Other training: 2.5 hrs yoga
Funds raised to date: $685.00
Okay, first the good news. I finished the Johnny Miles marathon today - all 42.2kms of it. And I had awesome companions for the adventure including my longtime running buddy, Susan (pictured with me here before the race) and her good friend, Robin. I felt terrific beforehand and the weather wasn't bad for running (cool and overcast to start with occasional periods of rain and sun to make it interesting). What else? Well, I wore my TNT training shirt so TNT got a little advertising. I had a new personal best for portapottie visits before and during a race - four before and two during. (I know. How is that possible??) I had a pretty strong finish. Hmmmm. And I suppose I learned that I'm even tougher than I thought I was - though, to be honest, that's a lesson I could have done without.
Now, the not so good news. To begin with, no PB. My chip time was 4:48:19 so my personal best remains Chicago in 4:47:09. The first 10 kms were great. Susan, Robin and I ran along on pace and feeling good. At the half marathon turnaround point, I waved goodbye, and trucked up the hill towards the full marathon turnaround. As I turned to head back down the hill, a sharp pain - reminiscent of Chicago - shot through my right knee and up the outside of my leg into my hip. The difference was the pain didn't hit in Chicago until more than half way through the race. I must confess I briefly panicked but managed to get it together enough to attempt to assess my situation logically. Ten kilometres into a 42.2km race, I was hobbling. Drop out? Run a half? Keep going? Cry? I decided to keep going and see if I could figure out what the problem was.
For the next 20 of so kilometres, I managed okay. It hurt - a lot sometimes - but I stopped to stretch now and then, loosened my shoelaces (which I concluded were too tight), walked up and down the steepest hills on the course (who said the course was flat, by the way?), focused on loosening the muscles in my hips and thighs whenever I was taking a walk break and thought a lot about Jon. In particular, I remembered him telling me about a marathon he wasn't able to finish when he got a serious leg cramp that left him completely debilitated after running 38kms. I hoped that wasn't going to happen to me today - that he was playing angel and looking out for me. I also thought about all the reasons I love running - all the difficult things it's helped me get through, how much tougher it's made me physically and mentally. Surely, I thought, tough enough to put up with another few hours of discomfort - which was nothing compared to the discomfort cancer patients have to deal with after all.
Still, the last 10kms were hard. There were only 73 full marathoners on the course today so I rarely saw another runner on my final loop, and most of the water stations were empty of people though volunteers had thoughtfully left water and Gatorade behind. I reminded myself often to focus on the beauty around me and just appreciate how lucky I was to be out there, but I confess I was more than a little distracted by what my body was up to - not least because I got a matching pain in my left knee somewhere around the 35km mark.
At any rate, somehow I kept going - even managing to run the last kilometre in a pretty decent time with the encouragement of the few remaining spectators. Susan and Robin met me at the finish line. As they walked towards me, I burst into tears - overwhelmed by gratitude that they were there and relief that I'd somehow managed to finish.
But that's enough whining. The short version is it was a tough day. I thought I was ready to run 4:30 or less. I felt ready. But clearly something went very very wrong. It could be I need more hill training on steep, sharp hills (like those on the Albion Trail ), or maybe I need to start more slowly, or maybe I need to strengthen something or loosen something, or maybe.... well, it could be a lot of things. But, thankfully, I now have four months to try to figure out what went wrong and learn a few more lessons before I hit the hills of San Francisco. I certainly don't want to be in as much pain there as I was today.
In closing, a big thank you to Susan and Robin for being such great companions, and especially for waiting around to cheer me across the finish line and transport me home. Thanks too to the organizers, volunteers, spectators and other participants who made the event a great one. And to all my friends and family - especially my TNT teammates - who sent messages of encouragement and support over the past few days. Finally, a special note of thanks to my husband Luke who puts up with (even encourages!) my running addiction and to my family (especially, Dad) who forgave me for missing yet another Father's Day celebration. Love you all!
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