Marathon Recap!!

May 17, 2010 | Filed in: Uncategorized

Can I just start by saying: WOW! It’s really the only word that properly describes yesterday!

WOW! Because of all the totally awesome amazing people in my life! From family, to friends, to blog friends, to Facebook friends to Twitter friends – you were all so kind and supportive and awesome yesterday – I’m truly humbled! I can’t believe the incredible support and the outpouring of encouraging words. I can’t thank you all enough – YOU ROCK!

Okay – now you want to hear about the race?!?! Let’s get to it!

I woke up at 4am, so that I wouldn’t have to rush through breakfast. Although – I didn’t take a picture of anything because I just wasn’t concerned in the least about blogging. (I know, sorry guys!) ALL I could focus on was the race!

I got down to the starting line at 6:15, 45 minutes before the start, so I had time to use the port-o-pot, and stretch! I also ran in to my friend Danielle, which I was so grateful for – I really needed a familiar face to calm me down!

I didn’t run with my camera (I don’t know how those crazy girls do it!) So any and all picture you see in this post are thanks to GDW Dad

Mile 1 – 3: I started off really strong! Like 11:27 to 11:48 minute miles! But the thing about that – that’s TOO fast for me, considering that I needed to run another 20 plus miles! Finally about half way through mile 3 I fell into a better paced groove (around 12:30).

Mile 4: Put us through the Tremont neighborhood (which you know I love) and I got to see my first set of spectators/super fans! Super Friends Angelina and Kelly were there and gave me lots of cheers, big “WOOOHOOOs” & “Way To Goes” – and Ang even made this sign! Aren’t my friends awesome?!?

Mile 5-7: Pretty uneventful, I fell into my zone, and felt really good! I was holding steady 12:30 miles, and there were TONS of people watching the race and cheering everyone on! I saw a sign at mile 6 that said: “ONLY 20 MORE MILES UNTIL BEER” – which totally cracked me up! AND I saw my second set of Super Fans – my parents, who were hanging out around mile 7 – and snagged this picture of me:

Mile 8-10: These were pretty easy as well, I was still feeling strong, and just plugging along! I saw my 3rd set of Super Fans, my in-laws , right around mile 9! Everyone was perfectly spread out! I got some great cheering every few miles!

Mile 10-12: These were all on the Shoreway (non-Clevelanders: a highway that goes right along the lake) so the wind was BRUTAL, AND it was UPHILL! Yikes, yikes, yikes. These miles kicked my butt, but I was still feeling strong. I did have to stop to pee so I had my first 14 minute mile (I couldn’t believe that, I didn’t need to pee on any of my training runs)

Picture around mile 11 – please note HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE ARE (and notice from mile 13 on, that there is no one else in the pictures with me – it was so lonely after the half marathons split off!)

Close up of me HATING the hills around Mile 11 (GDW Dad was so proud of his aerial view shots!)

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Mile 13: ABSOLUTE TERRIBLENESS SET IN! Just as I passed the 13 mile mark I got so nauseous. Like – kicked in the stomach/almost barfed on the spot sick. Mike was waiting for me right around there – and he just told me to hang in there, he didn’t know what else to say.

Mile 13-16: Horrible, terrible, rotten. I was fighting getting physically ill, and I was TOTALLY ALONE! After the half marathoners broke off, I couldn’t even see the next person in front of me or behind me, and I was running on a back access road. I’m convinced if I would have passed out, I would have died because no one would have found me!

Finally coming up on civilization:

Mile 16: Super friend Kristin jumped in to run a few miles with me. (a few being 6.5!!!) I was so thankful to have her because all I could focus on was trying not to throw up, so she helped distract me, and offered to do just about everything possible to make me feel better!

Mile 16 – 20: I really really struggled here! I felt so sick, and nothing was making it better. I was 110% totally in my head, psyching myself out! My legs/body were fine, but can you imagine trying to run for hours on end when you want to barf?! I’m so grateful I had Kristin with me because she did an awesome job just encouraging me to keep going! Around mile 18 we saw my friends Brian and Stephanie, which totally perked me up for a few seconds!

Gagging down Sharkies around Mile 19:

Mile 20-22: I got excited for a few minutes because I’d crossed in to PDR territory, but I was definitely struggling. Lots of praying for it to be over.

Mile 22.5: Here I’d just stopped to walk through the water station, and I’m pretty sure I was begging Danielle (who had just jumped in to encourage me) and Kristin to just let me walk. Frustratingly – my legs really felt great, it was just the stomachache, barfy-feeling that was making me so miserable!

Mile 22.5: My (super)brother Timmy jumped in and ran with me to keep me going

Mile 23: I barfed.

Mile 23 (immediately after I barfed): Timmy: K, let’s go!!

Mile 23-25: I felt so much better! My legs were tired (obviously!) but my stomach felt so much better, and Timmy just made me keep trucking along!

Mile 25-26: Timmy ducked out, and my (super)husband jumped in and lead the way for me! He encouraged me to push it, and push it I did! My last mile I ran in 12:31 YIKES!

Mile 26-FINISH: When I saw the finish line, I can’t even explain the feeling of relief/”OMG THIS IS ALMOST OVER!” that came over me! My stomach felt better, and my legs felt amazing*

(*amazing – considering they’d just carried me over 26 miles of Cleveland!)

Almost there!

I can’t even put in to words how much this picture makes me happy! Whenever I look at it, I just smile from ear to ear. 3 main reasons:

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Holy Crap! I am finishing my first marathon in 1 piece!!!
I’m finishing under my lofty goal time of under 6 hours (official chip time: 5:56:15)
My very most favorite part: Look at all my family/friends, who had been cheering me on for 6 FREAKING HOURS, cheering me on all the way to the end

Official time: 5:56:15 (so my Garmin was only 5 seconds off!)

But I would like you to note – HOW LONG THE COURSE WAS! 26.34! Way, way, way, freaking long! And that’s not just my Garmin being off – even the official site says the course was long! I was not happy about that!

Splits:

The funniest thing to me?

Mile 13 to 23 were definitely physically (as you can see by the splits) and mentally the hardest, which I was not expecting! I was totally excepting mile 20-26 to be the toughest, since that entire part was a PDR for me. Just goes to show, even with all the planning in the world, you never know how a race is going to go!

Marathon Map