Ogden Marathon 2012

I ran a marathon.  It was amazing beyond belief.  I want to remember every moment of the run, so here's a recap.

I went to bed way too late gathering my things, couldn't get to sleep because of pre-race jitters and my brain imagining every possible scenario of race-day, and then my alarm went off at 3:20 a.m.  I hopped in the car, picked up my sisters, Steph & Lori, and my girl, Kalie, and drove to Ogden where we met up with the masses of other crazy early risers who make us feel so much less crazy for putting ourselves through all of these early running hours, cold temperatures, and running pains.  We loaded a bus and drove to the start line.  As we drove further and further and further, I kept wondering how in the world I was going to be able to run all the way back.  What a long ride!

We waited in the 36 degree weather at the start line for about an hour before the race started.  I was so badly shivering with cold and nerves that I decided to keep my jacket during the run, a decision I regretted two miles into the race when the sun came out and I had my jacket tied around my waist for the entire run.  I would have ditched it on the side of the road had it not been my absolute favorite jacket.

The minutes close to 7:00 rolled around, and we made our way with the masses to our individual pace groups.  Saying goodbye and good luck to Kalie and Lori made me nervous, and I ran every step with them on my mind, wondering how they were doing.  I lined up with Steph with the 4:15 group.  Then we were off!

As we began running, I was struck by the beauty of the experience.  The early misty morning air.  The rocky hills around us.  The masses of bouncing runner's heads that completely filled the road ahead of us as far as I could see.  It was all so beautiful!

My strategy for the run was to stay by Stephanie's side.  This was her 4th marathon and I relied on her experience to get me through the training and race day.  She was my vet and my rock.  I cannot imagine running 26.2 miles without her.

My fueling strategy was to carry a clif bar and sport beans in my hands, munching them along the way.  Steph and I were also going to walk through every water stop to hydrate.  I ate so much that morning because I was terrified of running out of energy!

At mile 2, I admitted to Steph that I my hip was hurting with every step I took, but I was going to try not to complain about it.

At mile 7, we ran a section of road that wound around a field of horses.  We could see a stream of runners ahead of us, and the horses were running with us.  They came right up to the fence by us, looked at us, and then raced off ahead, as if to say, "You runners are awesome, but we're still faster than you!"  They looked like they were having so much fun!

The time began to move, and I was surprised at how quickly the miles ticked off.  The first 13 were practically a breeze.  We kept the 4:15 Pacer's balloons in sight until we stopped at the bathrooms at the halfway point.  We made a quick stop, but never saw those darn balloons again.

It was at that point, as we started up again, that I realized how much pain I was in.  My whole body was tired and much more sore than I hoped I would be this early in the race.  My injured leg hurt so much to start running again that I probably should have stopped.  But I didn't want to.  So I kept running.  I knew that if I could just get going that I would be able to finish.  I just couldn't stop to walk again.  That meant that I jogged slowly through the remaining water stops, and I sloshed Poweraid down my face and clothes every time.

Mile 17 was one of my hardest.  It was hilly, sunny, and seemed to go on forever.  During this mile, we chatted with a guy who was running his 41st marathon, his 3rd this year.  He is doing another one in three weeks.  It was an inspirational little push to get me to the 18 mile mark.

We passed the 18 mile marker, crossed the dam, and headed down the canyon.  It was beautiful beyond belief, but Steph and I both found it difficult to swith to downhill running.  My quads started burning at this point.  Steph didn't say anything about it, but her knee started to really hurt her with the downhill.  Good thing it wasn't very steap for very long.

I did a little dance inside when I passed the 20-mile mark.  It had previously been the farthest I had ever run.  Everything that was left was a PR in my book.

At mile 21, I found myself thinking, "I am almost done with my first marathon!  I cannot believe that I only have 5 miles left.  I can't believe I'm almost done."

At mile 23, we came out of the canyon and ran on a hilly greenbelt the last three miles back into Ogden.  Steph began to tire out.  She continued out plan to walk through the water stops.  I couldn't stop running, and found myself getting a few steps ahead of her.  I thought about continuing on without her to the end, but stopped myself.  We were in this together.  We had run every step together, and we were going to finish together.  She caught up, and we continued on our way together.

The route from here to the end was packed with people on the sidelines cheering on the runners.  Our names were printed on our bibs, and it was such an awesome little boost to hear someone I didn't know call out my name and cheer me on individually.  They have no idea how much they helped me to the finish line.

Mile 25 was the hardest and the longest.  I had carried food in my hand the entire way and still had a bag of sport beans and a small clif bar.  My hands were swollen, and I thought about tossing them at the 25-mile water stop, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  What a waste, I thought!  But at 25.5, I just couldn't hold them anymore.  I tossed them on the side of the road!  And then I cheered myself for making a frivolous and wasteful decision!

The course turned the final corner, and I rejoiced when I saw the finish line.  Steph and I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand at 4:25.  It was 10 minutes off our goal, but I knew that we had both given everything we had, and I am as proud as can be of that finish time.  I had a feeling of overwhelming glee to have just finished my first marathon!  Amazing!

Then I made it through the little finisher's shoot to the grassy area, lied down on the grass and didn't move for an hour while we waited for Lori to come in.  During that time, I got the chills (a lot like I do after I have a baby...in fact, I can compare the whole experience to labor!), and my whole body set up.  My legs have been more sore than they ever have been in my life (do you remember the burning quads on the downhill?), and my silly injury is pretty bad.  I fought nausea from the pain of walking and ended up in the medics tent, which made me feel like a total pansy.

I also got really emotional.  It took so much out of me that I couldn't think about the experience, my sisters and their hard work, Kalie and her successes, my friend Lindsay who showed up to cheer me on (even though I never found her) without choking up.  It is a truly soul-reaching experience.

But I finished.  I'm glad I did it, even though the past three days of recovery have been some of my hardest ever.  Thank goodness for my wonderful parents who have watched my children while I have been practically immobile!  I think I would have always wondered and regretted it if I had decided not to do it, even though it definitely wasn't the best thing for my leg.  I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.  Thank you to everyone who made it possible for me.
And I can't wait to do another one.