We went to the expo to pick up my packet. But of course our very FIRST stop had to be Starbucks so that Craig could wake up! The expo area was packed with people! This is where I picked up my bib, timing chip, shirt, and info. There were tons of vendors there and it was pretty overwhelming! I bought a really cool shirt as a souvenir for the event.
We stopped at the American Cancer Society booth to check in with them. We put up an "In Memory Of" for Warren. Warren and Tana were truly my inspiration during the race. I thought of them and their pain and it helped me remember what I was enduring was only temporary.
The marathon had an Event Alert System to help communicate to the runners what the conditions were. This sign was at the expo, Saturday, already elevated to "Moderate: Less than ideal condition - Slow down/Be prepared for worsening conditions" About half way through the race on Sunday the conditions were elevated to "High: Potentially dangerous conditions - Slow down/Observe course changes/Follow event official instruction/Consider stopping."Race Morning:
I knew when I stepped out of the hotel lobby and it wasn't even necessary for me to wear my long sleeve t-shirt over my race clothes, that it was going to be warm. I was able to meet up with Sarah and Eric before I got into my starting area with the 9:00/mile pace group. The starting area was SO packed with people. I was touching at least 3 other people at all times before the race started! It was horrible! There was definitely no room for stretching. (Not that I would, that is what the first 5 miles are for!)
The race started right on time and in the very first mile we went under a long underpass. Unfortunately, my watch lost satellite signal and was short by .30 for distance the whole race. I think the time also got delayed. So I was a little disappointed with that, but in all reality, I didn't use my watch a whole lot. I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be telling my body how fast to go, but it would be my body that determined my pace. It was just so warm. I stayed with the pace group the first couple miles but they moved very fast through the water stations. I skipped a water station just to try to catch up with them, but weaving in and around people takes a lot of energy. I wore my fuel belt which carried 32 ounces of water and by the end of the race I was trying to squeeze every drip out of them.
One of the best memories is meeting another ACS runner before the start. She was also running for a co-worker's spouse who had recently lost their battle with cancer. She seemed very nice and very nervous to try to keep up with the 4 hour pace group. We started together and then ran into each other several different times during the race. When we met up at mile 16 not even close to the pace group, I told her our average pace was around 9:40. We both agreed that our time was no longer our goal, but just finishing.
The crowd was amazing! There was 26.2 miles of people on both sides of the street and sometimes in the median shouting, cheering, blowing horns, ringing cow bells, holding signs, anything to cheer us on. I got the biggest boost when someone would yell, "Go ACS!" It would make me smile and I would wave or throw an arm in the air. Many runners put their name on the front of their shirt so they could be cheered for specifically. I ran next to a Jose for several miles and he definitely got a lot of cheers.
The volunteers were amazing as well. There was supposed to be 20 aid stations, but I think more might have been added due to the heat. At just about every aid station I drank a cup of Gatorade, sipped some water and dumped the rest on my head. We got sponges soaked in cold water and they were helpful in cooling off. A couple of stations offered cups of ice cubes. It felt so great to put one in my mouth! I put a cube in my shirt and the rest in my hat. I don't think it took very long for them to melt.
Craig, Sarah, and Eric were able to see me at mile 2, 12, and 26. The only time I saw them was at mile 26. There is a gradual hill right before the 26 mile mark and once I made it to the top I heard my name! I saw Craig, Sarah, and Eric and I was SO happy! They were basically standing on the last corner before the finish line. Once I turned that corner and saw the finish, I was very emotional. So much went into that moment. Not only was I finally able to be DONE with this race, but all the training, all the reasons I was running just hit me. It was great.
I looked at my unofficial times for the race. Total time was 4:38:00. I was very surprised to see that my time at 13.1 miles was 2:05. This is only 5 minutes off pace. My body really felt pretty bad the whole race. I didn't realize that I wasn't too far off pace for the first half. However, after the half way point my mile splits got longer and longer. Once I saw the conditions had worsened and people all around me were walking more frequently, I knew that I needed to run a smart race. I started walking through the water stations. I had to get off on the side once to stretch my quad. My right quad really started cramping and it surprised me because I have never had a problem like that before. Usually if anything cramps, it is my calves. I knew I needed to listen to my body, but it was saying that I was thirsty the whole time!
After the race I met up with Sarah, Eric, and Craig at the ACS tent. Craig greeted me with a rose! Craig was very happy to see me, he had been so worried. When he saw me at mile 12 he knew that I didn't look good. Sarah said that it looked like I was just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. So for the next 14 miles Craig was worried that I would over-exert myself or get hurt. I was able to get changed out of my clothes and get some more water and shade at the ACS tent. My stomach was very upset. I think I just had too much Gatorade and Gu on my stomach without any real food to offset the sugar. My body from the waist down hurt to touch, like a bruise for the first 12 hours. The greatest pain came about 36 hours after the race and even ibuprofen didn't help. By Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling MUCH better! Overall, I can't really complain about how my body endured the race. I had two tiny chafe marks in my armpits and only one purple toenail. My body has a while to completely repair from all the micro-tears and I am happy to have at least 26 days of resting.
The question has been asked, "Will you run another marathon?" and the answer is..."No...at this point." If you asked me during the race I would have screamed NO!! But I have a tiny bit of competitiveness with myself and I KNOW that I could have run a better race in cooler conditions. I might not have made my goal of 4 hours, but I know I would have been able to enjoy the race. I wasn't going slow so that I could enjoy the race, I was going the fastest pace my body would allow me to go in the heat. My biggest disappointment is that I was in pain and not achieving my main goal of having fun.
A few hours ago I realized that Craig's commencement and the Indianapolis Mini-marathon are on two different weekends in May, so I will be able to give the mini another shot a third year in a row! Only 6 months away!
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