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.
