I Ran a Marathon

      I've had this goal for a really long time.  Running a marathon has always been on the top of my "someday" list.  Something that I felt like I needed to accomplish if I wanted to be a REAL runner.  This summer I decided there is no time like the present.  So at the end of July I started my training.
      Early mornings always work best for my workouts, and now I have to beat my kids up, . . .that sounds very wrong, but you know what I mean. . . get my run in before Devin had to leave for work and before they woke up. 
      My alarm clock set at 4:38AM.  I made good use of a headlamp.  In the beginning I would start in the dark and about half way through my runs the sky would start to lighten.  Only a couple weeks into my training, the days became shorter and my runs were always in the dark. 

      I was lucky to have a couple friends to train with.  They were especially helpful on days I really didn't want to wake up, because I knew I had to get up anyway.  I discovered that I am especially chatty in the morning.  I'm sure my friends learned more about me than they cared to know.  I was a bit amazed that we could have so much to talk about for that long, and so grateful because on long run days it helped the time pass quickly.
      I ran with Jenna two days a week, and Emily once a week.  On some of my long run days I would wake up super early (the earliest I started running was 4am) and run a few miles before meeting up with Jenna at 5am, run 10 or so miles with her, and then I'd run home. It was a great way to break up my run and help those miles not feel so super long. 
      Thursdays were my cross-training days where I'd hit the gym for the Total Conditioning class.  Supposedly the hardest weight class lifetime offers.  I have gotten really good at push ups.  It was a great way to make me really sore for my long run Fridays.
      I got to the point in my training where I felt I could run a half marathon on any given day.  Eight miles seemed short.  I covered a lot of area and got to know roads really well that I had never been on prior to my training.
       So after many early mornings, 460.28 miles, 16 training weeks, and two battery changes in my headlamp, it was time to run a marathon!
      I was so unsure of how things would go.  I had followed my training schedule well and the preparation work was done, but I had never run 26 miles before.  Could I really do it?  Tapering started a couple weeks before the marathon, which made me nervous... Would my body remember how to run that long?  The unknowns also scared me... what if my body went on strike that day?  Or what if I woke up to one of those tired, yuck feeling days?  What if my knees or ankle acted up?  What if I got the runs? (TMI, sorry, but totally something to worry about for a long distance runner).  What if I get dehydrated?  How much should I drink while I run?  How much should I eat while I run?  Is it going to be cold?  How many layers should I wear?  ... It could wear anyone out going over all those persistent wonderings about the unknowns.  So I put everything out of my mind and just hoped for the best.
      I rode down to Richmond with Emily and Jenna.  It was a fun car ride!  We stayed with a family that used to live in our ward, but moved a couple years back.  I went to bed praying that I would live through the next day.
      I woke feeling super excited for the day.  It was going to be a good one!  Got dressed, brushed my teeth, packed up, drank OJ, ate a bagel and headed out, with Jenna and Emily, to the race.  They were both running the half marathon which started a little earlier, so when we got there I found Josh Ence (also a friend from our ward, running the full marathon) and we navigated our way through the crowds to the first corral. 
      It was packed.  The New York marathon got cancelled which was supposed to be run just a couple weeks prior to Richmond, so many of those runners came and joined our race.  There were 8,000 runners in the half and 6,000 in the full, and I was excited to be one of them!
      Starting the race I had two broad range goals.  The main one was to finish the marathon alive and without injury.  The second was to qualify for Boston (3:35:00), but going into it I felt that might be too hopeful and I really just wanted to be under four hours.  But it was a good day. . .
      The weather was crisp  (around 40ish degrees) but warmer than I expected, it was a beautiful day!  Standing in the crowd of runners made it feel warmer too so I shed my long-sleeve before the gun went off. 
      Bang! ... About a minute after the gun sounded, we started moving.  The first mile I was just trying to get around people.  My game plan is usually to spot someone up ahead and then try to catch that runner.  This race was different though because I was constantly surrounded by people, and I just wanted to get ahead of them all!  It was sort of a fun game, finding openings and shooting through them.

If you look carefully, in the middle of the picture you can see
my hand.  I'm waving. (above the red visor guy)

      By mile 2, I was on pace and I felt great.  It felt easy.  I passed the 3:35 pace group.  Passed the 3:30 pace group.  Still going.  The first 10 miles were easy, because I was so excited to finally be accomplishing my goal!  And it was exciting . . .  crowds of people cheering (they had specifically marked cheering sections throughout the race), bands livened up the atmosphere, even cheerleaders and dance groups came out to cheer us on.
      There were some great signs that made me laugh out loud when I ran past them.  "RUN LIKE SNOT", "MORTUARY AHEAD, LOOK ALIVE", a few potty humor jokes I'll not post, but they were funny, and my very favorite was held by a man with a baby strapped in a front carrier, and on the poster, a large blown up picture of the baby screaming, read "HURRY MOMMY, I'M HUNGRY!"  Actually, I pretended all the "Go Mommy" signs, held by husbands and kids, were for me. :)  (Thanks to Devin for staying home to watch our kiddos).
      Mile 11 was only significant because I stopped for the porta potty.  Mile 18 I ate a gummy.  That was also when I could feel all my muscles start to stiffen.  I got super excited all over again when I passed mile 20, going further than I had ever gone before.  Mile 22 I started slowing down, I was getting tired.  Also ate one grape.  There were some pretty views across the river.  Started a game of seesaw with a girl in a blue tank.  Then I passed her for good.  Mile 24, muscles stiffening, ate another gummy.  Mile 25, just one mile left, reach into my energy reserves for a weak kick. Mile 26, finish line in sight!  Click the watch.
      Marathon time: 3:25:29. I qualified for Boston!  Beat my own goal time by 10 minutes.
       It was amazing to me how the second I crossed the line and tried to walk, I couldn't. . . at least, I couldn't walk like a regular person.  My steps were very slow and funny.  A feeling of incredible soreness also hit me about that same time.  But I was happy. . . I did it!

My friend Piper Ence

Josh Ence (also ran the marathon) and I, dead tired!

Lap times:
Mile 1: 8:19
Mile 2: 7:45
Mile 3: 7:37
Mile 4: 7:21
Mile 5: 7:37
Mile 6: 7:34
Mile 7: 7:27
Mile 8: 7:35
Mile 9: 7:49
Mile 10: 7:21
Mile 11: 7:35
Mile 12: 7:57
Mile 13:7:53
Mile 14: 7:57
Mile 15: 7:54
Mile 16: 7:31
Mile 17: 7:45
Mile 18: 7:55
Mile 19: 7:49
Mile 20: 7:36
Mile 21: 7:57
Mile 22: 8:02
Mile 23: 8:16
Mile 24: 8:22
Mile 25: 8:16
Mile 26: 7:54
Official Finishing Time: 3:25:29