Utah Valley Marathon!!

My day started at 2AM when my alarm went off. I jumped out of bed, got dressed, double checked all my gear, and went to get my mom and pop for the race. I picked them up and we got to the drop off spot at 3:15 where all the buses were waiting to take us up to the starting lines. They had the half and the whole marathoners going up on different buses, so I had to wish my mom luck and get going. I was able to be on the first bus up there.

On the way up I met a lady around my age who ran Boston this year and was excited for me to be running my first one. She gave me some tips and told me about her marathons. It felt like forever to get to the start of the race. There was a point where the bus driver stopped to call someone to make sure he was going the right way cause it was taking us so long to get there. We eventually got there around 4:15 and they had music going and fire pits to keep us warm. It was really cool seeing all the different people out there getting ready to do the same thing I was about to do. There were a couple of guys that shaved the top of their heads so they looked like they were balding. I heard them talking and I think they said it was a dare or something, but they looked pretty funny. :) There was a kid that had to be around 12 running the marathon. I was really impressed with him, he totally looked like he knew what he was doing. There was a guy in a kilt and an old guy who looked like he'd been doing this for years. I LOVED seeing all the great people.

The weather was nice driving up to the start. There wasn't even a drizzle, but you can tell it rained all night and it was about to pick up again any time soon. After standing around the fire pits for about an hour the rain started coming, it was a light rain, so much so that you couldn't really tell unless you were looking at a light and saw it falling. My toes were wet from standing in the wet grass, but I figured they'd dry after a little while. That was until about 15 minutes before the race started and it the rain came POURING down. I wish I would have thought about it, but the smart people brought ponchos and trash bags to keep them warm and dry. I had my Nike Jacket that was supposed to be water proof, but it failed miserably. I was soaked! The race started around 5:45 and the rain had stopped. It was nice, not an ounce of wind, it wasn't too cold, and the fresh mountain air was awesome.

Mile 1-5 were pretty uneventful. I felt good, it wasn't raining, and there were lots of cows and horses cheering us on. The only thing bothering me were my toes. They were completely numb from being cold and wet for so long, but around mile 4.5 it went away. Adam (my little bro) called around mile 3 to see where I was and the runners around me looked at me like I was nuts, thinking I was talking to myself. Haha! I saw a poor little snake that got trampled by all the runners and a few things of road kill. My goal started out at keeping my pace under 12 minutes. I was doing good. I thought about ditching my coat and camelbak, but I didn't. (In hind sight I probably should have.)

Mile 6-8 were good, I was feeling great even though the rain started coming down again. It was just POURING. My feet were completely drenched. My hair started out straight, but by that time (even with a hood on) my hair became curly. Adam called around mile 8 to see how I was doing, I felt great I was going around an 11 min pace when I got 3-4 little rocks in my shoe. I stopped for a minute, squatted down, emptied my shoe, tied them back up, and stood....UGH....my legs said, "No!! I want to stay down there, no more running!" That's when my legs started hurting. I ignored them and kept going.

Mile 9-10 were a little rough, but I was able to keep my pace under 12.

Mile 11-13 were when my legs started burning. I just kept telling myself, "You're almost half way there! You've done a half marathon before, you can do this! Just till the half way mark...you've got this..." Adam called again around mile 12 to tell me I was doing great and to keep going. It really helped. The crazy thing was, when he would talk to me I was able to go faster and I didn't feel any pain. I got to mile 13, went to the potty and felt good for having taken a little 5 minute break. I was able to pick the pace back up for that mile.

Mile 14-18 were rough... There was a lot of "walk....walk....walk....run.....walk....run..." going on. My legs burned and  my feet hurt from slipping around in wet socks and shoes. My feet felt better when I ran, but my thighs felt better when I walked. My pace was horrible...15-16 minute miles....sad, sad.

At Mile 19 we were out of the canyon. I knew it was a straight shot to the finish line from there. Only 7 more miles to go. "I've done 7 miles before....I can do this..." I picked my pace up to about 13 minute miles. I felt better about that then I did 15-16 minute miles. It was going to take me FOREVER going at that pace.

Mile 20-23 my thighs were just BURNING. They hurt! I just kept telling myself, "Hey, this is nothing compared to having straight Pitocin. Your thighs hurt worse then and you made it though. You can do this! The pain will be over soon." Adam called a couple times during these miles to see where I was. My pace had dropped to around a 14 min mile cause I was still going back and forth with running. Dad called around mile 23 to tell me he was waiting at the bottom of the hill right before the finish line and would be there to run the last little bit with me. That got me pumped and I knew that if I just kept moving (even though it was a pathetic little trot) I would get there and could run with him. I started getting all emotional thinking about it. I just kept telling myself that I needed to concentrate now and when I saw him I could start bawling.

Mile 24-25 I passed the 25 mile sign and saw the hill. It was a pretty short hill, but it was tall. I couldn't figure out which "bottom of the hill" dad would be at, so when I found out he was at the end of the hill it motivated me to move even faster to get over that hill to get to him. I saw him there at the bottom waiting for me, taking pictures. I was excited. The tears didn't come when I met up with him, my mind was determined to finish this thing. My thighs burned, my feet ached, my shoulders were sore...but I kept going.

Mile 26-26.2 I was able to pick up the pace again. Dad ran with me for about a half a mile and then he cut through a parking lot to get a picture of me rounding the corner to the finish line. Mom was waiting at mile 26 and ran with me for a couple hundred yards. Surprisingly I had some energy left and picked up the pace to the finish. Jason, the kids, Gma T, and my parents were all there waiting to see my finish. :)

I crossed the line, got my medal, hugged family, and then started feeling the pain in my feet and legs...OOOH...I was SORE!! The crazy thing was, other than sore legs and feet, I felt 100%. I wasn't huffing and puffing the whole race. Everything besides my legs felt great.

My official time was 5:55:29.7! Yeah, I was slooooow...but I did it. I look at it this way...my next marathon will be an automatic PR. :)

Plus, I'm sure it didn't help that I'm around 6 weeks prego. I knew I was going to get lead legs....Hahaha! That's a good excuse, right? :)