Wahoo! Done-zo! Over! Sayonara Phoenix Marathon 2014! Let me tell you, training for a marathon is a long and dreadfully drug out process in which every muscle, every bone, every tendon in your body at some point or another aches or breaks. With that being said, isn’t running fabulous?!
I think my face says it all in this picture! It was a treacherous 26.2 miles of Phoenix terrain. Actually, the terrain was quite nice. I hear that of most marathons, the Phoenix Marathon is a relatively quick and easy course. It was moreso treacherous because my body decided it was done after 18 miles. I literally watched my pace slow from an average 7:30 minute mile to a 10 minute mile, at which point my legs decided to walk/run the remaining 8 miles. A few contributing factors may have been my complete lack of any sleep the night before, moving to a new house two days prior, my inadequate hydration in the days leading up to and during the marathon, and my mom reiterating the fact that I will most likely fall over and die if I run this race. I’ll admit that last factor stirred up a little anxiety. I vaguely remember my last thought before the gun going off being, “Please, don’t pass out and die!” Thanks mom.
With that being said, I’m not sure if this loving embrace from my mother was an “I’m so proud you finished” or “Holy crap! You’re still alive!” kind of a hug. Either way, it was so great to have my mom in town to support my crazy idea of running my first marathon. I reassured her that this would be my first and only marathon ever. There was no way after crossing the finish line that I would ever, in my right mind, consider doing that again…well, until I woke up the next morning. I awoke that next morning, sore and stiff, deciding that I have to at least run one more marathon to say that I have actually ran a marathon.
The first half of the race was such an amazing experience. First of all, out of all the sunny days a year in Phoenix, the marathon so happened to be on a morning filled with wind and rain. I was a nervous wreck thinking of how cold and wet I would be waiting at the starting line at 4:00 in the morning. What was my biggest worry turned out to be the very best part of the race. The rain began about 20 minutes before the start. I put on my poncho, shivered for a few minutes, turned on my IPod and started running. I felt like a kid playing in the rain. I think at one point I was actually laughing as I was weaving in and out of fellow poncho protected runners. Eventually the rain stopped, the poncho came off, and the rest of the race was clear skies. Seriously perfect scenario.
And what was even more perfect were these two munchkins cheering me on at the end. It was so cute to see how proud of me they were. I really hope that by showing my children how important exercising and taking care of their bodies are, they will develop healthy habits and a genuine love for their bodies. I just love these cute little stinkers.
And I can’t overlook the amazing friends that supported me throughout all the training and the race itself. These three women are stellar athletes and wonderful friends. Thank you for being there for me and encouraging me until the end. Love you gals!
Until next time, I bid you ado crazy marathon!
