The joke of the LR marathon goes something like, "Hills? What hills?" That's not funny people! The second half has some major uphill climbs in it to say the least. We passed the halfway point and I guess there is just something mental about knowing you are now fully committed to finishing once you pass that point of no return. The 3 of us girls chugged away up the hills, winding through the different neighborhoods. We passed the Governor's mansion at one point and gave a shout out to Governor Beebe who was watching us from his yard:) Around mile 14 I decided I wasn't having too much fun anymore! The pace was faster than I had trained at, and we weren't running at all the way I had trained period. I had been giving myself short walk breaks every two miles during training, and at this point we had only stopped about twice for just about 15-20 seconds or so each. That combined with the huge hills we were climbing really started to wear me out. I started to fall behind Debbie and Liz a bit. I know they didn't want to leave me, but I had told Debbie beforehand that she better run her best race with or without me, so I waved them on ahead. I had figured this would happen at some point, so I wasn't too concerned. And then it was only me.
Miles 14, 15 and 16 are all uphill with not really much break at all. You just keep going up and up and up. I was really thirsty too, and there was no water station in sight. A little blue jolly rancher saved my life at this point! Some spectator in his yard was handing out candy as we passed, and that one little piece of candy kept my mouth from getting too dry, and gave me some much needed sugar too. I was so happy with that candy!! We finally topped the hill and got to come down just a bit. The problem was that it was a really steep downhill, and that was really hard on my bad knee and quads to keep from running too fast and falling on my face. The downhill part was almost as painful as the uphill! I carried on and was really looking forward to seeing Silas at the bottom of the hill for a mental boost heading into the long out and back section of the course.
No such luck. I learned later that he tried to get there but they had all the roads blocked off and he had to turn back. I thought I had missed him somehow and that made me very sad. I got a little emotional at that point. I was really tired of running, my legs were killing me, I was disappointed at not seeing Silas, and I was all by myself. And there were still
8 more miles to go! I continued on and tried to think of positive thoughts to distract myself. My pace was still good, but I was really tired. I had my ipod but never even turned it on. I felt a little better after reaching mile 20, since that meant I was farther than I had ever run before, and getting closer to the end. This part was so hard mentally because you run out for about 2.5 miles and then back, and while you are heading out you see everyone on the other side already coming back. I really wished I was over there with them quite a few times! After what seemed like an eternity I hit the turn around point and started the long 5+ miles back to the finish line.
At this point I was exhausted and a little delirious. I prayed off and on to just get to the end. I kept asking God to renew my strength and to run and not be weary. After the race I was talking to my dad on the phone and he told me that was the same verse he had been praying over me continually for the past hour or so. I definitely felt it while I was running. I decided at this point to run a mile and walk for a few seconds as I passed each mile marker. The weird part is that walking was almost more painful than running. My legs were all crampy and stiff, so I tried not to walk too long. I needed it more for a mental break than a physical break. The water stations were great and I started eating orange slices and pretzels at this point. I really needed the salt! I think miles 20-23 were the absolute hardest for me, physically and mentally. I was so far from the end it felt, exhausted, and alone. Thank goodness for that mental toughness and praying which is all that got me through that part! I started to feel better after mile 23 because 3 miles doesn't seem that far to go after you have already run 23! I was pretty happy by mile 24 since I knew that I would break 5 hours even if I walked quite a bit from here on out. There were two little hills in mile 25, which were no fun at all. But I was soooo close to the end I didn't care! I could hear the crowd cheering at the finish line, and there was an announcer with a microphone calling out your name and encouraging you on with about a quarter mile to go. I have a little obsession with finishing a race hard and strong, so I actually managed to sprint it in at the end. That and the fact that I just wanted to hurry up and quit running already!!
And I really wanted that giant medal too! I was SOOO happy to cross that finish line I can't even express it. I have put so many hours and days and months of training into this event, and to see it accomplished was just huge. Of course I thought I was going to literally die the minute I stopped running. My legs felt like stiff bricks and I worried I might fall over if I wasn't careful. The end was all very organized and I got my timing chip removed from my shoe, got my medal around my neck, my snacks, and warm blanket all very easily and quick. They took pictures of us with our medals too. It is hard to smile when you think you might die! I saw Silas and slowly made my way over to him and the boys, where I promptly collapsed to the ground. I was so happy to not be on my legs anymore! I drank my chocolate milk and rested for a bit before we got up and headed for the car. It was quite a day for sure! I will wrap up my thoughts on running later once I finish processing. Oh yes, my unofficial time is 4:43:19 at this point. I stopped my Garmin when I had run 26.2 miles though! I ended up running closer to almost 26.5 I think. So with that being said, I am very happy to have accomplished my goal of finishing in under 5 hours, and even under 4:45!!! No regrets at all:) I am a
Marathoner!!!!
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