This whole marathon and all of the training means so much to me. There are just so many emotions and highs thru the whole experience it just makes me so happy! BECAUSE I love running! Marathons take so much time and commitment and less sleep that I was sure this would most likely be my last one. But I don't know if I really will be able to give it up ever! I make great friendships and hear great inspiring stories, I learn so much about my self and I get such a high out of it. The early mornings are hard and the runs sometimes very painful but that makes it all the better. I love pushing my self, getting faster, seeing my time improve, setting goals then reaching them. I love running with friends, I love running solo, with music, up the canyon and running on all vacations. I loved running with Kelly and Janae. They are such great runners and motivators and make it so easy. They are so willing to try new runs, wake up earlier to drive us up the canyon and get dropped off. We complain its cold out now when its 30 degrees in the morning so we bundle up with pants, sleeves, ear warmers and gloves when we forget that during our crazy training months we were getting dropped off at the top of the canyon in 30 degrees at 5:30 in the morning wearing only shorts and tanks and not really being phased. How 8 miles feels so hard now when 20 miles didn't make me nervous at all. And since I'm not training now, I MISS ALL OF THAT! I don't really miss the day I came home from our 20 miler and I was so sick and couldn't eat or move I just laid in the fetal position under my covers.
My goal for this marathon was to get under 4 hours. That was my fastest full and I needed to beat it and I didn't even care if it was just by a few minutes. My goal actually was to shoot for 3:55. I thought that was a longshot and a pretty big goal I wouldn't reach. I didn't feel like we had been training super fast. We made it down to St. George just in time to pick up my packet before they closed for the night. Cody was staying with us at the La Verkin house (LONG STORY) but he was in town with my parents who were there as well. So he was able to stay with the kids when TJ took me to the buses at 4:30 AM. It wasn't terrible cold at the start which had us both super worried. We thought for sure it was going to be so hot and that the heat would suck everything out of us. The weather was actually fine, warm, but doable and as long as you dumped water all over yourself at the aid stations I felt fine. Funny story tho, before the race we went to the bathrooms. Standing in line for the porta pottys of course everyone has to poop because thats what you do when you're nervous. So its my turn, I go in, sit down and poop.
AND THERE IS NO TOILET PAPER!!
NONE!
I didn't know what to do! I started sweating so bad! The music was on so loud and there were thousands of people being so loud. SO I was so embarrassed I did the only thing I could, I opened my door, while I'm sitting with my pants down and yell. LUCKILY Kelly was about to go into a prota potty about 4 down and she saw me and came to my rescue. BUT she didn't give me enough!! But it was fine because our plan all along was to get straight back in line because we knew by the time we would get to the front of the line again we would need to go again.
SO back to running, Kelly and I stuck together for about the first 9-10 miles. Our pace wasn't great to start with because there were so many runners that it was so hard to get around. We were like cows being hearded. Mile 8 is the Veyo hill where I finally turned on music to get me pumped to get up it. Soon after I lost Kelly and I was solo from then on. This race was so great in that I never really felt like I hit a wall. Every mile marker I came to I was tired but looking for TJ and when I didn't see him it gave me motivation that he just might be at the next one so to keep going. In the past I have thought of every mile as daunting and forever long but I didn't feel that way this time. Once I could get some water in my mouth and water dumped all over me I was good to go again. And everytime I saw a hill up ahead I never got discouraged, it was only something I had to do. When I finally saw TJ words couldn't explain how happy I was! To see Cody and my kids all smiling and waving was great. TJ jumped in and ran with me for a ways and that meant SO MUCH TO ME! He couldn't really understand why I was getting all emotional and crying. By mile 23 -24 I am physically, mentally, just spent. The only thing left is tears. Rational thinking goes out the window. He gave me the push at the exact point that I needed to stay in it and focus and to actually keep looking at my watch, to keep watching my pace and to not let myself fall short of my goal. When I had one mile left and I saw the time of 3:40 I couldn't believe it! I actually thought I hadn't run all the miles or something and then I even thought well I should walk then because I have 20 minutes until I hit my goal time. See how rational thinking doesn't exist at that point? I was actually trying to convince myself to stop because I didn't need to beat my time by that much. WOW. Well when I finally crossed that finish line at 3:50 I was shocked and amazed!! Not only did I beat 4:00, but I beat my what I thought was a long shot goal of 3:55 by 5 MINUTES!!
I have been on such a high ever since.
And I can't wait to do it again.
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