Eight months passed when I took a break from running. After the Summer Camp Run 50k and many marathons, I honored my body’s request for rest.

When I started back up in April to train for the virtual Boston Marathon, about 90 percent of my endurance had been lost. That meant starting from the beginning and rebuilding my endurance from the ground up. Because I’ve already done so many marathons, it didn’t take long for my body to quickly bounce back. It knew what to expect.

Still, training for my tenth marathon was quite a journey. It began just as I started my new dream job, finished moving to a new home, and established a stronger relationship with my new partner. The sudden life upgrades threw challenges, as I navigated the intricate workings of my senior-level job—on top of balancing training, rest, self-care, a writing class, and quality time with my partner.

About two-thirds through the training, I had two running assessments with MoveMend. (See Part 1 and Part 2.) Those assessments offered recommendations on adjusting my form to run better. Tanner also showed me a few hip strengthening exercises to stay strong when the going gets tough—and trust me when I say it always does during a marathon.

Ideally, I would have applied these recommendations at the beginning of training. Introducing them just weeks before the actual marathon still helped some. These exercises and adjustments can take a couple months for me to fully benefit from. But at least I have these tools to apply to the next race.

What I brought under the best conditions

For the race, I brought the usual: my hydration pack with energy gels, my wallet, and my phone. The Boston Marathon has an official race app to record the time and distance. I used it to do the virtual race, in addition to the Strava app.

The weather was perfect: 50 degrees and cloudy with just a hint of breeze. That’s the best weather to run in. The body warms up during exercise, so it doesn’t feel like 50 degrees when you get going. I could already feel that it was going to be a good day.

My virtual Boston Marathon path

Starting from Capitol Hill, I ran down the hill through the Central District. It felt like my feet had wings! I soared along the trail leading to the I-90 bridge. I ran across the bridge over Lake Washington and into Mercer Island. I continued east on the trail until I reached Bellevue. From Bellevue, I turned north, running up Downtown among the glittering buildings. I kept going strong and reached the SR 520 pedestrian bridge to get back to Seattle.

For the first 20 miles, I ran at a consistent pace. I was on track for a sub four-hour finishing time. But after the 20th mile at North Lake Union, my pace gradually slowed until my feet were shuffling. I forced myself to run faster, but my body wouldn’t keep the pace for long.

The 20th mile is usually where the challenges begin. The biggest long run before the race is 20 miles, so I’m wasn’t used to running past that distance—especially after taking eight months off. At that point, I had burned through my body’s energy reserves, including all of the Clif gels.

When this happens, it’s like tearing through another realm beyond. Pastel pink, blue, and green gradients shifted before my eyes, the heavenly hallucinations illuminating the overcast skies. The world fell away, and at the same time, I was at one with the world and the path before me, winding around the lake. Everything felt far away: pain was an abstract concept, the ground detached from my feet, and my consciousness was removed from whatever physical reality this was anymore.

The opiated dissociation during these last few miles is probably the closest feeling I can imagine what it’s like floating on a morphine cloud. It usually happens as you gather the last of your will to the finish. In an in-person race, it’s much easier because the energy of the crowds emanates the good ju-ju, or positive energy. The route is also cut out for you, which means no guesswork on where to go. But when you’re doing your own route with somewhat unfamiliar intersections, it takes a little more focus to stay on the right track. It took an even greater focus to tackle the last stretch before the finish.

Because I started from Capitol Hill, that meant that I had to end in Capitol Hill. Around Mile 25, there was a steep overpass that made me reexamine my life choices. But gosh darn it, the views were astounding: it overlooked Lake Union, the Space Needle, and the city that I get to call my home. It continued up a hill that may have been a mile long total. At that point, I had no understanding of the past or future. As far as I knew, that hill would go on forever.

By the time I reached Broadway, I ran a little further down until my Strava ticked 26.2 miles. But the Boston Marathon app only read 25.9. That’s how it is sometimes. At least I was on flat ground. I gathered what little remaining energy I had left and sprinted the last .3 miles down Pike Street.

I crossed the invisible finish line.

The sweet endorphins broke through the floodgates of my brain. I just ran my tenth marathon. And I finished at 04:54:25, my fastest virtual time yet!

Why it means a lot to me

Realizing that I’ve run ten marathons feels like a warm hug. As someone who has always struggled with depression and anxiety in an unsupportive environment growing up—all which made it harder to move forward in life—this achievement means a lot to me. When I was younger, my self-doubt and fear of failure were so severe that it felt safer to not try anything at all. You could imagine how that can impact anyone. My mental health regressed as pieces of myself disappeared. My first marathon in 2008 was a desperate attempt to build some resilience. It never occurred to me that I would one day have finished a double-digit quantity of marathons.

A journey like running a marathon coincides with the life lessons we go through. These don’t just go on a t-shirt. They’re hard-fought. The resilience snowballs in an upward spiral over the years, like unlocking new levels in a video game. Why not throw in some long-term traveling, a career change, sobriety, maybe a lovely partner to come home to?

…And before I know it, I’m here.

Treat yo’self…with Wayward Vegan

Of course, no marathon day is complete without a delicious reward. After running a distance like that, it’s so important to treat yourself. You deserve something nice. For me, that reward is the best vegan food I can find.

The Roosevelt light rail station recently opened, so I zipped to Wayward Vegan from Capitol Hill. There, the melt-in-your-mouth Biscuit Mountain was waiting for me to consume it in all of its salty glory. This dish features two fluffy herb biscuits on a bed of fresh spinach, topped with corn and vegan bacon crumbles—and smothered with decadent country gravy. A side of hash browns offers additional crispy deliciousness. This meal has the perfect salt-fat-carb-protein ratio that my tired body craved.

Taking my time

Today is the first time I hit the road since the marathon two weeks ago. I get to rest a little now. I’m sure there will be another race in the future. Maybe I’ll run the Boston Marathon in Boston one day. Maybe.