The Marathon

It all started at the beginning of the year. Brandon found out that running a marathon had always been a goal of mine. He then made it his goal to get me to really do it. We bought a treadmill just after Christmas and I began running. I was enjoying the exercise and it was pretty convenient to just go downstairs and run while Alex napped. I decided I would just print off a marathon training schedule and start it. I assumed that at some point it would become too hard or I would injury myself and I would be able to quit. There were some setbacks. At first I started to get really bad shinsplints. Fortunately (or unfortunately) buying a new pair of shoes immediately solved that problem. We also went snowboarding and I wasn't able to run for a few days after from being too sore. But for the most part the running was going really well. It got a little harder as I began to do some long runs. I always did them on mornings Brandon was home and used the Nike sensor in my shoe to tell how long I was running. The hardest challenge of course was doing the 17, 18, and 20 mile runs. For part of these runs I would go to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and back. I never carried water with me so on my twenty mile run I brought a dollar along to buy a drink on the way. At one point I stopped at a gas station to get my drink and to my shock they didn't have a single drink for sale for less than a dollar. Luckily the Smiths up the road did. After completing my 20 mile run and surviving I had more confidence that I could really run the marathon. Although adding another six miles on seemed extremely daunting and as the marathon approached I became more and more nervous. I probably wouldn't have registered at all but Brandon kindly did it for me. The day before the marathon I was extremely nervous. Brandon was so helpful and took care of Alex so I could nap and rest. At night I tried to go to bed early but couldn't sleep. The continuous fireworks outside my window didn't really help. I ended up getting about 45 minutes of sleep. At about 1:15 Monday morning I just decided to get up and start getting ready. Brandon got up with me and even made me toast while I sat on the couch in a nervous stupor. I had to up to Rice Eccles Stadium by 3:15 to catch the bus that would take us to the starting line.

Brandon snagged a picture of me as I got ready to go. Faking my excitement.

This is a picture up by the starting line at the top of Big Mountain. There were only about 600 people that ran the race. It was a little chilly so people were trying to cram into the tent to stay warm. The rest were in line for the porta pottys. We had to wait an hour and half until it was actually time to start the race. Once I got up there though I was no longer nervous. Just excited to get going. All of the runners were very friendly and encouraging. A few people told me I was crazy for choosing this as my first marathon. Apparently this course is known to be the toughest in Utah and one of the toughest in the country. Oops.

I was surprised to find how much I really enjoyed the race as I was running it. I started out making great time and feeling great. At mile 6 there was a huge hill for a few miles. Many runners just walked to save their strength but I kept on running. By two hours I was at mile 12 which meant I was doing about 10 minute miles which was really great for me. However it was then that I started to get pretty bad cramps. I ended up taking 4 (yes 4) bathroom breaks throughout the next 6 miles. Obviously this really hurt my time. At one bathroom stop I had to wait 8 minutes to use the bathroom. That was very frustrating. As we ran along foothill I made up a lot of time between miles 18-20. I felt rejuvenated and passed up a lot of runners. However as soon as I made the turn to head down past Rice Eccles Stadium I really hit a wall. My feet started to kill from continuously running on such steep slopes. I slowed way down and was now doing between 14 and 15 minute miles. Many of the people I had just passed were now passing me. It really felt like the mile signs were getting further and further apart. Finally I made it to mile 25. We got to run along the parade route for just a block or so but it was really fun to have people cheer me on and have little kids come give me high fives. I might not have made it otherwise. As I turned up 8th south to head to Liberty park I was really unsure if I could make it. It is crazy knowing you are so close but it feels SO far away. Close behind me was a little old man that had to be at least 80. He shuffled along the whole race. I thought at least I will beat him but as we finally neared the finish line he burst past me with crazy speed and finished before me. At that point I didn't care. I was so relieved to see the finish line and to see Brandon and Alex. It was fun that they announced my name and where I was from as I crossed. Many fellow runners were there to greet me as well.

Here I come.

So happy to see the finish line.

I finished in 5 hours and 35 minutes. I was thrilled with this. My goal was to finish before 6 hours. I was also a little frustrated though because if I hadn't had so many bathroom breaks I could have been a lot faster.

I just wanted to sit down so badly.

Mere seconds after I crossed the finish line my sisters were there to greet me. It was so great to have their support.

I wish I would have gotten a picture with Brandon at the finish line but I was too delirious to think of that at the time. I really couldn't have done this without him. He babysat Alex a lot while I trained. He also took care of me the next few days while I was barely able to move. He was so supportive throughout the whole process.

Overall I loved the experience. The last 6 miles were the hardest thing I've ever done but it was worth it in the end. I would definitely like to run another one although it might not be for a while. I might take it easy and try a half marathon next.