It's Over

As I've been hobbling around my house the last couple of days, I think I'm finally in a place where I can write my thoughts about the marathon. It's funny, I've had a hard time thinking of much other than the race - what happened, what I could have done differently, what I'll do next time, etc.

Well our marathon weekend began on Saturday. We traveled to Columbus with the girls and my sister and met my parents to watch Ava run her 50 meter dash. The theme for her race was "Big Nose" or something. It was a circus theme and there were clowns everywhere which of course scared Ava. At the starting line she started fussing and wanted me to carry her. But when we started running, she quickly let go of my hand and took off towards her father, a huge smile on her face. Some people probably think it's so stupid that I put her in these events but I love seeing how proud she is when she's done.

Then we found the hotel. While my parents watched the girls, Jeff and I headed over to the expo to shop and pick up my race stuff. We looked at all the booths and vendors as we winded our way to the back of the huge room to get my bib and chip timing device. I picked up some new carb blocks and a couple souveneirs - a Tshirt and keychain. By then I was getting pretty overwhelmed by the largeness of the crowds and decided it was time to go. I ate supper with my family and then attempted to relax and prepare for the next day. Going to bed early wasn't in my cards. Reason? Children.

I woke before the alarm and the wake up call. I nursed Grace, got dressed in my gear, made sure I had all my goodies in my shorts (blocks, jelly beans, advil, cell phone), ate a peanut butter sandwich, and applied my pace tatoo. Then I headed down to meet Team in Training at 6. They all met in a room by the lobby. Everyone was just sitting around eating. All that sitting was making me nervous so I left to hang out with my dad and Jeff in the lobby. I went to the bathroom several times and stretched.

Around 6:50 we began our cold walk to the startline. That morning was the first frost of the season, so it was pretty cold. When we got to the start, I ran down the block and back to warm up and then realized I had to go to the bathroom one more time. I saw people running up into the State House so I figured I could go there since I didn't see any portapotties near. Unfortunetly a cop was just clearing the building. Now I was starting to panic as I really needed to pee. By now the race was going to begin in about 10 or 15 minutes. With nothing else to do, I grabbed Jeff to act as a shield, found a bush on the State House lawn, dropped my drawers, and peed right there in front of everyone. When I finished Jeff told me that he's never loved me more! Boys are so weird! As if this wasn't a strange enough begining to a marathon, it gets better. You are supposed to line up sort of according to ability. Faster runners in front, slower ones in the back. You know where to go by these signs that have your pace on them. I saw my pace but by now there was a fence blocking me. There were so many people lined up there was no way to go to the back and make my way up to where I needed to be. So we squeezed up to the fence where my dad and Jeff lifted me up and over. Luckily there were some nice marathoners on the other side to catch me!

Then we were off! It was such a beautiful morning! With tube socks on my arms and gloves on my hands I was very comfortable as we started our run. I was able to find a good pace fairly quickly even though the street was packed with runners for the first 8 miles or so. Around mile 2 I passed Katie and Megan Bomba. It was great to see a familiar face so soon! I continued to run...and run....and run. I ran while I ate my blocks and drank water. Somewhere along the way I fell in pace with another girl and we both ran together for several miles. We would pass people together, get drinks together, and all the while never talking. I stopped to go to the bathroom just after the halfway point and lost track of her but she was a great silent companion. I continued to feel strong, really strong, and was actually 4 minutes ahead of my time. I had lots of support from the sidelines. My parents, my sister, my girls, Melanie and John, and the Eatons were all there. Jeff, Zach, and Renee win the prize for best cheerleaders. I probably saw them at least 6 times around the course. They were flying all over Columbus to see me as much as possible.

I hit "The Wall" at mile 22. It was like all of a sudden I could not move my legs. It felt like I was running underwater. I tried to push through but now I was walking through water stops and my pace slowed dramatically. Even when I would see Jeff, Renee, and Zach I would barely have the energy to wave. By mile 24 I was walking much more. I could barely feel my legs and was almost certain I would fall. We were also running on hills at this point. Not significant hills, but at the time they felt like mountains. I eventually made it to mile 25 and promised myself I would not walk during the last mile. The last mile seemed to take forever but eventually I made it to the home stretch. I barely remember passing Mel and John, my mom and the girls, and my dad as I turned towards the finish. A man ran the last bit with me, encouraging me. "Only 200 yards to go!" Even that sounded like an insane distance to me! But I made it. I have never been so relieved to stop running. I looked at my watch and saw I beat my goal of 4 hours by 3 minutes. It was a good day.

The rest is a blur. I know I somehow made it to my family, took a shower, ate, and headed home. Other than sore muscles, the biggest injury I got was a killer blister between my big toe and the one beside it. It is still hurting me now. By Monday I was already on line looking up marathons in winter/spring of 2009. I know...I'm insane.

Leaving for Columbus

Well this is it. In about an hour and a half we're leaving for Columbus. Our plans for today include Ava's 50 meter dash, going to the expo, loading up on a carb dinner, and trying to stay calm. Luckily we're staying at a hotel downtown which will make tomorrow morning a lot easier.

This last week has been full of nerves and smaller runs. Last night I ran 3 miles and then this morning I ran one mile just to stay loose. I actually spent the night over at my sister's house to get a good night sleep without the girls. I woke up several times in the night but always fell right back asleep.

I just want to thank all of you who have been supporting me through this whole process. Every small word of encouragement truly helped push me to where I'll be tomorrow morning. I thank you and love you all.

The Last Week

Well today marked the last week of my training. It's amazing how much has changed since I started training 4 months ago. Grace wasn't even 2 months old yet. I barely knew anything about running shoes and I considered a 4 mile run to be quite a challenge. And I've been training for 4 months for this one shot...one shot, that's it. This is the thought that is constantly running through my mind during my days, nights, and my runs.

Since I've last written, I think I've done a could 6 mile runs and a 5 mile run. Tonight I ran 3 miles. All runs have been "easy" in terms that I wasn't supposed to push myself. Sunday I ran 5 miles but it wasn't easy since I was running in the middle of the afternoon when it was freakishly hot outside. Not very fun. But tonight was just the opposite. Still warm, but late in the evening. It was beautiful out and I felt good. Really good. As I've written before, sometimes it takes my body a couple of miles to warm up, but tonight I felt good from the start. I know there's nothing I can physically do now that will make me better on Sunday but each time I run a good run, it encourages my mind and spirit. And I know that will help me Sunday.

Getting Prepared

Tonight I took off for a 5 mile easy run. All my runs will be easy now. Tapering, you got to love it. Nothing too exciting or noteworthy happened on my run. It was my first run since my 20 miler on Saturday and I felt pretty stiff. My knees ached a little but I sort of expected it.

More importantly, now I am spending time preparing for the big day. My mind is constantly making lists of what needs to be done or packed before that weekend. Yesterday I ordered this tattoo on line that will have all the splits listed to finish in 4 hours. I'm waiting for that to come in the mail along with a new arm band for my ipod. I also just realized that we have to find someone to take care of our dog, Bella while we're gone. Fortunately, my whole family is coming to watch me run. Unfortunately, they are the ones who would dog sit for us. I am also praying for my health as my two little ones are now sick with pretty bad colds. So much to think about!

Last Long Run

Yesterday morning I headed out for my last long run, my second 20 miler. I was nervous about the run because the girls had been off all week and were both getting up in the night. My sleep this whole week were just in little 2 hour chunks. The night before my run was no different. I went to bed around 11 and got up with Grace twice before finally getting up at 6:30. And I sure was not feeling it when my alarm went off. But after 5 minutes of debating the worth of the run, I dragged myself out of bed and downstairs. I ate two waffles with peanut butter, drank a coffee, pumped a bottle for Grace, and got dressed. I was trying out my marathon outfit to make sure everything was comfortable - new shorts, Team in Training race shirt, new socks, etc.

Even though I did not enjoy my last 20 mile route I didn't have enough time to find another one. So I did the same route but backwards. And it made a world of difference! From the get go I had an amazing run. First of all, it was much much cooler than my last 20 miler. It was really chilly starting off and never got very hot. The sun was shining and it couldn't have been any prettier. So that lifted my spirits. I made a playlist that included the book America by Jon Stewart intermixed with tons of great music. That seemed to help too. I also didn't stop to walk or drink as much as I did last time. I didn't carry any drink on me which was more comfortable and I had Jeff hide Gatorade and water every 3 miles around my route. One time I couldn't find one and just kept running until the next. So that seemed to work out well too.

The whole run seemed to go by very quickly. And I guess it did because I finished in 3 hours and 2 minutes which was 18 minutes faster than my last 20 miles. And the greatest thing was that I didn't feel completely wiped. I remember when I was one mile from finishing I thought to myself, "I can't believe this is the end. I could totally go for a couple more miles." I guess that's good since I will have to go for another 6 in two weeks! All in all, I am so glad that I ran a second 20 mile run. It has boosted my confidence and my excitement for the marathon. My goal is to break 4 hours and if I can run as well as I did Saturday morning, that should be a definite possibility.

Enjoying The Run

Last night was the first time in a long time that I just ran and enjoyed it. I always envy reading in Runners World or talking to people who run because they like to. I mean, I guess I like to run to an extent. I am going to run 26.2 miles in a few weeks, right? But literally I have to force myself to do each workout. Its like I'm always on the edge of quiting and not going for a run. Everyday I have to force myself into my running shoes and out the door. Today was no exception. My husband had just gotten home and I wanted to eat dinner with my family. (Since it gets darker earlier, I have to give up that luxury on my running days.) But I forced myself out the door. And almost immediately I enjoyed the run. I ran a little over 5 miles, down to Winton Woods and back. The weather was perfect. Cool enough to run in pants and a t-shirt. The sun was still bright and it just felt like fall. Other runners must have realized the perfect weather too because I must have passed at least 5 other runners which I always enjoy. It's like our own crazy fraternity. I realized halfway through my run that I hadn't even set my watch. It was a beautiful night for a great run.

10 more runs to go...