26.2 Miles.....THE MARATHON

(More pictures to follow from Scott & Kimberly. Thanks guys for being great photographers!)

Even with little sleep, I was excited for the race. It was so fun to be with Scott & Amanda, and great to see Kimberly that morning who had made the drive from Charlottesville to be with us at 6:30 in the morning. There was a great feel in the air and it was fun to be around all the other runners.

I was so excited to be running with Amanda- I’ve never been able to run with a family member and it’s been almost a year since we’ve seen each other so we were excited. We both had about the same estimated time so we started together in the same corral. When the gun went off, we were off! It was fun to visit and observe everything along the course. I would have loved to have run the entire race with Amanda but my race took a little turn.

The weather forecast had called for lots of rain, thunder, wind etc. It was supposed to be in the 50’s when the race started and I thought it would probably be pretty cool through the whole race. So I opted for running capris & a long-sleeved shirt over a tank top. By the time we got to the starting line where Scott was getting ready to start his half marathon I knew it was going to be warmer that I expected and ditched the long-sleeved shirt, but it was too late to change into shorts. I was counting on a cooler race, and did not expect a mid-November race to be sunny, hot & humid with a temperature of 70 degrees!

The first few miles I was feeling great, the miles just flew by, Amanda and I were easily keeping pace with the 3:40 group. A lot of runners talk about hitting “The Wall” at some point during the marathon. Most say it hits somewhere between mile 16-20. Well, mine literally ‘hit’ with a bang at mile 5. I felt hot, sick, and tired; and all of a sudden my bladder went into hyperactive mode. I’ve never had to make a stop during a long run; during the marathon I had to make four. From mile 5, I knew my goal race was over. From mile 6 on I was already taking breaks to walk. I felt dehydrated no matter how much I drank. At every 2-mile stop I was pouring water over myself to cool down. That worked okay until mile 19 when my shoes were completely soaked with water. I had to take off my shoes to try and wring out the water from my socks & inserts and ended up with some pretty impressive blisters from the water. On my 18-mile run a few weeks before, I ran a 2:29. At mile 18 in the marathon I was at 3 hours. I was expecting to finish the race well under a 3:59. I finished the marathon in 4:29.

I think the time is respectable for anyone, and I’m happy that I finished a marathon! I think the most frustrating thing was that I had worked so long and hard to accomplish a goal, and it turned out so differently than I expected. For months I’ve gotten up at 5:30am, four days a week- including Saturdays, to go running. I’ve pushed myself and worked hard to improve my times and was felt so encouraged for the marathon- like the goal was really within my grasp. But then when the moment arrives, like a bad dream-I just watched everything slip away and didn’t even come close.

At the same time, even though I feel some disappointment, I’m so grateful for the experience. It was an amazing and humbling experience. I was so appreciative of all the support and encouragement along the way. The Richmond marathon was an awesome race. The course was beautiful and the set-up, organization, and especially crowd support was amazing. There were spectators cheering you along the entire way and I can’t say enough what a strength and help all the spectators were. They were awesome! There were bands and music along the course, there were people with hoses & sprinklers set up for the runners to run through, there were people cheering your name & encouraging you along. I can see why it’s been named, “The Friendliest Marathon” I’ve never experienced anything like it. In fact there were a couple points throughout the race where I was a little emotional. It wasn’t from the misery I was feeling, but from the incredible gratitude I felt towards everyone around me. There were people cheering your name & encouraging you on- people who didn’t even know you. There were runners that would encourage you to keep going and give words of inspiration even though they were going through the same pain you were. As silly as it may sound, for me the marathon was even somewhat of a spiritual experience.

As I rounded the last corner, Kimberly was there on the side with a big poster cheering me on. It was so incredible to finally see that 26-mile marker and the nothing had looked more beautiful than the finish line at the end of the road. The cheering from the spectators was deafening during that last stretch and I can’t even explain the emotions I was feeling at this point. After I crossed the finish line and got a medal, I looked around for all the family. I was so grateful to see them and grateful to have finally completed the goal of a marathon. Even though it wasn’t quite the experience I had anticipated, it was awesome and I would do it all over again. I’d like to do another marathon someday, and hopefully I’ll be able to beat my previous time for a new personal record. Right now I’m going to thoroughly enjoy a little break, and trade in my mileage loaded shoes for some new ones!