St. George Marathon

I ran a marathon yesterday!!! BOOYA! Really, what an experience. It's such a great feeling. I've been wanting to run a marathon ever since high school and I have finally accomplished my goal. I am elated. I want to  relate my experience, mostly so I will always remember my first marathon experience. 

Friday: I got off work at 1:00 and Tristan, Brady, Kelsey and I were on our way to St. George by 2:00. My parents were driving up from Carlsbad and were expected to arrive in SG by 8:00. We arrived at 6:00 and checked into our hotel room. We stayed in the Hilton which was next door to the marathon expo so Kelsey and I walked over to pick up our race bibs and our long sleeve marathon shirt. We also picked up a marathon t-shirt and a pace bracelet that had all 26 splits according to what time you wanted to complete the race. Our goal was to complete the race around 4:00 so we picked up the 3:50 bracelet to give us some buffer time. It was very helpful. We then met my parents for dinner at Iggy's. Lasagna, yum. Then we went to the grocery store to pick up some breakfast for the morning. After, we went back to the hotel, I laid out my gear and went to bed. 

Saturday: Our alarm goes off at 4:00am. We get up, get ready, try to eat something, and are down loading the hotel shuttle at 5:00 that will take us to load the marathon buses. We get to the marathon buses by 5:20 and immediately load a bus that will drive us to the start line. Halfway through the bus ride I had to go to the bathroom, number one. I tell Kelsey, "We are running for the nearest restroom as soon as we get off this bus!" There were literally over 100 to 200 porta potty's each with a line 40 people long. We stood in line for the bathroom for half an hour and I thought I was going to pass out I had to go so bad. There were a lot of people going in the bushes but I could not bring myself to go in nature. There were tons of people up at the start huddled around the fires, standing in line for the bathroom and doing their pre-race thing. Kelsey and I finished our business by 6:40, five minutes till the gun was to go off. We ran to the start line, took of our sweatpants and sweatshirts applied our anti-chaff, and the gun went off. We were off! We were toward the front, in a good position so we were able to start off jogging. It was a great morning to be running. The sun had not yet risen so it was dark and cool, surrounded by the sound of thousands of people running in the southern Utah scenery. Mile one came and went like that in about 8 minutes flat. Soon we were at mile 3; that was the first aid station. This is where my right knee that has been struggling with IT band issues started hurting. I popped 4 ibuprofen with some water and Gatorade. By mile 5 it was starting to get light and by mile 7 the sun was peeking over the mountains. At mile 7 there is a small town where we first saw spectators. The high school band was playing and people were shouting words of encouragement to us complete strangers. Mile 7 was the beginning of the 3 mile long up hill. I kept thinking, "I never want to run another hill again." By the end my entire body was tired, even my lungs. Aid stations were at every odd mile so we took full advantage of each. They had people holding tongue depressors with Vaseline on them for quick application to chaffing areas. Luckily Kelsey and I never had any chaffing the entire race. We saw others that were not so lucky. There were also people with gloves on that had icy-hot ready to apply. I took advantage a few times. I'd run up to one of them and say, "All over my knees please!" It helped take my mind of my aching right knee. The aid stations also had orange slices and bananas. Our routine was icy-hot, Gatorade, water and we were off running again. I only had to stop one to go number one, can't remember what mile, 9 or 11. At each mile there was a mile marker sign with a silver star balloon flying high over it. Those silver stars came and went very quickly. Soon we were at mile 13, half way. We hit the half way point at 1:55, right on pace. At mile 16 we saw our family for the first time. Mom, Dad, Tristan, Brady, Grandma and Grandpa. They were holding signs and taking pictures. As we ran by we slapped all their hands. It felt good seeing some familiar faces. At mile 19 I began to feel the effects of the marathon, I was "hitting the wall". Kelsey was still feeling good so I told her to go ahead, no feeling hurt. Miles 19 to 23 were miserable. There was more uphill and all i wanted to do was not walk, so i kept my legs moving. I knew i was going to see my family again at 23 and that was probably the only thing that kept me going at this point. I began seeing runners collapsing on the side of the road, some being treated by EMS. I prayed that wouldn't happen to me so I started drinking one cup of Gatorade and two cups of water from every station i passed. At this point I decided 75% of running a marathon is mental because I was well trained and fit, but I was on the brink of a mental breakdown. I was fighting back tears and the urge to cry those 4 miles. I just wanted to see my family and hug my Mom and Tristan. Then, down a hill and around the corner there they were, cheering me on at mile marker 23. I allowed myself a minute of weakness, crying in my Mom and Tristan's arms. Once my Mom said, "You're ok, you're just 'hitting the wall,' keep going" I felt so much better once i realized why I felt so tired and emotionally unstable. I bit my lip and hit the asphalt with a new desire to finish strong. Another 200 yards down the road I see my best friend Kristi jumping up and down. Her and Trey were both holding signs with my name on it. I stopped for a quick hug and she said, "See you at the finish!" That's what gave me what i needed for my last 3 miles. The entire race was out in the country until the last 3 miles when you run into the city to finish. This was exciting because there were spectators lining the streets yelling your name and holding posters. I saw one guy holding a poster saying, "I bet this sounded like a good idea 3 months ago" and another guy was holding a sign that said, "Probably rather be watching conference." With all the people and energy I began picking up the pace and passing people. Mile 24, mile 25. One guy standing in front of his house said to me, "Once you turn the corner you'll see the finish." YES! I turned the corner and had about 800 meters to go. At this point people are packed in grandstands lining the streets and there is so much noise. I can see the balloons arching over the finish and I make a break for it. Picking up the pace till I'm at an all-i-got sprint the last 75 meters. FINISH! Best moment I've had in a long, long time. My official time was 4:11:13 and I am so happy with that time, especially experiencing everything for the first time. I cross the finish, walk through some misters and someone places a medal around my neck. I am done! So i turn back around and walk through the misters again and stand there till I'm dripping wet. Kelsey came in at 3:59:55 and was standing at the finish waiting for me. I am so proud of her, especially being one of the youngest on the course. We walk through the runners recovery area grabbing food, drink, and ice cream sandwiches from different tables. We spot our family, take some pictures and sit down. What a relief. Overall I finished 2,586th out of 5,697and 34th in my division. All that training, all that stress, all that pain...it was worth it and I'll do it again. First, I have to be able to walk normally and second, I'll need to forget how painful the experience was. Who's in for next years St. George? Cause I think I am.