Three years ago, Natchez resident Monica Cross could not run a mile. Now, three years later, she has completed her first 26.2-mile marathon.

On Jan. 14, Cross ran and completed the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘N’ Roll marathon in Phoenix. Out of the 10,224 runners registered to race, Cross finished 4,544.

“It was exciting and difficult, but the training for it was very intensive, and I felt like I was prepared and knew I would finish,” she said.

Cross said she began training for the marathon in mid-September 2006. The program lasted 18 weeks, and Cross described it as “physically exhausting.”

“It was physically more grueling than it was mentally. There was so much running, and most of it was done in the early morning because I had family responsibilities. It was physically exhausting because you would start early, run a lot then go to work,” she said.

Most of her running was done on the Natchez Trace. Cross said she would increase her mileage each week, but added that she never ran the full distance of the marathon during training.

The mental aspect was important too, she said. Cross said she had to dig deep within herself to run through the exhaustion.

“You have to draw upon your mental reserves to get you through it physically,” she said.

Cross said the course in Phoenix was relatively flat, and that training on the hillier terrain around Natchez gave her a slight advantage. She also said the day of the race in Phoenix was unseasonably cold, and running in the chilly air of November and December also helped.

Cross said she decided the marathon because of a personal goal she set for herself.

“I started running three years ago, and somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to run a marathon before I turned 40,” she said.

Cross then beat her goal by completing her first marathon before age 39.

“I definitely beat my goal because I did it before turning 39, so I can get another on in. I don’t know when or where, but I would definitely like to get another one in,” Cross said.

She said her finish is also one of her greatest personal accomplishments. She said a lot of people run marathons for special causes, but she said she did because it was a personal goal she wanted to accomplish.

“I am very proud of fit,” Cross said. “I wished my time was better, but ultimately my goal was to finish it. Not many people have attempted it, much less completed a marathon, so I am very proud of it.”