top of page
Search

First Marathon Story: A Bad Race Doesn't Erase the Training: Unfinished Business w/ Steve Carrier

Writer: Taylor Sayles
Taylor Sayles
Sep 29
3 min read
Split-screen video call of a smiling woman and a man in glasses and a cap, with Steve Carrier in large white text over a warm room backdrop

Falling in Love with Running

Although Steve says he has never been "naturally good" at sports, he has always loved playing sports and working out. From track in high school to lifting throughout his young adult years into his 50s, Steve loved movement. But when COVID hit, the gyms closed, and he had to reevaluate. He started hiking, kayaking, and eventually agreed to do a 5K with his wife. While they never ended up running the race, Steve had decided to start running and fell in love with it.


He stumbled upon a Facebook running group about five months after he started running for Sunday long runs. The community and encouragement he received helped keep him going, all the while hearing about marathons and ultramarathons. One day, he did eight miles, and he was so thrilled afterwards. Something like a half marathon suddenly felt possible. He signed up for a half marathon soon after.


Hitting the Milestones

Steve started learning about fuel, hydrating, and pacing — things he had never really paid attention to before. His first half marathon went well, and right away, he started thinking about what was next. With the encouragement from his running group, Steve started wondering if he could tackle a marathon.


There was almost a full year between his first half marathon and his first full marathon. He ran a lot of half marathons in between. Some were great, and others were mentally miserable. He remembers one where it was raining the whole time, and his legs felt like lead. But as he worked through the training block, and felt those highs over and over again during training, hitting those milestones he'd never hit before, it kept it going. He eventually worked up to 20 miles, and while it was great to hit the distance, he felt like there was nothing left in the tank.


Steve's First Marathon

Steve struggled with the taper, worried about losing fitness immediately. He started preparing for race day, about an hour away from him in Lowell, MA. He picked a flat course with easy logistics. Still, the anxiety and nerves hit him at the start line.


He started out with some run club friends, staying together for a few miles, but things started going wrong on race day. The first three miles he felt nauseous, which had never happened to him before. He couldn't find his pace. By Mile 8, his knee was bothering him. He hit the halfway point a little slower than he had hoped (even though he hadn't gone in with a specific time goal, he had an idea of how long it would take him).


Through the harder miles, he thought of his sister and father, who had both passed away. And he remembered a quote from something his sister had given him: "As long as I can, I will look at the world for the both of us." He felt them out on the course with him that day. He decided to keep going.


He started to take walk breaks, trudging along, with pain in his knee every step. From Mile 8 to finish, it was misery. He knew he'd make it before the cut off, but he called his wife to let her know he'd be much longer than he expected.


Steve's wife and stepson were waiting at the finish line for him. Seeing his wife run out onto the course as he approached the finish line, he laughed and kept running.


Initially, he didn't feel like he had completed a marathon. He was beating himself up for a few days. It took him that long to realize the gravity of what he had done, that he had completed a marathon even if it had looked different than he wanted it to.


Lessons Learned

  • The marathon doesn't owe you anything.

  • A bad race doesn't undo the training you've done.

  • Incorporating strength and core training helps with fatigue.

  • Have a trusted physical therapist.

  • Encouragement from your community will keep you going.


Want to hear Steve tell the story himself? Listen to the full episode now: A Bad Race Doesn't Erase the Training: Unfinished Business w/ Steve Carrier— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: Survival Guide To Running Your First Marathon



Want more stories like this in your inbox? Subscribe to The Rundown newsletter!


Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


Comments

bottom of page