During Nana & Bumpa's farewell open house I had the opportunity to pick Candice's brain about her marathon experience. Afterwards, I promised Julie that I would document my experience and share it with the world. So here goes...
I'll start by saying that training was far more frustrating than the actual marathon. I actually started training 3 years ago, but I kept running in to various obstacles. Whether it was injuries, not being accepted to the marathon that I entered, or grad school, I just couldn't seem to find the right training groove. This year I was finally able to figure clear the obstacles, and on October 14th I ran my first (and maybe last) marathon.
The race was on Mt. Desert Island, through Acadia National Park, near Bar Harbor, Maine. Everyone keeps asking why we went all the way across the country to run a race, but if you could just see this place, you would understand why. Everything that you picture Maine to be, this place is it (including the beautiful fall colors and rocky coastal waters). Hope and I left a week before the race and spent a few days in Boston, which we loved, and then a couple of our friends met up with us in New England where we rented a car and drove up the coast. I'll get to the race in a second, but I just have to say how beautiful our cabin was. We all pitched in and rented a cabin that sits right on the edge of a small lake. When we drove up, we couldn't believe what an awesome place we had stumbled across. Thank you internet!
OK, race day. Unfortunately, the conditions were not ideal. My friend Cody and I woke up to around 40 degree temperatures and a big Northeastern rain storm. Cody has run several marathons, and he's always talking about staying positive, so we took the weather in stride (running pun used intentionally, obviously). So we bundled up, put on some emergency ponchos, and headed for the starting line.
While we waited for the gun to go off, I sort of kept my eye on all the other runners, and tried to intimidate them all with my skinny chicken legs. This is one of my few opportunities to use those things to my advantage. During this waiting period I can also neither confirm nor deny that I used someone's front lawn bush as a liquid repository.
So finally, the gun goes off, and we're a herd of crazy people running down the highway. In my first two miles I felt like such a rube when I passed some old guy and crossed in front of him too soon and nearly tripped him. Other than that, I was already having an amazing time. Cody and I had a ton of energy, and we were having a great experience. There are a ton of hills in the course, but I had been training by running all around the University of Utah, a place that is littered with steep and long hills, so that didn't bother me at all.
Cody and I ran a really good first half. We had so much energy, and we were having so much fun with the spectators. I can't really express accurately how much fun it was. My first half time was about 1:50. Needless to say, I was really pleased with that. Especially because I inadvertently lost all of my GU (dietary supplement) by forgetting to zip the pouch on my running belt. Regardless, I was having a blast.
But then a bit of tragedy struck. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had been worrying a little bit about my left knee. It gave me a little bit of trouble on my last long training run, just before I started tapering, but I had hoped that it wouldn't flare up during the race. Unfortunately, this was not the case. By mile 14 the pain in my knee was ridiculous. Cody gave me some Tylenol that he brought with him, but I couldn't keep up with him any more. I gave the Tylenol some time to do it's job, and walked until around mile 15 (during this time another guy who was feeling some pain decided to walk with me, but he was maybe the most negative person in the world, and I knew I needed to get away from him).
So I started running again, and ran off and on until around mile 20. Hope was waiting for me at 18.6, which was a big boost to my energy. It was also a nice opportunity to give her my hoodie which, by this time, weighed an extra million pounds because it was drenched in rain water.
Mile 20 to mile 26 was one of the most frustrating things I have ever been through. I could basically only run about 30 yards at a time. Otherwise I was walking. The pain in my knee was crazy, and it only got worse with every step. On top of that, I knew that the time that I was so proud of at mile 13 was quickly becoming something of the past. Moreover, it was freezing, and raining, and I just kept thinking that my stupid knee was going to keep me in that weather for 45 minutes longer than I should have been in it! Very frustrating!
However, I wasn't going to give up. That was never a thought. I just kept on walking, trying to run, realizing how painful that was, and started walking again. I did this for 6 miles. I met a lot of nice people along the way who all gave me a lot of encouragement, which was really nice.
At mile 26 I decided that no amount of pain was going to have me walking across the finish line, so I started running. I probably looked like a wounded duck, and I doubt it even looked like running, but it sure felt like it! For the last .2 miles I listened to cheers from strangers, and ignored the pain in my knee, and honestly, I almost felt tears as I got to that finish line. Something about a bunch of strangers encouraging you when all you want to do is eat a bagel is kind of emotional.
So I did it. I finished. I kissed Hope at the end, and ate a bunch of snickers bars, and warmed up, and stared at my finishers metal, and drank a free beverage, and took in the whole experience.
I'm really happy I did it. I'm really proud that I finished. I'm really frustrated at my body for making it so difficult, and a little disappointed in my time (4:47). All in all, it was an amazing experience, and now it's someone else's turn to take on the torch and write their own marathon story.
