'One Of The Greatest Achievements You Can Obtain'

As part of the I Made It series, 4you visited Bill Lee three times this year, as he tried to balance life's adventures and training for his first marathon. The first installment saw him finish a first-ever road race - the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K in February. The second addressed the arrival of a third child. This is the final visit.

William Lee, 36, Odessa

Goal: To complete my first marathon

Why I did it: I needed an outlet to force me to get into shape and a challenge that seemed far-fetched but obtainable with hard work. I picked a marathon because it was something my wife had as a goal in her life too. This challenge was solidified when I bought running shoes (in January) and agreed to have The Tampa Tribune document my journey.

Throughout training, it never crossed my mind to stop running. I started to enjoy the "high" of running and the progress I was making. It became my quiet time and I needed it to decompress. The more I ran, the closer I saw the finish line.

How I did it: The start of the Chicago Marathon was bigger that I expected and packed with people from all walks of life with different stories. The atmosphere was electric. Supporters lined both sides of the streets with signs, words of encouragement and a little nervous energy.

The weather that day was comparable to Florida's climate, which did not favor my brother-in-law and thousands of other runners. For me, it was perfect. The time went by pretty quickly and running through the different neighborhoods of Chicago was pretty special for me as a native. I spent the other time monitoring my pace and making sure I hydrated and ate enough.

For the 11 months of training, I followed Jeff Galloway's program, which is predicated on walk breaks and endurance running. I ran two to three times a week, rode my bike once a week, and swam when it got just too hot outside. I followed the same running paths and the views in southern Pasco County are not exactly picturesque. So running the streets of Chicago was heaven.

My wife ran her own marathon with my two boys. I saw them at the start, miles 2, 13 and 17, and at the finish. I saw my parents at mile 22 in Chinatown. It gave me a tremendous boost. Everyone has sacrificed a lot for me and I was so happy to see them rooting for me. It helped me break up the race into segments. I am sure my pace was at its peak right before and right after I saw them. It was important to stop each time and give them hugs and kisses.

I was so happy and shocked at the finish line, even though I trained hard. I also immediately looked for my family members, who were behind a fence cheering for me. Seeing them reaffirmed how much we love and support each other.

Hurdles: Initially in the training, I dealt with shin splints and knee pain while I was breaking in my new shoes. Stretching and rest was a lifesaver as it increased my flexibility. Six weeks before the race, I got a scare with agonizing foot pain after a 22-mile training run. I could barely walk and feared a stress fracture. After a visit to the ER, I was cleared to resume training after one week of rest.

After the marathon, my legs were really sore, but I was not exhausted or winded. My feet and upper body felt great. I started to feel pain at mile 23 and hit a wall at mile 25. My hamstrings felt like they were going to explode. I was running like a penguin the last half-mile so as not to contract those muscles. It was pretty funny.

Afterward, I was really sore for the next four days - especially my neck from the medal I was wearing.

Going the distance: Right after the race, I was convinced that I was not going to run another marathon. However, I enjoyed it so much that I am considering running in Chicago again next year. I will run the Gasparilla half-marathon next year and have considered some local sprint triathlons.

Best advice: My best advice is to have fun. This will be one of the greatest achievements you can obtain. You do not have to kill yourself and risk injury to obtain your goals, but you need to be dedicated to getting in your runs.