Another day, another marathon

I have wanted to run the St George marathon for a while because I have heard so many good things about it and it is a nationally known marathon. The down side is that you can't get in without either being a veteran runner of it or entering a lottery. I always hated the idea of paying money up front to enter the lottery, so I never did it. However, this year I decided that it was worth it so I signed myself and my brother up for the lottery. A few days later, the lottery was done and we got in! I was really excited. I started training for it soon after running the Ragnar relay in June. I decided that I wanted to really work on my speed and try to get the fastest marathon time of my career, since my training time was improving a little and I felt like I had a little momentum after the Ragnar. That is until I went to Lake Powell for a week. I lost all momentum and when I started to run again (ended up being 12 days after my last run), I felt like I was starting my training all over again. It was slow and steady but it started to feel good again after a few weeks.

About 6 weeks before the marathon I started to have terrible shin pain and had to start resting more during the week. It ended up forcing me to do only 2, sometimes 3 runs each weeks so that I had ample time after each run to recover. My left shin hurt so bad somedays that I could barely walk on it without limping around. I tried stretching (which I generally never do), I tried icing it frequently and taking ibuprofen on a scheduled basis to keep up with the inflammation and pain. I was afraid that I was going to have to stop running completely. I had to rest the entire week leading up to the half marathon in Logan. I was scared to run it but I think the week of resting really helped and I was able to run the half in great time. After the half I tried to get right back into training but that was harder than it had ever been. I just kept getting more and more nervous about it and dreading my runs more and more because they hurt so much. I looked up lots of information on shin splints and have even tried to change my running style/technique, all in an effort to eliminate the problem. Although I still have no idea what the problem actually is.

Two weeks leading up to the marathon, I had to cut out all mid week runs and shorten my long runs. I was struggling physically and mentally with running. I had already paid for the marathon so there was no way I was gonna back out, and I knew that I could finish it, it was just a matter of time.

Friday, September 30 we headed down to St George with Shayne and Chalise. Once we got there we picked up our packets, ate dinner and headed to the hotel for some shut eye, very little shut eye. We had to wake up at 4:30am to get ready and leave. A van picked us up at the hotel and drove us to the finish line. When we got into the van, it said that it was 81 degrees! At 5:00am! Can you imagine? We loaded onto buses at the finish line and they took us up to the starting line.

There were so many people! I have never run a race that has this many people running it, it was crazy. There was lots of flashing lights, spot lights, enormous lines to an endless line of toilets, etc... We headed right for the toilets and it's a good thing we did because we barely made it. I finally got into a toilet and realized that the one that I got in to didn't have a lock on it. So, I had to hold the door closed while I did my business. Then the tricky part came when I realized there was no toilet paper on the roll, just a roll of toilet paper sitting near the toilet. So, with one hand still holding the door closed, I had to try to unroll toilet paper with the other hand and use it. All while trying to keep the door closed. It was rough but I got it all done and out of there just as the gun went off for the start of the race.

We aligned ourselves with the pacer to finish in 4:15. The first part of the race was really good, we made really good time. I was thinking it was going to be a really good race. At mile 6 we started heading down into Veyo and could see the dreaded Volcano and it's climb that comes just after mile 7. We had caught up to the pacer for 4:00 at this time and we decided that if we could keep ahead of this guy past the top of the hill we would be in good shape. That hill was rough and I am pretty sure Shayne paced us up most of the hill. It was like climbing a really steep mountain. It felt like everyone was going at a snails pace and even though we were running, we didn't seem to be moving up the hill at all. Finally at the peak it starts to level out a little bit and gets much easier, but you realize how much energy you have just expended to get up that blasted hill. We were able to stay ahead of the 4:00 pacer so I thought we were in great shape. But by mile 10 we had slowed down quite a bit, and the 4:00 pacer paced us. I also had to stop for the bathroom so I told Shayne to keep going and I would just try to catch up with him. Luckily I was able to catch up with him about a 1/2 mile later and we continued to run together. I never thought I liked running with other people but sometimes it is really good to have a partner that can pull you along at times and vice versa. It seems easier to keep going when someone else is with you.

Around the half way mark I looked at Shayne and said, "Come on, we're losing a lot of speed. We have to pick it up." And he replied, "This is my pace!" I started to pull ahead a little, thinking that he would stay with me, but he didn't. So I moved forward alone. I didn't want to but I felt like if I didn't keep up a certain pace then I was going to lose it all and just start walking. In the time that I have been trying to improve my time, I have also adopted a new theory: No matter how bad it hurts, if you run faster, the pain is over faster. If you run slower, it just drags out the pain. So I continued. I still had quite a bit of momentum and the course was generally nice to me. I was trying my hardest to stay ahead of that 4:15 pacer since that was my goal time. But I also knew that there was one last hill to conquer at mile 18 and then 8 more miles after that. I got to mile 17 and started losing the mental game. Although my body felt pretty good, my mind just wanted to be done already. It was a battle for the rest of the race.

By mile 18, it felt like it was 9,000 degrees outside and no matter how much water and gatorade I would drink at each aid station (I was literally downing 2 glasses of gatorade and 1 glass of water at each station. Along with a banana and several orange slices for the road), a half-mile later, I was thirsty and had cotton mouth. They also had misters/showers set up which were absolutely glorious to run through, but nothing relieved me from the heat that was blaring down on the pavement. By the last few miles, not only was I running through the showers, running next to all the kids that were squirting me with water bottles, and drinking like a camel, I was also dumping buckets of water on myself and eating free popsicles and ice cubes whenever I could get them. It was the crazy hot!

At mile 21, after walking almost all of the way up the hill at mile 18 and stopping to walk for a few minutes after every aid station, the 4:15 pacer caught up to me and passed me. I was disappointed because I knew there was no way that I was going to be able to keep up with him. Believe me, I thought about it for a minute after I saw him pass me. It just wasn't going to happen. Then I thought to myself, as I always do near the end of the race, "I am going to finish the marathon and it doesn't really matter how long it takes me because I AM RUNNING 26 FREAKING MILES!" After that it was just about finishing for me. I still wanted to get a decent time, but it didn't really matter. I struggled the rest of the race, switching between running and walking. It was awesome to reach the last few miles and have so many spectators along the route, it helped me run a little more than I think I would have otherwise.

At mile 24, there was a live band playing from the high school. The song, "Sweet Caroline." The mood, amazing! It made me shout, "So good, so good" at the top of my lungs and gave me the energy to make it to the finish line!

I have never seen a finish line like this before. It was a solid wall of people for the last 1/2 mile and I didn't think there was any way that I was going to see or hear Trisha in the crowd as I passed her. But I did and she cheered me on and I crossed the line!

Me about a 1/4 mile from the finish line

Me with the finish line in the background

Shayne nearing the finish line

Once I crossed the finish line, I stayed under the water sprayer for a minute and it felt so good. I proceeded to the runners area, where I ate an ice cream sandwhich, a rocket popsicle, had a few glasses of cold water, a large glass of soda, some more glasses of gatorade and a second popsicle! I had to keep sitting down on the grass because I was gonna vomit and pass out. I watched as lots of people were carried into the first aid station. I listened as many people talked about how HOT it was and how it was the hardest St. George marathon that they have ever run. It took me a while to find Shayne and when I did we got a few more drinks and a slice of bread with butter. I only point out all of this food, because it was ridiculous how much I ate that morning. I never eat/drink that much during or after a marathon.

I went to pick up my packet and passed a booth that was collecting shoes. I decided to retire my shoes and donate them right there on the spot. These shoes have been awesome to me but it was way past time to retire them. They have run me through training for and completing 3 marathons, 1 half-marathon and the Ragnar. I do realize that you should not wear a pair of running shoes that long, and that they were probably contributing to my shin splints, but in all the running it never seemed like a good time to break in a new pair. Anyways, I walked to the car in my socks and it felt so good. The gravel and loose rocks rolling along my feet felt like a personal massage.

My finish time was: 4 hours 28 minutes

Here I am two weeks out from the race. I really think I need a small break to allow my leg to heal and allow me to find new shoes but I am already thinking about what is next for me and running...