Jamie, your first marathon? WooHoo!!!!! Enjoy it. While I don't know about the Grand Canyon mary, I bet it would be stunningly beautiful. You made a good choice not to do ET as your first one. I've had friends that did it and while they had a great time, it was different since done at night and no spectators and no knowledge of the scenery that was covered in the darkness.
First marathon by itself. I've done 3 at the end of Ironmans so I wanted to see how I could do with fresh legs instead of feeling like I had all the blood drained out of my body at the starting line.
Soon after I got married, I decided I needed to get motivated to work out and focus on getting back into shape. I could barely jog a quarter-mile without needing a walk break.
I think quite truly for the first time I 'get it'. It's not just about the fitness. It's not just about the great little endorphin rush as you hit 5, 10, 15 miles...its not just the medal at the end.