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| Happy smile after my finish! |
It was a beautiful morning, though it was warm already. I remember seeing the temperature sign on my way to meet the SMM's and it was already in the 50's at 5:45am. Of course it was...we had trained in nothing but snow, ice, hail, wind, rain and cold so wouldn't you know it, it was going to be a sunny, warm, outstanding day! Murphy's Law...(I don't know if any of my fellow SMM's know, but my maiden name is Murphy!)
The start was optimistic and exciting. Nervous chatter with each other and we just wanted to get going. Bethany and Ashley asked me if I was going to run with Mirna and I said, yes, though it would be a risk as she is a faster runner than I am and I could end up running alone. I was prepared for that though...it is a race and we each have to know we are running at our own pace and I didn't want anyone to feel like they had to wait for me. We did all concur though that our goal was to finish and no one really wanted to run it all alone. We all started together and away we went! We started fast...about a 9 minute mile for the first mile, which is faster than I can maintain for much longer than about 4 miles. We were still in the 9's the first 4 miles and Mirna and Sarah were pulling away from me while Bethany and Ashley were just behind me. There I was, somewhere in the middle. Mirna came back to me and said she wanted to hang with me and didn't feel like she could keep up with Sarah but by mile 6, she was just fast enough to the point that I just couldn't keep up her pace. I looked at my watch and I was at 56 minutes. Too fast. Mirna high-fived the "6 mile sign" and we separated.
The next 12 miles or about 2 hours were at a much slower pace. I got back into my 10 minute mile or so rhythm and just kept telling myself to slow down. And I had to. Flash back to the weather - It was SO FREAKING HOT! I had to take 2-3 cups of water at every water station and gulp them down. I had a hard time cooling myself and was so frustrated that I was just too warm. I had to walk. A lot. Through every water station and anytime there was even a slight rise in elevation. Or long stretches of nothing but sunny trail...any excuse to walk for 20 seconds. I didn't walk for long stretches of time, just a few seconds even, but it helped to keep me going. I was running alone but had the same group of people around me and everyone was doing the same thing. I didn't feel so bad. And it was fun to chat along the way with others who were in the same boat as I was. Some new people would come from behind and I had lots of nice comments on our SMM shirts. The back of mine says "Run, Mommy, Run!" and I had a lot of people say it was cool or ask about my kids. I loved it - talking about my kids gives me great pride and it helped to pass the time. Others would say that they saw more of our shirts behind me and I would ask how far back the others (Bethany and Ashley) were. I was certain that they would catch me. I looked back for them a lot knowing that the slower I got and the more I walked I would surely see them soon. I was praying for it so I could have my SMM support. Instead, I found something else that I wasn't prepared to see. There, at mile 18, like a mirage in front of me, was Mirna. A sight for my sore eyes - I was ecstatic and woo hoo'd to her like you couldn't believe. However, she didn't appear to be in a woo hoo mood.
Mirna and I finished the last 8.2 miles of the marathon together. We ran, I chatted a little, she didn't say much. We walked, I chatted (a little less), she didn't say much. She wasn't feeling well at all. She told me she was nauseous, had been seeing spots, and was overheated. The heat had hit her hard and she wasn't well. I truly thought I should get a medic for her as I was so worried - I even asked her if she would honestly tell me if she needed medical help. She just wasn't her usual self - she is the one who pulls me along and motivates me to run faster and stronger. She gives me pep talks on long runs when I start to drag and is always encouraging. She pushes me and is right there for me. So we finished together. She told me several times to go ahead and go. Another flash back - to the goal - we just wanted to finish. (Yes, once the rubber hits the road you want to be done in a reasonable amount of time - we all wanted to finish in 4 1/2 to 5 hours - so that was hanging out there). It didn't matter anymore - we just wanted to finish.
We crossed the finish line together at 4:59:08. We looked strong and I am certain I felt better than Mirna, though the first words out of my mouth were "I am never doing that again!" My dad and step mom were there to witness my finish and those words. Hold that thought...
We didn't talk much after the race, just some well-wishes to each other, some "that was totally awful" words and we went our separate ways. We checked in a little the week following and then we celebrated on Saturday, May 21 at Spa Paradiso! Check them out: http://www.spaparadiso.com/. Nothing like a little pampering of the muscles and a little polishing of the toes to help us recuperate! We also got to share all of our experiences from the race - it was so good to decompress and just let it all out to each other. It was mostly good and fun conversation and laughter - the pain from the marathon had already subsided. (Oh, and literally, I had very little pain. I decided to do my first ice bath after the run and was a little sore going down stairs on Sunday and by Monday was fine! Hooray!)
So ok...the happy marathon revisiting only made me more excited to do my next one! Yes, I know...I mentioned above that I would never do it again, but by Monday I said I could probably be talked into doing it again and then by Tuesday I was fully ready to go ahead and plan for another one. Very strange. The torture of it all disappears very soon - sooner than I thought! Not sure when I'll actually take the time to do it though...such a time commitment and hard on the family.
Final thoughts: It was tough to run in the warm weather, so that made me frustrated. I walked more than I wanted, so hit frustration there as well. I am proud of myself for setting a goal and accomplishing it. It's been nice to receive congrats and compliments on my achievement but I don't feel like a super woman or anything extra amazing for doing it. Maybe if I was faster, finished in the front of my age group or was competitive, I would feel like more of a star. I went out a did a long run with my friends, part of it great, part of it stinks and overall, am proud of myself for the length of time and distance I ran. I am glad I did it and finished and couldn't have picked better mamas to train with and finish with. I am proud of all of us and know I couldn't have done it without them. They are the best and I look forward to the next race we train for!
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