Full Marathon...check!
Well, today is Monday and it officially hit me. On Saturday, I ran my first full marathon. Here's a mile by mile recap:
Mile 1-5: Wow, that was fast. My pace feels great, around 9:10. The course is beautiful going over the Arlington Bridge with the statues looking over our race. There are a ton of 1/2 marathon racers, which scares me just a tad.
Mile 5-10: One big hill around mile 6...the rest was uneventful. I'm in awe over the crowd support. I've seen several hugs and kisses from the sidelines to the runners. I cry thinking about how amazing it is to have loved ones supporting the personal joy of running. I wonder why I never think I deserve to have true uncomplicated joy...hmmm...who knows.
Mile 10-13.1: The big signs...half marathon to the left....marathoners to the right. I stay strong to the right. In order to keep from stressing about the distance, I told myself all along, the first 13.1 miles was just a warm-up.
Mile 13.1-20: I'm taking caution and drinking at each water station. I've had 2 Gu's. My stomach feels bloated and yucky. I make one potty break and I'm mad that my time will be affected.
Mile 21: UGH...my stomach is in knots. I swear I will loose all desincy if I don't walk. I'm forced to take a minute walking break. After the short walk to avoid a major accident, my stomach feels much better but my calves are in knots. I have flash backs to the charlie-horse I got in last weeks swim training. I'm scared....everything hurts at this point. I keep running but much slower.
Mile 22-25: This is all just a blur at this point....I'm upset that my hips hurt and my tummy is still in knots. I'm kicking myself because at this point I'm struggling to not get sick on the side-lines. This is what I trained for...I can do this. I look around and everyone is struggling. It's par for the course....I can do this. I keep running.
Mile 25: A sweet lady on the side-lines (who looks like she just finished the 1/2 marathon) is on the sidelines wearing her silver warming blanket. She screams "you can do this...the finishline is just past the stadium around the corner...I PROMISE!" I hear her loud and clear. My legs hear her loud and clear. I kick it in high gear and push myself to the finishline.
Mile 26: There it is...the finish line.... I run as fast as my legs allow. The crowd is muted by my thoughts of the marathon....I did it! 26.2 miles + me = conquered.
I'm struggling to not be disappointed in myself because I had a slower split in the second half...but, it is what it is. I really need to figure out why my tummy acts up. It was not fun struggling after mile 20...especially when I know that was the only thing that kept me slower the last 6 miles.
My favorite part of the race was the end. My sweet friends, Amanda and Samantha, Amanda's mom, and her husband & family waited to watch me cross the finish line. They met me just after coming out of the chute. I had smiling faces and hugs!!! That was the BEST part! They cheered me on, captured pictures and if I had any tears, I would've cried my eyes out. I'm super proud of Amanda and Samantha...they finished their first half marathon! It was only a year ago that Amanda was still pregnant and Samantha feared a 5k...and on 16 March, they both DID IT! <3! I couldn't be happier to be surrounded by such great friends who made it a priority to support each other.
Mile 1-5: Wow, that was fast. My pace feels great, around 9:10. The course is beautiful going over the Arlington Bridge with the statues looking over our race. There are a ton of 1/2 marathon racers, which scares me just a tad.Mile 5-10: One big hill around mile 6...the rest was uneventful. I'm in awe over the crowd support. I've seen several hugs and kisses from the sidelines to the runners. I cry thinking about how amazing it is to have loved ones supporting the personal joy of running. I wonder why I never think I deserve to have true uncomplicated joy...hmmm...who knows.
Mile 10-13.1: The big signs...half marathon to the left....marathoners to the right. I stay strong to the right. In order to keep from stressing about the distance, I told myself all along, the first 13.1 miles was just a warm-up.
Mile 13.1-20: I'm taking caution and drinking at each water station. I've had 2 Gu's. My stomach feels bloated and yucky. I make one potty break and I'm mad that my time will be affected.
Mile 21: UGH...my stomach is in knots. I swear I will loose all desincy if I don't walk. I'm forced to take a minute walking break. After the short walk to avoid a major accident, my stomach feels much better but my calves are in knots. I have flash backs to the charlie-horse I got in last weeks swim training. I'm scared....everything hurts at this point. I keep running but much slower.
Mile 22-25: This is all just a blur at this point....I'm upset that my hips hurt and my tummy is still in knots. I'm kicking myself because at this point I'm struggling to not get sick on the side-lines. This is what I trained for...I can do this. I look around and everyone is struggling. It's par for the course....I can do this. I keep running.
Mile 25: A sweet lady on the side-lines (who looks like she just finished the 1/2 marathon) is on the sidelines wearing her silver warming blanket. She screams "you can do this...the finishline is just past the stadium around the corner...I PROMISE!" I hear her loud and clear. My legs hear her loud and clear. I kick it in high gear and push myself to the finishline.Mile 26: There it is...the finish line.... I run as fast as my legs allow. The crowd is muted by my thoughts of the marathon....I did it! 26.2 miles + me = conquered.
I'm struggling to not be disappointed in myself because I had a slower split in the second half...but, it is what it is. I really need to figure out why my tummy acts up. It was not fun struggling after mile 20...especially when I know that was the only thing that kept me slower the last 6 miles.
My favorite part of the race was the end. My sweet friends, Amanda and Samantha, Amanda's mom, and her husband & family waited to watch me cross the finish line. They met me just after coming out of the chute. I had smiling faces and hugs!!! That was the BEST part! They cheered me on, captured pictures and if I had any tears, I would've cried my eyes out. I'm super proud of Amanda and Samantha...they finished their first half marathon! It was only a year ago that Amanda was still pregnant and Samantha feared a 5k...and on 16 March, they both DID IT! <3! I couldn't be happier to be surrounded by such great friends who made it a priority to support each other.
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