Sunday, December 11, 2011

Marathon 'tails

Ok so here are the tails. Most people say deets, I say tails.
I ran 26.2 miles! Huge life goal: done.
Will I do it again? The verdict is still out. Yes, I loved it, but yes, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. As of right now, I am thinking I prefer half marathons, but keep in mind that I still can't walk or move like a normal person yet. That may change.
It was the Rehoboth Beach marathon and it was a pretty small race, around 750 people in the marathon. I liked the smaller race to start because it was less intimidating, but during the race it would've been nice to have more people around because there points when I was just running by myself.


 These 2 pics are from mile 11. Obviously still loving life and loving the fact that I am on a really long run for the first time in 3 weeks and that I am finally actually doing the marathon and not just thinking about it nervously anymore. I felt great for the first 11 or so miles.


 This is from mile 19, hating life. Wondering, am I crazy? Why did I want to do this? (this really did cross my mind). Miles 11-20 were rough. It just seemed to last so long and that part of the route took us through woods where there were no people or cars or any changing scenery. I wasn't necessarily in physical pain, but I was definitely mentally struggling. When I saw Josh, I couldn't even talk to him or I would've started crying. But as soon as I got to mile 20, I knew I could do it.
 This is from mile 23. From mile 20 on, I knew I could finish it. It was a short enough distance left that each mile I went seemed to really make a difference in how far left I had to go. I remember thinking, "You know you're crazy when you have 5 miles left to run and that seems really short."

 My goal was to finish in 4 hours. I was at halfway at 1:56 I think, so I knew that I could make it in 4 if I could keep the same pace and not stop. There were points when that was all that kept me going. Overall, I stopped to pee once, tie my shoe once, once because I cramped, and I think I walked a few steps at a drink station. So overall, pretty awesome.

  So happy to be done!
My medal. I want to wear everyday until my legs don't hurt anymore so that people will know why I am walking funny.

I had a Gu at miles 7, 14, and 20. I had water at miles 8, 15, and 21. And I had a piece of banana at mile 15. I had one piece of toast and a yogurt for breakfast. Overall, I was happy with my nutrition during the race. There was one point that I felt really hungry and I knew the Gu just wasn't going to cut it, which is why I had the banana. I didn't bonk and felt like I had the same amount of energy the whole race.

So that's it! I did it and I am so glad I did. I can't believe it, either. It has been a goal for such a long time that it seems surreal that I did it. Thanks to an awesome supportive husband and a body that didn't break (yet), I managed to finish.

12 comments:

  1. You're amazing! I'm so glad you feel like it went so well!

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  2. That is awesome! I liked reading your commentary. Way to go Sarah! I don't think I could EVER run a marathon. :)

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  3. I'm so proud of you!! You're amazing! I love that you took time to record (on here) the details of how you felt the whole way!

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  4. Great work Sarah! awesome job! it's so funny (after the fact) the thoughts that go through your head during those tough moments!! And there are always tough moments in races like that - so it's always good to be prepared for them (kinda like life, huh!?) You did so great! LOVE YOU TONS!!

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  5. Congrats Sarah! You are awesome! The Mia Maids miss you including myself! Congrats again!

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  6. Ahhhh! I was hoping there would be an update soon. I am SO proud of you Sarah!! You did awesome and most importantly, YOU DID IT!! Congratulations - wear that medal with pride :)

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  7. Oh my goodness! This is so awesome! Congrats and good job! You are amazing!

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  8. you're so sexy hott amazing!!!!!!!!!! sexy hot. that's right.

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  9. congrats sarah! good job--i am proud of you ;)

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  10. That is so awesome! That's how I felt after running 6 miles ;) What a neat experience to have done something so hard! And you did it in good time, too! Way to go!

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