5.09.2010

Made it To a Marathon

Well, more than a year after I first set out to run a marathon, I have finally, officially done it. 17 months, probably a thousand miles, one stress fracture, and countless peanut butter M&Ms later I can proudly say it: I AM A MARATHONER.

What a great feeling. What a great Mothers' Day. I got to spend it in the glorious Colorado mountains, in perfect weather, doing just what I love: running. And not just running, but running my first marathon! I have a full race report coming in the near future, but for now I will spare you the suspense and give you the quick-and-dirty version...

Miles 1-18 = glorious, fabulous, sexay mountain downhills, I rocked it
Miles 19=25 = cow and horse manure smell, quads started whining at mile 22
Mile 25-26.2 = ohmygod how good does chocolate milk sound right now?!

Final chip time: 4:35:49. Of course, as any marathoner knows, the time doesn't always tell the whole story. My secret [achievable] goal was to come in at 4:30--and basically, I did that. Had I not made a porta-potty stop, I would have been about a minute off of that. And had I walked less in miles 22-26.2, I would have smashed my goal and come in about 4:18. But the best part of the story is that I ran strong, felt great, and will definitely be doing more marathons in the future (ok, yes, so I am already registered for Denver in October, but now I am also considering a July or August showing, just to keep things fun...I never had the moment of "why in the hell did I ever think this was a good idea?!")

I really had a great, strong race and feel completely satisfied with my finish. And my favorite line by a runner was the Marathon Maniac at about mile 9 who, in chatting, mentioned that he had run 116 marathons. A couple of other first-timers with the little group running with me were incredoulous at that--they said, "my God, you are basically in marathon training 100% of the time!" and his response, "well, the really great thing about running a marathon every couple of weeks is that you never have to do that long boring training run on the weekends!" That got a good laugh out of all of us.

The grand finale to my Mothers' Day was that after we all got back home, we were on our way to walk to the park for a little while and Shortie2 flipped off the front of his little riding toy car, busted his chin wide open, and ended up at the urgent care with 6 stitches. Thank God I had a wonderfully-moisture-wicking tech shirt on in order to soak up all the dripping blood. Ah, Motherhood, indeed.

13 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your first marathon! Sounds like you had a great race, what a huge accomplishment. Hope your little boy's chin heals fast!

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  2. You are no longer a marathon virgin - congratulations. You will get your 4:30 next time around thanks to all the wisdom you have gained in your training!

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  3. Glad you had a great race!

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  4. Can't wait for the full report! CONGRATS AGAIN!

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  5. Wowww that is so awesome! And crazy you're signing up for more already! I read somewehre you're supposed to wait a week before you either a.) sign up for any more marathons or b.) swear off running altogether to let the race euphoria/horror die down a little lol.

    But congrats, that is an amazing time! Even if it wasn't your goal, it's way better than a ton of people out there could do! :D

    Congrats again!

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  6. Great job! Wasn't it a beeeaaatuful day? I didn't get in quite as fast as you (4:42) but I agree - what a great race!

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  7. Congratulations! I hope I do as well in my first marathon in the fall! Well done!

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  8. Congratulations! So glad your first time was a good one. Now good luck with training for the next. :)

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  9. CONGRATS!!!!!!!!! Yay oh yay oh yay! Soooo proud of you girly!!!

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  10. Let me be the first to congratulate you 26.2 times: Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Congratulations, Con

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  11. Awesome job! It must feel great to be a marathoner! I know last year was hard with the stress fracture, but you came back and kicked butt!

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  12. Awesome, congratulations to you!!! So very happy for you!!

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