Portland Marathon

I figure I should probably get a post in about the marathon here before it's been a whole month since it happened...

But, I have to start with 2 weeks before the marathon. September 20th, Amanda and I headed up with our families to Billings, MT for the Governor's Cup Half Marathon. This was really Amanda's race, but I totally couldn't say no to running a half with her - they are so fun. So, I was sadly unimpressed with the organization of the race, but the race itself was amazing. Amanda and I ran together for the first 2 1/2 to 3 miles. After the first mile, Amanda was pushing me to go faster and I had to say, "Seriously, we just ran an 8 minute mile, you're going to be hurting in the end if we keep this up!" The second mile we ran in 10 minutes and it felt really good and really easy, so I started to speed up. Unfortunately for me, that was Amanda's goal pace so we said goodbye and I headed off on my own. My goal for the race was to take it fairly easy, but aim for 9 minute miles for the first 10 and then run as fast as I could for the last 5k. I didn't want to run my hardest, since everything you read about marathon training says you really shouldn't run a half marathon any closer than 4 weeks before your big event... But, I have a hard time not giving something to a race. :) Anyway, this race was absolutely the funnest race I've run in my entire life! It wasn't too hard, the distance was really refreshing after several 20-22 mile weekend runs, it was full of chatty, cheerful runners and I didn't have any true all-out goal so I could just enjoy myself. I felt super strong and fit throughout the run and was definitely pleased with another PR this season. I killed my last PR by 6 minutes without even trying!

And then I hit my taper weeks. Amidst travel and vacation to Oregon. This meant not much exercise and lots of eating out. I tried really hard to be good, but found I slacked on my running even though my schedule was already quite diminished, just wasn't as active as I am in general and had a hard time feeling normal after eating even healthy restaurant meals. By the time the marathon hit, I was ready, but not super excited. I felt sluggish and heavy. Luckily, after talking with a couple of other people, I realized that's kind of normal during a taper phase. Unfortunately, I think mine was escalated by the travel experience.

So, marathon day dawned cool and comfortable. Seth got ready to head back to Wyoming for work and my family figured out the details of trying to see me to cheer me on along the course. We headed into Portland in the dark and I made my way to the starting line. I found myself feeling quite nervous and grateful for the pre-race chatter around me. I met a couple of other gals who were running their first marathons and we talked for a while. I planned to run with a pace group and lined up for the start...

From the first step across the line I felt crowded, nervous and emotional. All I could do was think about how hard I'd worked in training, how many hours I'd pushed Eleanor in the jogger, all the conversations I'd had with Amanda out and about in our running shoes and how badly I'd wanted to get to this point. I found it hard to concentrate on the fact that I was finally doing what I'd set out to do.

The pace group started out fast. Really fast. I stuck with them for 2-3 miles and then realized they were 6 minutes ahead of pace. So I slowed down. By the 10K mark I was still 3 minutes ahead of pace, but I decided to hold it. Unfortunately, I never quite found my pace. I had a hard time getting into a groove while so many runners passed me and I had to weave through others to pass them. I didn't feel like I had quite enough room to swing my arms freely or breathe until I was already 10 miles or so into the race... I guess that's what happens when you train on deserted early morning roads in Wyoming. Usually I was met with horses stares and took care to jump over snakes, and in this setting I was running in a continuous line of 12,000 people!

Between miles 8 and 9 there was a double-back. During this time I watched carefully as the pace groups passed on the other side. Almost as soon as I'd passed the 4 hour pace group the 4:15 crept up. Relieved that I wasn't crazy, I stuck to my pace chart and hit the half-way point right on track. That was exciting.

As soon as I got out on highway 30, however, I started to get chilled from the wind and found myself feeling hungry and sluggish. This was around mile 15. By the time I hit the hill heading up to the St. John's Bridge, I knew I had to slow down. So, I did. By mile 17 I was several minutes behind pace. And, I was struggling to feel okay with that. As I crossed the bridge, I was overcome with emotion and the beauty of the place I was running. I took some time to look around me, to notice the huge line of people in front and behind me, to take in the early morning look of the city and to try and enjoy the running again. I was pressed to remember my two goals were 1. to finish and 2. to run the whole way. And, I was doing it! So, I held my much reduced pace, began to pray for all the people who had supported me through the process and tried with all my might to have fun again.

My family stood, cheering me on around mile 19. It was wonderful to see them, get to kiss Miss Eleanor and tell them I was doing fine. From there I found myself looking for my Uncle David for more cheering around mile 20. And then mile 22. It was wonderful to know I would be seeing family members during these difficult miles. I continued to move slowly. I continued to fight low blood sugar. I continued to run and feel just fine, and worked so hard to keep my moral up and my mind focused on how strong I am and how amazing it was that I was running a marathon at all. By the time I got to mile 23 I was actually feeling pretty good and had picked my pace back up pretty substantially. I worked hard to keep steady and not give too much before the very end... I fought angry thoughts about the runners around me who began to walk, looked like they were really struggling and looked like they were hurting. I couldn't figure out how I was suddenly in line with those who were having such a hard time - and I sped up again. By the time I turned the last corner and saw the finish line, I had really picked up speed. Through this last kick I realized I had WAY more energy left than I had thought. Although my quads hurt, my energy and stamina were there - and I had underestimated them! Thus, it was a strange and bitter-sweet ending to my journey. I was SO PROUD of myself - and I still am. I was SO HAPPY to have finished. And, I was disappointed in my time - but I'm still trying not to be. I have no idea why I can't be satisfied with what I've done and content with simply finishing a MARATHON, in 4:26, while raising a toddler!

After crossing the finish line, I was overcome with emotion again. Embarrassingly, I had a couple of women ask me if I was okay. :) Honestly, I was just feeling so proud, happy and relieved to be done with the journey. And journey it definitely was! I really feel like the training itself was so much more than the event - and happily I think. The training was also the really difficult thing to fit into our lives. So, I'm very tempted to run another marathon, since the event itself was fun and I'm sure I learned enough to do better next time just from experience alone, but I'm not sure I'm tempted right now to train for another marathon. :)

Here's (some of) what I learned:
I am strong and capable
I am ridiculously stubborn at times
I need to start out much slower and work to run the second half much faster
Thus, I won't waste my time on a pace group again - I'll just do my own thing from the start
I need to sleep more than 4 hours the night before
I need to eat WAY MORE than I did the morning of the race
I shouldn't underestimate myself
The journey is much more important than the end result
Running a marathon closer to home would be wise
I think I'd like a smaller sized event a bit better
My family is amazing and wonderful and supportive
Runners come in all shapes, sizes and speeds
Finding my pace from the beginning and running by feel rather than a watch would result in a more enjoyable experience

And here are a few pics from the day. These were taken by Hannah and only sort of capture the feeling of the day... but the professional ones along the course were exceptionally bad and not at all flattering this time...

My cheering squad

Eleanor waiting on the side of the road
I've spotted them! And I head in to say hi and give Ella a kiss.
Goofy smiles at the finish with my dear-ol' bro.