26.2 miles. I have so much to say about this race, I don't even know where to begin...
This marathon was one of the most amazing things I've ever done, my body hurts in places I never knew existed, and I will never again underestimate the power of positive thinking. I'm so SO grateful that my family was there to cheer me on.
We drove 5 hours to my mom's in Cedar City on Thursday, stayed the night, and left on Friday morning for a 10 hour drive to Phoenix. It was our little family plus David's parents (Kevin & Vicki) and we were packed in like sardines. Every time we had to stop for the bathroom, we would crack up laughing because it was so impossible to get in and out of the backseat with all our bags, pillows, camping chairs, diapers, toys and kids in car seats. Thank goodness Vicki is limber.
We arrived in Phoenix at my Uncle Jay's house in time for an amazing dinner of fettuccine alfredo, french bread, and salad. My uncle Derek was there and it was calming to the nerves just to see him and know we were in this together. We've been reporting to one another throughout the entire training process and he's been a fantastic support for me. AND he surprised me with matching running shirts that announce this race as the "P-R (phipps and rapier) inaugural event."
Derek started the race an hour earlier since he was planning on a slower pace, so I got up early and headed to the race with him. I watched him start, then had some time to eat a banana, drink some water, use the bathroom (don't you need all these details?) and listen to a little Fergie to pump me up. Then it was race time!
So, the high that day was around 72 degrees (so wonderful), but that early in the morning it was pretty chilly (50 degrees?). We were all rubbing our hands together and jumping up and down to stay warm. Once we started running and crossed the start line, it was a little surreal. It was tempting to watch everyone else and check out their outfits, listen to their conversation, and just take it all in, but I had to remind myself to focus on pace and breathing. I had a long way to go.
I knew it was typical for first time marathoners to speed up with the people around them, so I worked on maintaining my pace, but I still ended up running the first half of the marathon at a 9 minute pace instead of 10 1/2 (my plan) which is probably why I slowed down so much during the last eight miles. The course was an out and back on one road that was a straight shot and only had a slight incline at the beginning. Although I don't think I ever would want to live in the desert, it is an incredible place to run. It feels like the sky will swallow you up with the flat landscape and gorgeous sunrise. I was loving every second.
David and the clan found spots along the road to stop and cheer me on with signs and all. Talk about giving a boost of energy to the muscles; I always felt better once I saw them. And this may sound cheesy, but I could not stop smiling for the first 17 miles (we'll get to the post-17 miles part in a minute). I felt so happy to be out there running! It really was exhilarating to be fulfilling such an immense goal and to have my family cheering me on. I was grinning ear to ear.
Lesson learned: know where your porta-potties are. Even though I had used the bathroom before starting, it hit me again as soon as I crossed the start line. I thought I'd heard they had bathrooms at the halfway mark, but when I asked one of the volunteers at the next aid station he said he didn't think it was until after halfway (which of course means that it would also be BEFORE the halfway, but I was too preoccupied with my predicament to figure that out). I was at 8 miles and decided it couldn't wait, so I made sure there was a big enough gap between me and the next person and....pulled over. Then of course, a half mile later, there was the porta-john. classic.
At the halfway mark, my family was there waiting (they were the only ones!). Suddenly all the runners started cheering for each other. Each runner that passed by me or that I passed had something positive to say. Love that.
Mile sixteen snuck up on me and I couldn't believe how quickly time was passing. It's funny the thoughts that go through your head when you have so much time to yourself: "Hey, she used the porta-potty right before me this morning"; "Do I have the hiccups?"; "I bet my bangs look really stupid right now."
And then mile seventeen came and I hit the wall. The weird thing was that I felt fine, it was just my joints. They gave up. I grabbed water and sports drinks at every station and took in some more power gels, but those last nine miles were HARD. At mile 20 or 21, I got a boost of energy and picked the pace back up a little, but then around mile 23, I was back down. I started to feel numb from the waist down, but not pain-free numb, just everything-is-burning-and-aching-too-much numb. Ouch.
The clan drove by for the last time at 24 miles to cheer me on. We were so spread out by that point that I was pretty much on my own except for the few that passed me (such a stinky feeling). It was all mental by this point. Brain and heart making you move. Mile-marker 25 was heaven and I blew it a kiss. It was home after that. Once I passed 26, the adrenaline kicked in and out of nowhere I got a boost of energy and sped up for the last .2 miles and crossed the finish line. I wasn't sure if I was going to cry or throw-up but I ended up just smiling and hugging my family and feeling sweet, sweet relief.
My goal was to beat the average for my age (4:54). I also wanted to run it at a 10 1/2 min mile pace which would bring me in at 4:35. So I'm pretty content with my time of 4:39:14. There were 106 marathoners, and I came in 62nd place. I was 16th out of 31 women and 3rd place for my age group (there were only five in my division). Derek crossed the finish line about five minutes after me and he beat his goal by about 16 minutes. Great job Derek!
The pics.
Vicki's much coveted ice cream cookie during the long, long drive. We found it and she loved it.
The sunrise. Amazing.
David took a pic of me passing and then turned around and realized that they were a bit out of order. I thought they had done it on purpose.
Those darn bangs.
One of Derek's friends is a super marathon runner and she came and ran the last 12 miles with him. What a great friend!
Halfway.
These poor folks spent a lot of time in the car that morning.
This is the moment you think about the entire time you're training. I even got teary-eyed just imagining it a few times. I'm so glad I didn't throw up.
Derek, you are incredible.
The fact that my Uncle Derek ran this marathon with me made this race so special. And "inaugural" connotes more marathons in the future right? Hm.
And sore muscles or not, there was definitely time for some rock band with my cousins that afternoon. Even Hazel was rockin' the guitar.
So I ran a marathon and it was incredible, but the best part was the people around me while I did it. Thank you to everyone for making this one of the most memorable experiences of my life. And Derek, I'm so proud of us.
