St. George Marathon IN WORDS

THE LONG VERSION:

At the Expo: Pointing out the finish- my mission. =)

The Start Line: Lined with flags and bright lights, it was an exhilarating scene!

Here is the link to the "professional" marathon pictures: http://www.marathonfoto.com/ (Lundell: 5912) Note: The pictures taken by my sweet family are in the previous blog post.

It wasn’t at all as hard as I thought it would be. It wasn’t miserable. It wasn’t defeating. I loved it. I loved the WHOLE experience and I felt great for the entirety of the race.

IN THE BEGINNING:

My sister-in-law's family owns a condo down in St. George and we were lucky enough to have it as the pow-wow location for the weekend. Thursday night, Whitney and Eric headed down from Logan, stopped in Ogden and picked up Tim, stopped in Salt Lake and picked up me, and then we crashed at Mom's house in Spanish Fork. We woke up early Friday morning and headed down to St. George. Katie and Dave left from California around the same time (sort of...well, actually, hours later.) I felt so sick for the bulk of the day. I was as nervous as could be. Tim went down to the expo with me to pick-up my bib and race info. Then we headed to the grocery store so I could make dinner for my little band of support. We ate at 4:30... nice and early. Of course, anyone who has followed my training knows how uncooperative my insides can be when it comes to running. (Abinadi, I'm sorry. It's part of the story. I have to add it.) I tried to go to bed at 10:30 but honestly, I hardly slept all night. I remember looking at my phone at 1:00, then again at 2:00, and I got out of bed at 3:30 to catch the 4:00 bus. (Early riders were put in a drawing for a lot of prizes of which I didn't win one.)

ON THE BUS:

Once I got on the bus, I struggled to force a banana down. I was so nervous! On the way up, I sat by a cute runner who, although didn't look intimidating at all and was 41, ended up finishing the race in 3:18:00 despite her claimed "poor training." She was so excited for me and laughed at how nervous I was as she watched me give up trying to tie my shoes because my hands were shaking too much to perform the simple task. I couldn't to it! I remember in high school lining up on the track line and feeling that serge of nervousness waiting for the gun to go off. This was 100 times worse. But in high school, the nerves were all about the competition. With this, it was more about what I knew I was going to go through physcially, I guess. Perhaps I was a little scared I wouldn't finish but mostly I was just nervous about the physical aspect- what I would endure. I think I waited up at the start line for two hours but it felt like no time at all. I chatted with runners about training and prepared for the race by vasolining up my thighs, arms, etc. I also tried, unsuccessfully, to snack a bit. Happily, I ran into Chris, who was mostly responsible for getting me into this pickle called a marathon. I had texted him in March after my first 2 mile run and reported my progress that whole month. So, it was nice to see him at the start line. I found my roommate Jessi just 15 minutes before the gun. She was a great distraction because from the moment I met up with her, my nervousness left. I'm not sure why, but I was just really comforted to have her with me.

THE RACE:

The gun went off and Jess and I decided to strip off our "warm" clothes. Typically, the temperature is 45 degrees up at the start line but this year was it was the warmest in the history of the race. It couldn't have been less than 55 up at the start and was pushing 80 at the finish line. Jessi and I hugged good-bye and suddenly I was through the chute and running. I had been counseled by veteran runners to hold back for the first 6 miles and after that, feel free to push the pace. Knowing there was a long hill at mile 7, I thought I would take it easy and not try to push a pace until after I survived the formidable hill I had been warned of. It was funny to notice runners around me who were wheezing only 2 miles in. I couldn't believe it. Did they know this was a marathon? I didn't break a sweat or feel any elevated breathing until the hill. I was intensely focused on relaxing and taking it slow because as good as I may feel for 10 miles, when mile 15 comes around, pain and discomfort tend to surface no matter what. Beside that, I had never, in my long runs, ever made it past 15 miles without hitting a wall and pretty much falling apart in hunger, fatigue or pain. So, really, all I could hope for was only 11 miles of pain and discomfort and possibly walking. Knowing that the temperature was predicted to be high, I was diligent about taking fluid at every aid station. Usually, I took both Gatorade and water. Ironically, Jessi and I found ourselves falling into pace with each other by mile 3 or 4. Then came Veyo, that formidable hill. Yes, it was difficult. My thighs felt it and my breathing became labored for the first time. Once past the hill it took my legs about a mile to recover. I was able to push into a good pace by mile 9 and in my mind, the race was just beginning. These next miles were miles of maintaining a slightly uncomfortable pace. I hit the half point and was pleased with how well I felt. Throughout the course of the race I took three gels, even though I HATE them SOOOO much. I think they really helped. I came to mile 16 feeling as good as ever. My eyes searched the patch of spectators in this designated cheering zone for Tim and Dave. Then, immediately to my left came a shout from my brother Eric. To my surprise, Whitney, Eric, Tim, Dave, and Katie had come up to mile 16 to cheer for me! It's so energizing to have someone there yelling for you. Beside that, I couldn't believe how good I felt. (I keep saying that.) I practically became giddy. Once you get to only having 10 miles left, things are not so intimidating. Almost anyone can run 10 miles…. And well, that’s all I had left and the only thing I was feeling was generalized fatigue in my legs (but nothing overwhelming) and some developing aching in my ankles. I felt great! That giddiness carried me though the next four miles. I was upbeat and encouraging those around me. We watched runners start dropping like flies along a hill at mile 18. People were stretching, dry heaving, or walking. Jess and I pushed on all the way to the top of the hill. There was a man that had set up a mister by the side of the road with pvc pipe and his hose. It felt DIVINE! Suddenly, I was at mile 20 and I felt like the “race” hadn’t really started yet… rather, the hard part I was expecting hadn’t started yet… And now, I only had a 10K left! At this point, several steep downhill segments of road were traversed. It’s weird having legs too tired to take advantage of a good downhill stride. I’d take downhill over uphill any day but these hills were really steep and they woke up an ache in my ankles that had been developing since mile 15. (No knee pain, though.) It was kind of tiring putting on the brakes to prevent me from pounding down the hill without any control. At mile 21-22 I saw my family again. There was Tim and Dave hooting and hollering for me. Only 4 miles left. The expectation of a finish line made things begin to feel really drawn out. Yes, I was feeling tired at this point. 3 miles left. I came down a hill and rounded a bend to see St. George below. I couldn’t believe the race was pretty much run. If I walked all the way to the finish line, I would still make decent time. 2.5 miles left. I see my family spread out along SR-18 right as the crowds get thick. There was Whitney in the distance holding up that sign as high as she could with those "go-go-gadget arms." =) Eric ran beside me for 200 yards or so telling me how impressed he was and that I looked strong. My mom called out, "I love you!" ...multiple times. It was and is really sweet to feel so much support from everyone. At this point, Jess starts pushing the pace up. It scares me. The last thing I want to do is push for a mile and have to walk the finish line because of fatigue. I notice my legs are REALLY tired. As I try to push the pace more I discover how tired they actually are. They won’t go faster. Finally, mile marker 25. Only 1.2 to go. Really? I just ran 25 miles? I’m still running? I’m not crying or whimpering? I can actually smile. I’m running through the city center now, my eyes searching for the finish line but I can’t find it. How many turns do I have left? I’m passing runners that are walking and getting passed by runners who have kick left. I have no kick. I’m content to steadily cross the line at my pace. A high school band is situated on the corner. I feel a wave of energy from the loud music and cheering. I smile and pick up my pace, round the corner and see it. Four blocks away is the finish line. There on the left side of the road is my family, again. Screaming and cheering in the “Make It Work” t-shirts Katie made. Katie steps out from the crowd. She’s teary-eyed and telling me how proud she is of me. She strides with me for a few paces as she encourages me on. Just me and the finish line now. I enter the finishing chute. The crowd is very loud. I start clapping and I’m smiling. I didn’t think I’d be smiling. I thought I’d be miserable. I’m near giggling. I hear the announcer call my name. I finish in 4:06:48, a 9:25 mile pace. I’m satisfied. Jess and I walk through the misters. I’m so completely satisfied and my expectations were surpassed one-hundred fold. We are medaled with a finisher’s medal. I was alive and walking. I didn’t collapse. I couldn't believe it! I ran a marathon and I enjoyed myself the whole time! Can't wait to do it again!