All done!!! It was painful but worth it.
Some kind of weird pose
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| This medal is heavy |
Around 4 am I send out a fundraising update to my friends. I hope folks who've been procrastinating go ahead and give now that I've sent out the link. Hop in the car and get dropped off by 6am. Look for the starting line, drop off my things and it's time to start. This is so amazing, there are so many people here. I feel like i'm in a mosh pit or something. So around mile 2 of the marathon, I thought, wow this feels easy. I'm going to totally beat my personal record for the marathon. Everything kept going well until about mile 6. I started thinking wow, it's a lot of work keeping this nice "easy" pace. Shouldn't it be a bit easier? Then I passed the 99 cents store(my favorite store in the whole world) and they were giving out water bottles. Another reason for me to absolutely love them.
Around mile 12, I started feeling tired. My toes were hurting on both feet and my right leg was hurting a little. If I'm feeling tired at mile 12, what's going to happen later I thought. Nevertheless I resolved that around mile 18 I would try to pick up the pace so I could beat my record. Around mile 14 I started noticing that it was taking me longer to reach the next mile. Was I already slowing down? No!! I tried to fight back and go a little quicker but it was a lost cost. By mile 16 it was clear that my pace was slowing down. I kept stopping to take sips of water, but it didn't seem to help. I just got an ache in my side from drinking too much water. Also I started feeling all the bananas and granola bars and oranges I'd been collecting, stuck in my throat. NO MORE food and water I resolved. I threw away my water bottle and decided to focus on the race. Wow isn't it amazing what a little focus can do? I felt like I was flying and I was life was good. Maybe i'll finally start making up some time. Oh well. Wait is that another water bottle, and an orange? Water and oranges are good. Runners need to stay hydrated after all. But no more granola bars. Everyone needs limits, and I've just reached mine. But healthy snacks like oranges and bananas, and energy gel, because you need energy. Isn't it almost mile 20? Oh my goodness where is mile 20? Is this a hill again. They better not make us go through that ridiculous 4 mile long hill called the VA. That will just be mean since we already had so many hills during the "easy" first 6 miles. Where is mile 20! Seriously. I need to try and motivate myself to finish strong for the last 6 miles which I can't do if they keep moving the mile marker around. That's just cruel and unusual treatment.
Ok forget mile 20. It's obviously hiding, my first phone is now out of battery so I need to refocus. It's too hot to refocus and I should have passed mile 20 by now. I'm sure I've passed mile 20. Ok didn't my friend tell me she's going to be cheering at mile 23? I better start looking for her so I can run and wave and look energetic. But is that in 2 miles or 3 miles? This is getting really frustrating. Oh look it's mile 22. Mile 23 will be here before you know it. That wasn't so bad. Wait are we going uphill again? Who plans these courses? How can you fit all these hills in one race? Maybe if you had less hills, you would need less medical tents. I'm just saying.
Where is mile 23? I've been really patient and I think I deserve to see one friend cheering for me. I've worked really hard despite these mile markers been moved around just when I'm getting close to them. Oh look at all these people in purple, she likes purple she has to be part of this group. But nobody is calling my name. Maybe the next group of purple. Where is the next group of purple? I mean how far can mile 23 be from mile 22, it should just be right here. I haven't left the course or anything. Where is mile 23?! Oh here is a group of purple this has to be it. Yay we've spotted each other. She gives me the biggest hug and smile, takes away my heavy water bottle and gives me a cute little bottle that is easy to hold without even slowing my running(walking) down. That's a dedicated friend.
Everyone says that once you pass mile 24 it's downhill. Which is only fair because they snuck in way more hills than was necessary for one race. Where is mile 24, I passed mile 23 a pretty long time ago and I don't see any downhill yet. I'm walking again, I should be running negative splits. I can't do it. That's it. I'm going to stop now and write a letter about this mile marker issue. After all my hard work and training to be treated like this is a great injustice. I totally meant to run 20 miles 2 weeks ago, but I was just a teensy bit tired and stopped at mile 16. That probably has nothing to do with why I'm tired now. I'm sure it's them, it's a conspiracy. What is that pace group that is passing me by? Is that the slow group I left behind 10 miles ago. They must not pass me. No, no, no. Oh no they are passing me. Why is that man yelling at me? Is he a coach? Why does he think I can run, can't he see I'm TIRED. He keeps yelling" You are not limping, you can run, stop walking, it's a race not a walk". That's just insensitive. After everything I've been through getting yelled at mile 24 is not ok. But maybe I'll just try to start running again. After all, even though my legs hurt a little I can't really say it's that bad and I'm not limping. Oh I'm running maybe I can leave this slow group behind once I start running really fast. I'll show them. Who are they to judge me? They are the slow ones not me. After all I did leave them behind 10 miles ago. They only caught up to me because of the mile marker issue.
I can't go faster. My legs feel so heavy. Is this how it ends, will this slow group just leave me at mile 25? I'm so close to finishing. Where is my second wind, where is this downhill that is around the corner everyone keeps mentioning? Why do they have people come cheer for you and they keep promising you things? Oh does she have a banana, I need a banana. Maybe these volunteers aren't bad. Where is mile 26? I have to finish, I'm so close. I can't beat my personal record but I need to finish strong. I need to be ready for the picture so I'm running and smiling. Marathon photos are forever you know. Is that the finish line? Why is it so far away? Shouldn't it be closer? Ok I will just run a little more. I can do it. I've done it. I've finished the marathon!! That was amazing. Who knew? Maybe I should do it again next year.
