Marathon

Our marathon date finally came. It didn't seem like it would EVER get here. I wasn't really nervous. This should have been a warning sign! The morning of the race I was fairly calm. I got up early, got ready and left to pick up Nancy. I knew we would get there really early, but we didn't want to have to deal with traffic. I ate breakfast after we got to the waiting area and we just sat around and talked and watched people.

The time went by quickly. We tried to time our trip to the restroom strategically, but didn't do a very good job! Drew, Jackson, Addison, dad and Espy showed up a little later with their signs. We had our picture taken by a guy from the local paper then we decided to go to the potty again. This time we headed outside to use the porta potties. Gross, I know, but at that point ALL of the restrooms are NASTY! Serious runners (and nervous runners) have a way of eliminating everything they need to before they run! That's all I'll say about that! I came prepared with my own toilet paper and hand sanitizer, but they were fully stocked this time! Shocking!

We made our way to our corral and waited for the start. Before long, we were off. We started off at a comfortable pace and just went with the flow of the crowd. I felt really good and before long we saw our supporters around mile 3 or so. We were talking and watching people and having a good time. Around mile 6 we saw Drew again and he said our pace was too fast. We hadn't walked yet, so I wasn't really worried. Around mile 9 we hit a HUGE hill that lasted for about a mile. We walked a little on that hill, but it took a lot out of us. It was just so LONG. We weren't talking as much after that! We saw Drew again just before the 14 mile marker. Our 1/2 marathon time was just 5 minutes slower than our best 1/2 marathon time, so I was still pretty sure we could make it around 4:15-4:20. I was tired at this point, but my spirit was still pretty good. Sometime after that, around mile 15-16 I think, things started going down hill. Our muscles started to cramp up and running became so painful. We walked some trying to give our muscles a break. That didn't work so well. We would start to run again and our muscles would immediately cramp up. We also got some cramping in our sides. It was not fun at this point and we still had a LONG way to go. I will say that I never thought of quitting, but I knew finishing was going to suck!

Around mile 20 we started talking about the end, but it still seemed so far away. We were alternating walking and running at this point. We talked to people around the way and talked about NEVER doing this again! The mile markers seemed to come so slowly. It seemed like FOREVER before we reached the next marker! I was texting Drew at the markers so he would know when to expect us. Finally, we were near the end. Once we got about 1/2 mile away we started running and just kept going despite the pain. We were ready to be DONE. We saw Drew and everyone else near the finish line and just pushed through it. Pily was at the finish line and I could hear her screaming for us. We finished in 4 hours and 44 minutes. I was a little disappointed, but it is what it is. Pily took us into the medical area to get our cramping muscles stretched out. After that we got our post-race food, finisher shirt and headed to the car. Once I sat down, I didn't think I would be able to get out of the car!

After I got home and took a shower I laid down on the bed and didn't move. Drew was real sweet and brought me some food in bed. I did manage to walk to the couch later that evening, but it was tough! I went to bed early and ended up wrapping bags of frozen peas around both knees so I could sleep! I'm sure I was quite a sight!

I managed to get up for work the next day, but I was so sore! We decided at some point during the run to take the entire week off from working out in the mornings. That was probably the best decision we have made in a while! I have enjoyed sleeping a little later and I'm sure my body has needed time to heal. I did teach and participate in boot camp this week, but I think that has helped keep my muscles loose. We will be back in action a the gym starting Monday morning.

I'm ready for a new goal, also. We have already started talking about the "next marathon!" We will definitely train differently next time. You learn something with each race. I know we can do better next time if we train differently. I don't know when the next one will be, but I'm pretty sure there will be one!

I will say that I am proud of myself for completing a full marathon. That is something I NEVER thought I could do. I can still remember when running one mile was difficult. It just goes to show you that you are capable of more than you can ever imagine. Happy running!