Ron Swanson – Marathon…The Experience of a Lifetime

October 31, 2011 By: Ron "Commish" Swanson

Ron "Commish" Swanson

My daughter, known in my ramblings as “Gwaltney”, and one of her friends joined Brick Bodies about 18 months ago. This year they took part in the Baltimore Marathon and I, being a proud and very impressed Dad, asked her to write about her experience.

“You’re too slow to run a marathon!”

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to run a marathon. In fact any thoughts of a marathon never even crossed my mind. Before I tell you about my experience you need to know how I got to this point.

Growing up I was always competitive (in all aspects of my life) but never considered myself a runner. To be completely honest, I hated running! During my high school career I would volunteer to carry down the equipment, I would need to use the restroom, etc. I tried every trick in the book to skip running.

Last year Brick Bodies partnered with several other local vendors and helped change my life. I am the girl formerly known as “Gwaltney” and was a participant in the 3^rd Extreme Brickover Challenge. After the contest was over and the camera was turned off I had a decision to make—would I maintain a healthy lifestyle or let myself slide back into laziness? For me this was a no brainer, I chose to stay healthy!

Running continued to be part of my healthy routine, but I never ran over 5 to 7 miles at a time. I was beginning to get bored and could feel myself slipping back into a life of excuses. At this point I signed up myself and my unsuspecting husband (TBND, “That Boy Next Door”) for the Baltimore Marathon.

We tried to coordinate our schedules to run together, but we spent most of the time training by ourselves. I stuck to a strict training regimen and TBND ran whenever he could. On race day I was extremely anxious and could barely control my nerves. My longest run prior was an 18 mile training run that took me 4:30 to complete (this included sightseeing and bathroom breaks). A marathon is 26.2 miles. I was worried that I would be the last runner on the course and the “slow bus” would scoop me up and I wouldn’t be able to finish the race.

The race turned out differently then expected. M nerves settled down around mile 3 (I was running through the Zoo) and I began looking around and talking to my fellow runners. I was able to forget about the mechanics of running and actually enjoyed the experience. We finished the race at around 5:30 (I have yet to receive my verified official time) and felt amazing. All of the pain, early morning runs, and pounds of pasta paid off!! I cannot wait to sign up and train for my next endurance event.

If I can give one piece of advice and I’m sure TBND would agree, you must train! Because of our different training regimens I ended up crossing the finish line pain free (minus the blisters, and muscle fatigue– the Tylenol took care of this) but TBND did not fare as well. Around mile 16 he pulled his left thigh muscle and then at mile 21 he pulled his right thigh. Prior to the race we agreed to cross the finish line together. Just like anything this had its ups and downs, but we were each others biggest supporters and helped push the other along. Crossing the finish line together is a memory I will never forget, plus I have an 8 x 10 glossy to prove it.