March 16, 2013 –
Shamrock Marathon weekend was finally here. After months of training and preparing, and a
week of obsessing about the weather, we loaded up the car and headed to
Virginia Beach for the big event - my first marathon!
I dozed off and on during the car ride, while listening to
my marathon playlist. Coming off weeks
of tapering, I knew I’d be ready to run; yet, I had this nagging doubt. I had previously *only* run 20 miles, and
another 6.2 was a significant chunk.
But,
RunnerPeeps’ Coach Andrew insisted that was enough, and that the
last 6.2 would be “mental.” I recalled
having this conversation with fellow Peep Ken on a recent run, and he offered, “I
suspect that you are both right.” I kept
that in mind, along with the advice from many (Steph, Anastasia, Claire, to
name a few) to “have fun.” To a non-
runner that may seem like crazy advice, but it was very important to me. The hard work was all done – I really did just
need to enjoy this marathon.
So we arrived at the Expo at the Virginia Convention Center
mid-afternoon. As I was checking in for the
full, my neighbor Kelly Burich was checking in for her half marathon. We couldn’t have planned the timing
better. We got pictures of our families
with the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, checked out some vendors, got
our shirts, etc. It was a pretty good
expo, but more crowded than I anticipated, considering I arrived during the
last couple hours of a 2 day event. We
headed to our hotel, the Grand Ocean, where the Burich family was also staying. We went down to the beach and played in the
sand for a little while before dinner. It
was a relaxing time, although windy and cold!
We walked to a nearby restaurant, Big Sam’s, as recommended by a friend
who is from Virginia Beach. It was good
to stretch my legs during the walk, but while we ate, the rain started, so we
called a cab to drive us back to the hotel.
One last check through all my gear, clothes; made sure I had
pins for my race bib, and I was ready for bed.
It would be an early morning.
March 17 – 5:30 am. I’m
up! Breakfast and get dressed. COFFEE!!!
The half marathon started at 7 am, while the full didn’t start until
8:30. I wanted to see Kelly start, so Rob
drove Kelly and I to the half marathon starting line (or as close as we could
get). This was Kelly’s 18th
half marathon, and she has run several full marathons as well. I call her “the enforcer” as she has been
known to drag me out of bed on a dark, rainy 37 degree morning for a run. She says “the training book says you must run
in all kinds of weather.” While I wanted
to smack her at the time, I was grateful for her wisdom, especially on this
morning, when it was COLD (I don’t think it ever got above mid-40s even by
afternoon), WINDY, and threatening rain.
After pictures and “good lucks”, Kelly lined up in her corral, I decided
to find my friend Kristie, who was also running the half. Kristie had run the 8k the previous day. If you don’t know Kristie, let me tell you,
she is just AWESOME!! She defies
stereotypes. She may not look like the “typical”
runner, but she makes these goals and does not give up!! She found the perfect shirt at the expo,
which says “I’m over here doing what everyone said is impossible.” She rocks!!
I kept her company as her corral waited its turn. And then she was off!! Now time for me to find Jill at her hotel.
I welcomed the warmth of the hotel immediately!! I was praying this cold and wind didn’t keep
up all day, and kept telling myself that it would be better when I started
running. Jill had bought “26.2” shamrock
temporary tattoos for us, so I quickly placed that on my cheek. I did one last check of what I would need for
the run, and left my dry bag in her hotel room, where I would come back and
shower afterward. We started the 9 block
walk to the starting line. Jill’s
parents, sister, nephews, and boyfriend all came along to see her/ us off. While we waited for our corral to start, we
found others who were running their first marathon, and some who were veterans. To our surprise, the lady who looked like she’d
just stepped out of “Hee Haw” claimed to have run a marathon in all 50 states,
had completed Disney’s Goofy Challenge (a 5k, half marathon, and full marathon
on consecutive days), and said this was her 17th time running
Shamrock full. WOW!!
And WE’RE OFF!! Jill
and I decided that we would try to run together for at least the first half,
and then we’d see how things went.
Neither wanted to hold the other back, but we are well-matched as far as
pace, and we had run most of our long training runs together, so it would be a
great mental boost to have that familiarity.
We both wanted to complete the marathon in less than 5 hours. My strategy was to run conservatively during
the first half (about 10:30 min/ mile pace and no greater than 11:00 min. mile
pace), and then pick up the pace for a faster second half (negative split). I was determined to not hit the infamous “wall”
people talk about after mile 20. So as
we head south on Atlantic Ave., I tell Jill “this is just another long run,
right?!” We can do this!!
About mile 1.5, we pass our hotel. Rob and the girls are out there cheering
runners on, and holding their posters. I
am excited to see them. Jill and I
continue for the next few miles, chatting causally. Jill reminds me to smile
for the camera when we run by – I usually don’t notice these things, but that
explains why Jill has better race photos than I do. I begin to warm up, and decide to ditch my
gloves about mile 5 (a decision I will later regret.) Around mile 7, we stop for a bathroom
break. Even with the pit stop, mile 7
clocked in at 12:37. Not too bad
considering we had to wait in line. As
we head back on the bridge over Rundee Inlet (about mile 10), I am trying to
think of things to chat about with Jill.
I make the realization that between the two of us, we have lost over 130
pounds. Wow, we have come a long way…just
more confirmation of appreciating the accomplishment and enjoying this
race.
THEN we hit the boardwalk!! The wind is brutal! My cold hands begin to feel numb. I know that Rob and the girls will be at mile
11 (on the beach side of our hotel). I start looking for them, and am glad I
can see their signs more from this side.
Rachel’s sign said “Worst Parade EVER!” and then she flipped it, “Seriously?! Where are the floats?” awesome. It now occurs to me that the girls
are still in their PJ pants. (I find out
later, they put them over their jeans because it was so cold.) I take a brief moment to run over to them and
give kisses. It’s such a boost to see my family during a race. Now, I had another 15 miles to go. Ugh! It was so cold!! I thought it would get better once we turned
off the boardwalk, and back onto Atlantic.
I was wrong. As we near the halfway point, many
half-marathoners are walking along, cheering us on, wrapped in their WARM
finishers blanket. I fight the urge to
yank one of them off and wear the rest of the race. After we cross the 13.1 checkpoint, it’s time
for my Clif shot/ gel. Problem is, my
fingers are so numb, I cannot tear the package.
I resort to using my teeth, and quickly suck it down, so I can wrap my
thumb back into my shirt. Miles 14-16,
we see the marathon leaders looping back to their miles 23 and 24. I cheer for a few of them, especially the
first woman to run by. I don’t think I
will ever be that fast.
Jill and I are still running together, but not so chatty
now. About mile 17, Jill asks me to tell
her a story. My mind goes blank. I can’t think of anything to say. By now, she has heard pretty much all of my
stories. I’ve got nothing. I ask her what she is listening to on her
playlist and tell her what’s on mine (“Thriftshop” – recommended by Claire). I think I have to go to the bathroom again,
so I tell Jill that I’ll run on ahead, and she will catch up to me. When I get to the next set of port-a-potties,
I realize how close I am to the next check-in at 18.1 miles, and decide to keep
going. Mentally, it helps to just get to
that next point, and this continues throughout the rest of the race. These check-in points are posted on my
facebook page, and I know some people are checking it, cheering me, and I hear
the “bing” of incoming texts spurring me on.
(Although I didn’t check all the texts until after I finished, I knew a
few people were sending me encouraging messages as I crossed those
mile-markers).
As I reach mile 19, the urge to go to the bathroom passes,
and Eminem’s “Till I Collapse” comes on my playlist. I immediately think of Kellie (who
recommended I include the song), and her story of “crashing” at mile 19 during
her first marathon, and her successful 2nd marathon last month, when
she qualified for Boston. I pick up the
pace. Mile 19 proved to be my fastest
mile, with mile 20 not much off that pace, 10:09 and 10:13 respectively. At mile 21, with 5 miles remaining, I think
to myself, “Okay, this is just another Tuesday run with Candace.” Candace is the one to blame for getting me
started with this running thing. Lately,
we’ve been running 5 miles on Tuesdays, at a sub-10 min/ mile pace. Mentally, I want to pick up my pace to those
tempo run levels (9:45-ish) but my legs aren’t quite on board with this
plan. I reconcile myself to just not
going any slower!
I focus on taking a mile at a time. I am actually enjoying myself, and smiling
even when there isn’t a camera around.
Now that I don’t have the chit chat with Jill, my music is a great inspiration. There are songs that are played in
boot camp,
and make me think of those women and how inspiring they are. There are songs recommended by other amazing
friends (“It’s Time” recommended by Alecia) and songs that remind me of
RunnerPeeps (“Good Time” to which Gordy set the Peeps 2012 vide). For the second or third time, a few sprinkles
fell, threatening rain. Fortunately, the
weather stayed dry, just COLD. I thought
about my 14 mile training run in the freezing rain/ sleet/ snow. Those runs were no longer considered
futile. (and I thought of my friend
Janice, who watched my kids during that long miserable run…see, it takes a
village). I think about my RunnerPeep
friend Mimi, who was running her marathon the same day – in Rome! I was jealous she was done by now.
Mile 23 and my big toe that has been hurting since mile 20
starts bothering me even more. I
contemplate walking for a while, maybe taking some of the snacks offered at aid
stations (pretzels, bananas, even beer).
But stronger than that desire was my desire for this thing to be
OVER. I wanted to be done so I could get
out of these shoes. Knowing I still had
a Clif shot left if I needed it, I by-passed the snacks and kept going.
Mile 24. Okay, just 2
more. Equivalent to one lap around
Shelley Lake. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.
(as Ella says). I got this. Mile 25 was a bit slower (11:16) and I was
certain the temperature was dropping now.
Or maybe it was just that I was getting closer to the beach, and that 15
mph wind was picking up.
Homestretch. So
close. Beautiful stretch down the
boardwalk. I see Rob and the girls near the finish line. I want to sprint to the finish, but only
manage a 9:38 pace. It’ll have to
do. I smile and blow a kiss to Rob and
the girls as I run by.
DONE!!! I thought I
would have more of an emotional response.
More or less, I was just glad to be done. I was still cold, and wanted that finishers
blanket pronto! After wrapping it around
me, and grabbing some water, banana, and pretzels, I turn around to look for
Jill. She couldn’t be far behind. Evidently, this was the moment I felt my legs
cramp up, and my thighs could no longer move.
Apparently my face grimaced, and some nearby volunteer called out to me,
“Smile! You just finished a marathon!” I wanted to smack her.
I didn’t see Jill coming, and I now remembered having to go
to the bathroom. I hobbled to the end of
the shoot, threw my food and finishers loot at my girls (who were starving and
ate my pretzels!), and headed for the lines of port-a-johns. While in the finishers’ “party tent”, I saw
Jill cross the finish line on the big screen.
Yay!! We texted, considered
meeting up on the beach, but decided we were both too cold and we’d head back
to the hotel.
That 9-block walk back seemed like forever!! But moments after sitting down in the WARM
lobby, I was greeted by Kristie. She had
stayed around to congratulate Jill and I.
Then I read all the texts and facebook messages of support. YUP, running is definitely a TEAM sport!!!
Official finishing time: 4:44:16. (and negative split by 4
minutes).
