SoJo Marathon Recap
I don't think things have really set in yet, but I also don't want to forget anything, so I thought I would try and write it out.
A little background info
I started working out and running in Feb of this year in an attempt to boost my immune system. In 2010 I was sick over and over and over again. I couldn't stay healthy and I was miserable. Blood work came back negative, I was told to get my tonsils out, and the year ended with a cracked rib/torn cartilage from coughing so much.
I ran my first 10k in April that felt so huge and amazing to me at that time. I couldn't believe that I'd run 6.2 miles! I thought, wow if I can accomplish this, something I never thought I'd be able to do, what else is out there for me.
I started training for my first half and ran it in July. Again, another wow, I can't believe I did it day, where I smashed my goal time and finished strong and happy.
I have so many people I look up to here on Daily Mile. All of you inspired me to go for the full.
I had several setbacks during training, including having to miss my 20 miler, but I never gave up and the training weeks flew by. I'm proud of myself for listening to my body (something I'm not great at) during tapering and giving my body the rest that it needed.
Finally 10/15 was here! Leading up to the race people were asking me if I was nervous and I was, but not nearly what I expected to be. I was just so excited. I had worked hard to get to this day.
Woke up at 4 am got ready, ate 2 pieces of toast w/ pb (usually just do one, but since I wouldn't be running for 3 hours I ate two) and drove down to the bus loading area. Our bus driver got lost, but I totally didn't mind because I wasn't looking forward to hanging out at the starting line in the cold for hours. Meeting fellow daily milers Stacy and Walter up there was so fun and made the time go by quickly.
Time to race!
My goal was just to finish, but I knew I would be bummed if it took me over 5 hours and I thought a 4:45ish finish would be awesome!
I ran with Stacy for about the first 5 or 6 miles, which was really fun. Those miles flew by. The hills and wind during these miles were challenging, but I felt like I was prepared for them.
I had written down my fueling strategy on my arm and was so glad I did that. I seriously don't have a clear head at all when I'm running long. I brought a couple of my own cliff shots because they didn't provide them at all of the aid stations and used a couple of their shots when it matched up with my schedule. Besides cliff shots, I also used little salt packets twice and sports legs once. I carried my handheld bottle and drank a water/Gatorade mix. I loved being able to take sips whenever I wanted to and not have to stop for refills very often. Around mile 10 I started grabbing a cup of water when I ran by and dumping it on my head. I’m sure I looked like I was sweating buckets or something, but it felt so nice to have wet hair and a wet shirt to keep me cool.
I remember being obsessed around mile 11 or 12 with how wonderful half marathons were. - how they were the perfect distance, a good challenge, and so fun. I’m sure I was just wishing I was going to be done at mile 13, but it’s funny what the mind fixates on when you’re running.
My daughter and brother were there to cheer me on around 14 and 17. It was so cute to see my 4 year old with her purple pom poms.
At mile 18 I loved knowing that every step I took was farther than I had ever run before. Only 8 miles left! Single digits!
I was getting tired, but so were other people. I passed quite a few in the next couple of miles and tried to offer encouragement as I ran by.
I started looking forward to seeing my husband. He was flying home from Denver and was hoping to catch the last couple of miles and the finish line. I think I saw him around mile 21. But then I remembered getting mad because he was just taking my picture and I needed him to be cheering for me. I was hurting pretty bad by this point.
Each mile seemed to drag on after this. I kept promising myself just make it to 21 and you can walk for a minute, and then I would make it and say you don’t need a break you can make it to 22 and then you can walk for a minute. It wasn’t until mile 23ish that I finally let myself walk for 45 sec and then started running again.
Those last miles were brutal. We were on the Jordan River Trail and there was pretty much no one around. I was so tired and hated having to run into the wind. I knew my pace was slow but that if I could just keep moving I was going to end up with a great time.
It seemed like it would never end and then all of a sudden I could see the finish line. I turned it up a notch (definitely wasn’t sprinting though) and crossed with a smile on my face. 4 hours 36 minutes.
I am a marathoner!