempo on the last 7 miles of a marathon before she casually elaborated about a marathon she ran THE DAY PRIOR.
We were at the 24.5 mile mark when I had to interrupt her, "I think I need to walk again." I'm not sure what I wanted from that sentence. I sort of wanted her to say, we could do that, or we could keep running with an emphasis on keep running. She replied, "if you think you should walk, you should walk, but if you think you can keep running, we're a couple miles out and you could get sub 6 hours if you keep this pace." It was precisely what I needed to hear. I say, "please don't walk just to keep with me, but I think I'm gonna walk a little." I said that as I didn't want to hold her back, but in the back of my mind, I wanted desperately for her to keep coaching me. The pain was agonizing at the 16 mile mark... this was torture, but listening to the life stories of a marathon veteran kept me moving faster than I thought possible.
Tammy asked a half mile later, "do you think you can run now?" and I replied, "I thought I was going to be walking the entire last 7 miles, so this is already more than I thought I'd be doing, but... if you run... I'll run!" Tammy picked our pace up and kept the conversation up to match! A few minutes and a few more stories passed before I interrupted again and asked, "how long do you think we have left?" She replied, "maybe 400 meters."
I thought to myself, "...I don't know what 400 meters is..." and told her, "sorry to cut you off! I think I'm gonna try running the rest!" She replied, "Do it! Go Alex, go!"
I entered a full-stride stance and for whatever reason starting yelling at myself, "come on!" "come on!" "hup! hup! hup!" I was 100 feet from the finish line when it felt as though my ribs were collapsing in on themselves. I had to stop and I started walking. A few seconds later, I hear Tammy saying from maybe 200 ft back, "Go Alex! Go!" and I ran across the finish line! Tammy approached the finish line with another person she started talking with between me finishing and her finishing. (What an inviting personality!) She told me, "you set the bar high for your first marathon! Sub 6 hours is great for your first time out!"
I told her, "I couldn't have done it without you! You're incredible, thank you so much for coaching me. I can't describe how much you helped me!"
If it weren't for Tammy I would have ended 40 minutes later than I had. Tammy is an amazing woman who helped in precisely the ways I needed help. There's a quote I heard many years ago and tell myself often, "alone you'll go fast, together you'll go far." It was a couple miles before the last leg when I told myself this and thought - I need to make a friend. If I'm gonna make it out of here - I'm going to need a friend. Tammy was that person. In those moments of true torture, Tammy was there to keep my spirits up. Tammy was my friend that carried me out of hell with a smile on her face. Thank you Tammy. I don't want to draw this out, but to make a generalization - when we suffer - the connections we make are very strong. I write this last paragraph holding back a tear because the emotion attached to this woman's rallying cry to push me forward. The mentors and teachers that help us on our path have lasting impressions.
This human condition may be damning at times, but it is with friends, mentors, students, and in general, relationships that we may pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and continue down a rewarding albeit torturous path.
P.S. whoever reviews these, I can only hope you know who this Tammy person is and may pass this along to her. I will never forget my first marathon.