I’ll get into it more in my post-race post, but if you had asked me on Friday if my brother was going to run, I would have bet money that he wouldn’t. It was pretty cold the first couple miles, but we were talking and those miles went by pretty quickly.
I made sure to ask Matt how he was feeling over and over (I’m sure it got super annoying!) and from the very beginning, his knee ached, but he said it was manageable. I think it’s an IT band problem; after the race, the outside of his knee was too tender to even touch.
Just like he had wanted, we ran the first 5 miles at 9 min pace and then picked it up a little running slightly under 9’s.
At mile 6 Matt took his first gel. We had talked about him taking gels starting at mile 6 every 4 miles, and until the very end, he did a great job taking them. We also grabbed water or Gatorade at every station. Around mile 7 we saw our family which was fun: my mom cheers SUPER loudly and Marlie gave me some Swedish Fish to eat.
I don’t know any specific time splits, but we kept doing 8:50’s and talking the miles away. Soon we hit 10 and Matt took another gel. The course was pretty much flat and by this time it’d warmed up; it was a great day to run. At the end it was a little too warm but beats rain any day.
We hit the half and full split which I made a big deal out of: “Today you are going to be a FULL marathoner, Matt!”
This whole time Matt is feeling good besides his knee that’s a dull pain, and we continue talking and see my parents again on the course – it was like a perfect scenario of what I’d want the race with my brother to be. Matt took another gel at mile 15; he liked the fruity flavors more than the chocolate/coffee ones which is opposite of me and his favorite is strawberry banana which I think is more foul than our hotel last night.
So everything is going swimmingly; we see the family again around mile 18; I grab more Swedish Fish from my mom (I didn’t take any gels this race and just ate the fish which worked great and was super tasty).
Matt had only trained to 19 miles once so I made it a big deal when he hit 19. A new PDR! At this point he might have been slowing down a little but was still holding in there; this picture was on the bridge at 19:
And then we hit 20. And the wheels fell off.
Matt hit a wall and hit it hard. Our pace slowed down dramatically and everything on his body from his waist down hurt. His stride shortened and he began to shuffle more because his hips and knees hurt so bad.
If you’ve ever ran a marathon, you probably have a good idea of what that pain and mental hopelessness feels like. I’ve been there in a few races and it just sucks. It’s what makes a marathon so hard and what makes it so awesome to finish. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
Miles 20-22 were close to 11 minute miles; Matt was in so much pain and at one point he even told me to stop talking to him.
It was really hard for me to see him like that because I couldn’t do anything for him. I wanted to give him some of my energy, but it’s like you’re helpless and it’s so tough to watch him struggle.
So miles 20-26 were just miserable; that’s the best way to put it. I tried to get Matt to get another gel down, but he thought he’d throw up. I think he ended up taking one more but I can’t remember for sure.
I knew Matt had really wanted to finish under 4 hours but by that time, he had given up all time goals – he just wanted to be done, he said.
I actually encouraged him to walk or take a stretch break (I honestly thought that we’d have to walk the last 3 miles, that’s how bad it was!) but he would not walk. He was going to run it and run it all. The kid is stubborn if nothing else.
I think 20-23 were the longest miles of my life, but somehow like in every race, you get through them. He was so far down in the dumps and in pain I knew he wanted to quit, but I also knew he never would. Matt would crawl to the finish if he had to.
At mile 24 I was watching my clock and figured if we picked it up, we could finish under 4 hours. So I started the tough love act and got on him to move it and push harder.
And he did! 11 minute miles turn into 9:45’s. I could tell he was dying, but he kept pushing to the end. At mile 25.5 I was telling him to turn it on and lay it down, but he started getting really dizzy. Great job being a running coach, SR.
I told him to sprint hard and he replied, “I am!”
We reached Hayward Field and laid it down on the track to the finish. Matt crossed the finish line right in front of me in 3:57:58, 1087th place for Matt and 1088th for me.
I’ll get into it in my next post, the post-race thoughts, but let me again say: I AM SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF MATTI!
He trained for 7 (out of 10) weeks, dealt with a few minor injuries, still smokes, and met his goal of running a sub 4 hour marathon.
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{ 107 comments… read them below or add one }
As much as I ADORE you and your blog, I have to be honest. I think parts of this were foolish (on everyones part). Scratch that, I think it was completely foolish.
I am just glad he’s ok after crossing the finish line.
awh come on, we’re fishermen. we can handle a little 26.2.
I agree…I think SR and her brother would know what foolish is, and I don’t see any of it here. Just pure grit and determination. There have been many who have gutted it out with even less training and obstacles. Congrats on a great race that truly is a testament to the determination required in a marathon.
:O)
oh and the
) was to SR’s response. keep on truckin’ SR. “O)
i’d have to disagree on that one. I actually tore my calf at mile 11 of Boston this year and although I ended up at almost every med stop, there was no way in hell I wasn’t finishing. I added about an hour and a half to my marathon time and ended up on crutches for 2 weeks but I wouldn’t trade that finish for anything! marathoners are stubborn, and maybe a bit foolish. that’s why we do what we do!
Wouldn’t a congratulations have been a little more appropriate?
Anyways, congrats to you both! What an amazing accomplishment. My brother is just getting into running too and I would love to cross a finish line with him one day!
I’m with JunieB on this one. And I mean that in a respectful, regular reader sort of way. I was also one of the few that voted “no” for the 10-week 0 to 26.2 SR training program, but I’m glad Matt is not dead
Still, congrats to you both.
Wow!!! Congrats to Matt on becoming a marathoner! Rockstars run in the family, that’s fo sho!
I love this post! You are an amazing runner, like super-human, and hearing about Matt’s struggles reminds me that you aren’t super human, just really dedicated and awesome. It’s so great that your brother was able to commit to this and train in less than 10 weeks and finish in a great time. I remember all too well what Matt felt when I ran Philly and it took me over an hour longer to finish (would have loved to have someone like you pushing me through those last miles). Thanks to Matt for sharing his journey with us!
Honestly, this post brought me to tears! I can see why this was the best marathon of your life! What an amazing accomplishment for Matti and so awesome that you were able to be there to push him to the end! Super cool!
Great job Matt!!! You should be proud!
Way to go Matt!!! Sounds like he really pushed himself (especially refusing to walk, awesome!!).
Wow! Amazing job getting a sub-4 when those last miles were so brutal! Congrats to Matt!
“If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Yep..you are right same for the half I think.
Look I don’t you guys..and this made me cry.
Congrats to Matt! Congrats to you for being a wonderful sister. REALLY.
Yesterday I ran my 2nd half. it was not easy. I wish I had someone like you to push me a bit.
Amazing family day for you guys!
Matt: stop smoking man!
Congrats, Matt! You rock as a sister for running the race with him. I can’t imagine a better way to run your first full marathon than with a sibling!!
You two are amazing!!!
Congrats to SR brother Matt in his first marathon and I love how you stuck with him the whole time even when he hit the wall. I think that is so great.
Great job, Matt! I could only dream of running a sub 4 for my very first marathon!
That must feel like such an accomplishment for the both of you!
I loved this post! This is so great what you did for your brother. I will be running with my sister soon in June for her first and I just hope I can be as strong as you were for your brother. So awesome and inspiring! Thanks!
So happy for you to have that moment with your bro. To tell you the truth, I got teary reading this post! It made me think of my half marathon races and those feelings you get and that sprint to the end when you can’t feel anything and you’re invincible! It’s the best. Once he heals, he’ll probably run another one
Congrats Matt!!! Incredible. gosh, i know that feeling when you feel like you are sprinting at 10 1/2 min/miles. sucks! Congrats to his coach as well!!
I seriously need to hire you to run with me for my first marathon in October. Matt kicked butt for his first marathon. I don’t think I could’ve dug that deep with all that pain he felt. I hope he does change his mind about running more races. It is after all so addictive!
I’m sitting here bawling like a baby. What an awesome thing to be able to run with your brother. And what a wonderful recap! I too was my brother’s cheerleader this weekend… only it was sitting by his beside while he was in the ICU fighting cancer and pneumonia. 3 years ago he started training for the IronMan. Weeks later he was diagnosed with cancer. Last summer, after I ran Hood To Coast, he convinced me to run it again – with him. It’s not going to happen. But, reading your post was so special to me. Love that you and your brother are close. Love that you cherish him. Love that you were his cheerleader and ran beside him. Thank you for sharing it!
Congrats to your brother! Way to hang in there
This is really great, I’m proud of him and it sounds like it was a challenge for you too. Hooray for both of you!
Congrats to Matt! Way to finish what you started
fabulous! foolish or not, i would bet MANY people run AND finish marathons without proper training. in fact, my bro-in-law and i trained for and ran our first marathon together but he bailed on training after the first 15 mile long run and didn’t run for 4 weeks before the race. he was dying come the 18th mile BUT, he finished. not nearly as fast as matt though. good job dude! i wasn’t a nice sister like you, i left him around mile 16 and did my thing. i trained and wasn’t about to slow down because he didn’t. big difference here is i don’t run weekly marathons like SR!
matt, a huge accomplishment. something to be proud of and, an amazing time.
p.s. cigarettes will kill you.
Bless you and Matti both in the best possible way. It’s awesome that he trusts your guidance and advice, that you are so supportive to him, and that you accomplished this goal together. Having lost my own brother, it’s bittersweet when I see other siblings really enjoying and appreciating life experiences together. Reading your story, the sweet way outweighed the bitter.
Congrats to Matt for finishing in his goal time!
Wow, congrats Matt!! And SR – what a great experience to run with your brother. You seriously have such a great family.
CONGRATS MATT!!! What a HUGE accomplishment! While I wish you weren’t in so much pain for some of it, I think it only enhances how proud you should feel that you didn’t give up and you finished something a lot of people can’t do! Great post SR!
Ahhhh…Sarah I really felt you heart in this post!! I can tell how proud you are of your “firecobra!!” So, So AWESOME!!
We never forget our first marathon and I just think it’s soo awesome that you got to enjoy it with him!! YAY 2 swedish fish!! Better than the gels for sure!!
So, great that your parents came out!!
“Way 2 Go Matt for staying in the race and finishing strong!!” Enjoy your day of rest and hang your medal with great pride!!
Congratulations Matt! You both did a fabulous job!!!!!!!!!
Wow that’s great!! You’re such a good sister for helping him accomplish this and really pushing him. It reminds me of how much my boy-friend pushes me when I’m in pain. I remember when we did the avon walk for breast cancer and had to walk 26 miles my hip started popping out of place the last like 10miles. I wouldn’t stop though. We went from like top 700 and fell to 1,000 but we still accomplished the walk and every single mile and that’s what matters. MY mom kept telling me to skip a mile and just take the shuttle and I was so stubborn as well. If I were going to do a marathon dang sure I’m going to take every step.
Congrats!! You are soooo right, it’s the last 10k that makes it or breaks it. It is NOT easy and it is so awesome that you stuck with him and got him through.
You know he wants to punch running in the face right?!
Congrats again! AWESOME!
My first full marathon was this year in Austin, and I hit a wall around mile 16. I know exactly how it feels to disregard time goals and just want to finish…I didn’t want anyone to talk to me either, haha. It gets easier with #2, right?
Congrats to Matt! That’s a huge accomplishment!!!
WOW!!! Way to go Matt! I had IT band issues and it is horrible. Way to push through the pain MAtt!!
YAY MATMAN!!!!! Running is in the SR Family Blood, I bet you will do another one eventually
This post made me teary – both because he pushed through the pain & made his personal goal, & because it was so evident that it was hard for you to watch him struggle.
Congratulations to both of you!
Very sweet post – I can only imagine how difficult it was to see your brother hurting like that.
♥
Congrats Matt! I was out there watching all the marathoners come through after I finished my Half, but I didn’t see you guys come through.
Was that not a nice day for a race??!! Beautiful weather.
Congrats to Matt! (and you too, SR!) I am struggling with some IT band pain too – so I can imagine he must have really been hurting! I’m worried about the half marathon I have at the end of the month, I can’t fathom a full with that pain. Wowza. It’s pretty awesome that he could just keep going and reach his goal.
Obviously, nothing much to be proud of. He is not the first or last one to run a marathon under-prepared,it is doable, we all know that, but is has negative short and long term side effects. Unless he (and you) learn a really good lesson from this, it is just plain stupid. Sorry.
I have to agree with JunieB… While I love your blog, I thought from the get-go that it was a terrible idea for someone to go from zero running to a marathon in 10 weeks. You’re obviously a super human freak (meant as a total compliment)with a crazy training schedule, but for the majority, this will end in injury.
What a special race! You’re an awesome big sister
SR I felt Matt’s pain the whole time I was reading this post. I ran a 10 miler race as a training run for my half I was suppose to run this weekend. Well at mile 6 my IT Band went, the same EXACT pain that Matt was feeling I’m sure. And I did the same thing as him, pushed myself to finish (not 26.2, only 10)but IT HURT. 4 weeks later I am almost ready to run again. Messed myself up BIG time. I just hope and pray that he didn’t do the same. Being stubborn can be your worst enemy sometimes. Great job Matt!!
Awesome job Matt! I am envious of you as I would have forsure thrown in the towel, you are a true inspiration to everyone about what fighting the mental block can turn out to be!! And great job onthe coaching you guys made it in goal time!!!!!
I had a really girly emotional reaction to this post :’-) I guess I feel your pride. The boy did damn good!
Congrats Matt (& SK)! I’ve found sometimes you need a little push even when things seem physically impossible.
Thanks for sharing your journey Matt!
‘thought i would say, “KUDOS, Matt!” SR, you are such an awesome sister for giving your bro all the support he needs while running.
happy monday!
cheers,
mary
reading this post was like watching a suspenseful movie! i was hanging on to every word and wanting to know the results! y’all did awesome!!!!!!!!
Good job MATT!!! And what a powerful motivator Big Sis is
Teary eyed here! Great job Coach SR!
You can tell this is totally from the heart, I love it! Congratulations to Matt, what an accomplishment!!
As for the nay-sayers, Matt could have bowed out at any point in the race – and I’m sure had he been running alone he would have kept on until the finish. Not like you were forcing him to do anything he didn’t want to!
Congrats to both of you! Matt, you are awesome for doing it, not giving up when it got hard, never stopping(not that stopping is bad) and pushing on to meet your goal. I hope you this isnt your last race!
Will we have a recap from Matt or not ready to talk about it yet ha?!
Very proud moment for both! Congrats again
wow! go matt! way to push through. those last miles are so mentally tough!
Congrats! It is sooooooo awesome that you completed this race with your brother!! Makes me think about how close I am with my sisters and how thankful I am to have them!
Congratulations to you BOTH! What an awesome race. Way to hang tough, Matt. I dare say you’ve got the heart of a runner.
Congrats to you both, and seriously awesome job Matt! Good for him to be able to push through the pain and make his goal! You guys are amazing.
Amazing. Congrats to you both! I got a swell of emotion reading this post. Your love for your lil bro is one of the reasons your blog rocks. If I ever saw my lil brother in so much pain, I don’t know how I’d handle it. It’d be hard. Such is life! Congrats again!
this sounds crazy, but I teared up a little bit reading this. what a cool experience to share with your bro!!!
The race looks beautiful (and so do you in the pics!).
SkinnyRunnerBro=Marathoner!
Yikes. I don’t know what to say…I’m really very happy and proud for your brother. But I like to think running is mostly fun and endorphins, with a small amount of pain. The picture this post painted was of pure pain and misery, and made me feel sad/scared/concerned. I never would run — especially a marathon — if it was that kind of torture.
How does he feel today? Hope Matt’s OK. He is a savage. For everyone else in the world besides Matt, starting from zero with a half-marathon is probably the thing to do…
I was so impressed by Matt’s determination. I know he must have been drowning in pain, but he finished what he started and I’m so impressed! Congrats! You’re a great coach!
A big, fat congrats to Matt! I completed my first 1/2 marathon over the weekend with IT band issues so I can relate. The race itself was fun but I found myself disappointed at the end because the pain had completely killed my spirit. Was Matt as proud of himself as you were of him?
Congrats Matt and SR! My brother smokes also (no running) and I would LOVE for him to RUN just so he can remember how precious his lungs are. Tell Matt we’d love a race recap of what he thought about training, the marathon, etc!
Side note: with that beard thing, he’s starting to look like Caleb from Kings of Leon.
That’s not a bad thing!
Geez this post made me all weepy! What an accomplishment!
Congrats to you both! Your brother is a badass, just like you. Sometimes I feel like watching/helping a friend accomplish their goal is almost better than accomplishing your own.
Dang, way to go Matt!!! You SR family members must have super-genes or something! Not much training and still did awesome! Congrats
yah – they’re aliens really.
That’s what I’m sayin’. Holy cow!
way to push through that knee pain matt! i finished my last marathon with mega knee pain so i empathize hardcore. wooooooooooooot! well not to the knee pain but being mentally tough.
This totally made me tear up! Congratulations to Matt!! That is so awesome!! And I love that you finished together! Great post
umm yah…this is totally making me fearful of 26.2. i’m pretty sure i’d have matt’s experience…in a 13.1. seeing as how i’m in crazy pain after 7 miles i think i woulda hit a wall at mile 7.5.
glad he raced, glad he finished, and mad props to us 11 minute milers out there!! what? nobody else that slow…on a good day? just me? aww.
i think you should buy him a nice man dinner tonight!
I will give you props for 11 min miles. Me too sometimes. I say an 11 min mile is better than sitting on the couch eating chips right?
Congrats to your brother!! Been at the wall and it sucks so bad!
That’s amazing! Congrats to both of you and congrats to your brother for completing his first marathon in under 4 hours! Wow!
WOW! Congrats to Matt! That is sooo awesome! He is a stud! And good job coaching SR!
I hope he is ok post marathon.
CONGRATS TO MATT! Way to be mentally tough. You are such an awesome sis SR to help him when he needed you most.
That is a testament to his determination if he only trained 7 weeks for a marathon?!?!
Congrats Matti!!!
Congrats to Matt! And to you for sticking with him the whole time!
I hit a wall around mile 19 and ended up having to walk/run until the end. I don’t know how Matt kept running!
Matt is a rockstar! Beat my first marathon time and had wayyy less time to train – he should be so proud!
If he has knee problems, please don’t push him. You only get one set of knees.
Had tears in my eyes reading this. So awesome, love that you stayed with him and helped him accomplish this!!
Congrats to both of you!!!
And see! It doesn’t always rain in Oregon!!!
I have to agree with a few of the other comments here by saying that he could have seriously injured himself, and it’s lucky that he didn’t, given that I assume he is supposed to be on the boat working very soon.
I admire his strength and determination, but I don’t think that this would be something to recommend to others. While your family seems to be built for athletics, if someone who was more susceptible to injury tried this, it could seriously mess them up.
That said, congrats to him and to you for running your first marathon together!!
This was an excellent recap. What an amazing story – you’re obviously so proud of your brother! I think every marathoner can relate to his struggles near the end there, but he pulled through and met his goal – awesome job!
congrats to Matti and SR for being a great coach!
Oh my gravy! Great job Matt! Seriously I think if my brother and I ran together it would be the coolest thing in the world! Even if I am hard on the punk I do love him….now if only he’d come up here to run (in Michigan) as opposed to me coming down there to Florida..cause chiclet doesn’t do hot weather!
Congrats to Matt! I teared up reading this as well. You got what you needed out of this, a full serving of humble pie which you finished off like a champ! What a fantastic memory to share with each other.
Wow, congrats to your brother for keeping it together and running such a good time and to you for being such a good ass-kicking pacer. That course looks pretty nice.
CONGRATS MATTI! I had a bad marathon yesterday and my experience sounds similar at times to his. Even though he felt yucky, he broke 4 hours and kicked butt! How special to be able to do that as a family.
I don’t understand some of the negativity in response to this post…it seems to me that it’s an amazing achievement for Matt in a great time and although there was a lot of pain involved, I’m sure he’ll look back on it and be totally proud of himself, just as he should. Whose first marathon wasn’t full of pain, doubt and fear at some points? I wanted to cry like the baby I am during a mile-long hill at mile 7 in mine.
Now if you could just yell at him a bit more about quitting smoking…
Wow, well i’m sorry that he suffered for a good chunk of it but congrats to him for finishing!
i want to commend you miss sarah on running with your brother the whole way through. i know it had to be a bit difficult to slow your personal pace in order to mimic his.
proud of little brother too for sticking it through. he now has a great story to tell and has completed a whole marathon!
congrats!
Congrats to Matt! Fantastic job! He should be proud he pushed through!!
Great Job Matt! I think that is awesome he nailed sub 4 and makes me want to push harder on May 15th! I am slowly working my way to a sub 4 and this is prove that you can do anything you put your mind to. I hope my heart kicks in for that last 10K and I don’t drift into that sub 10:00 min pace : (
After running a marathon do you experience soreness or exhaustion? With you being a seasoned marathoner maybe that goes away? Do tell?
Congrat Matman!! My first marathon I had really bad IT band issues that forced me to shuffle my way to the finish line so I know just how it feel. You are awesome for running in under 4 hours!!
And SR you are one awesome sister for sticking with him the entire way and encouraging him. You must be proud too
congrats MATTI! I’ve fallen off the running wagon and hit jillian michaels workouts hardcore, so I’ve been a little behind in my reading. its just so darn depressing running in the rain for 10 straight freaking months. Anyways, I love eugene. loved all your pictures, and must also say GO DUCKS!
omg. reading this post was painful for me and I didn’t even run it!! So proud of your brother!! I can’t even imagine the feeling of just wanting to STOP when you know you’ll regret it!
thanks so much for sharing this story! I always think that to run a race everything needs to be perfect: my training, my health, the weather, outfit, shoes… But this made me realize that each race doesn’t have to be fast, pretty or pain free; if you love running or just want to push yourself than go for it even if that means crawling past the finish line!
Wow!!! Amazing Matt!!! The last 6 sucks, but kept moving… just amazing. Congratulations!
And way to stick it out for the bro, SR!
I ran Eugene too!! It was soo beautiful! those hills in the beginning were a little rough for me though haha congrats!!!
So proud of Matt kicking it under 4 hours! I really loved this post because it was so real. I can remember those emotions through my first marathon so I can really feel for the emotions Matt was going through. Way to be so supportive and encourage him to the finish! I hope he wants to run another one someday. I would love to hear how he is doing and how his recovery has gone???
I hope you convince him to do another one! Sub 4 is my goal and I hope to crush it in a few days.
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