I have so much to process about today's race but I wanted to update for those that are not on facebook and are just dying to see my time. haha!
I cannot even begin to express enough gratitude to everyone on this blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you for believing in me enough to make me believe in myself. More to come.....but probably not until Monday because my home computer crashed on me last week.
All that really matters is that I won a Moose Trophy! :)
I borrowed a friend’s laptop and feel like I need to get this report written while everything is still fresh on my mind. I went into this race quite frankly not exactly knowing what to expect. When I would tell someone who hasn't seen my training my current PR was 3:12 and I thought I might be capable of breaking 3 just three months later they would laugh in my face. But the truth is I (and those that have seen my training) knew that it was absolutely possible. Sure it was scary and maybe a risk but after I read Jake's quote on Friday "If you live cautiously, friends will call you wise, you just won't move any mountains" it really resonated with me and I realized that I really had nothing to lose. I could go out cautiously and just run a PR or I could compete for top 5 and go for sub-3....I wanted to compete!
Now onto the race. I rode up to the top on one of the later busses with my friend Janice and Smooth was on my bus as well. Such a fun ride up with no real talk about running. Just chatting about life, family, ect...perfect distraction. Once we got to the top I noticed it was about 6:40 and I only had 20 min. No problem. Quick porta potty stop and then down to the start line. In the rush to get to the start I accidently threw my iPod in my drop bag...oh well no big deal I run w/o music all the time and really only brought it as a crutch that hopefully I wouldn't need. I have to admit that the start line was incredibly intimidating to me standing there amongst an entire plethora of amazing runners. I felt out of place but Jake was good to calm me down and tell me I was running completely under the radar and people were in for a surprise today. That gave me the little boost of confidence I needed and I oddly felt relaxed.
From the start I positioned myself with a group of people that indicated they were going for sub-3. Perfect maybe I would have a little pack to work with. The pack would not last long but it was beneficial while it lasted. I started out as 7th female which seemed like a good position. My plan was to run 100% based on effort. I am very good at pacing myself and knew exactly what effort level I was going for. The first 5 mile splits 6:36, 6:38, 6:37, 6:43, 6:45. By mile 5 I had moved to 5th place female and I was bound and determined to hold this position. Everything felt easy my breathing was completely controlled and I was running consistent and just enjoying the canyon. Fall leaves and perfect temps!
Miles 6-10 I ran with Ryan from Boise. He had a PR of 2:58 and our paces were matching perfectly. I thought maybe we could work together the entire race. I got to know him quite well over the next 4-5 miles and both of us were running very relaxed. 6:46, 6:42, 6:27, 6:35, 6:42. I never once tried to figure out splits but Ryan indicated that we were averaging 6:41 pace up until this point.
Unfortunately Ryan dropped back right before mile 11 and the rest of the race would basically become a solo effort. Miles 11-halfway point 6:40, 6:27, 6:22. From memory I think I hit the halfway clock right at 1:27:38. I saw James at the halfway point aid station and was concerned. He reassured me that he was okay and that I looked incredibly strong. His encouragement was a great boost and after basically running a new half marathon PR in the marathon I carried on feeling pretty darn good! The theme of the race for me yesterday was relax. Don't try to strategize, overanalyze, or questions yourself....just relax and run!
And with that I just kept running by myself down the canyon. How could there be 3,000 runners in this race and I am all by myself? There was an awesome tailwind through miles 11-15ish and I literally felt like I was flying. It was fun! Miles 14 and 15 came in at 6:14, 6:27. Seeing the first cheering section at mile 14 was a huge boost and I was feeling great. I really love this section of the race but it was also at mile 15 that my feet started burning. I knew this was coming but I was hoping it wouldn't present itself with 11 miles to go in the race. Crud! To make a long story short I run on my toes when running downhill/uphill and have metetarsalgia. I wore inserts and was hoping they would be enough to protect my feet but alas they were not. I am used to running through this but knew I needed to slow my pace and lighten my landing if I wanted to finish this race.
Physically I still felt great but I slowed down my pace through miles 16-20. 6:49, 6:46, 6:46, 7:03, 7:11. I had a biker pass me at mile 16 and she told me I looked way strong. I told her my feet were on fire and asked if she had any Motrin. She said she would ride up to the aid station at mile 17 and see if they had any. Thank you random biker! She road back to me and told me they had it ready for me. I was so incredibly excited to see my cousin Travis when I ran into mile 17. He was ready with my 1 200 mg Motrin and a bottle of Gatorade. Travis ran with me for a half mile and was incredibly encouraging. I thanked him, took one more swig of Gatorade and carried on. At mile 18 I was shocked to see my family. I was not expecting them until mile 20 and this was such a pleasant surprise. My feet were absolutely killing me and as I flew passed them I shouted IB profin 800, IB profin 800! The 200 mg was great but I knew it was not going to cut it. The hills through miles 18-20 that I didn't even notice when I paced the half were definitely apparent this time around. With my feet killing me at this point I just kept reminding myself to relax. I just needed to relax!
Out of some freak miracle my parents had 1 IB profin 800 in their car and handed it to me at mile 20. I fumbled and dropped it but knew it was worth losing seconds to turn back and grab it. I quickly swallowed the IB profin and carried on. My family was seriously awesome and basically met me at every single mile until the end of the race. This was huge as still with the exception of about 2 guys I kept leap frogging I was still running solo! Miles 21-23 were probably the toughest of the race for me. 6:49, 7:02, 7:19. My feet were just really bothering me and every step hurt. I knew I would be okay once the ib profin kicked in and just had to mentally distract myself from the pain. My Mom road her bike with me for a little bit during miles 21 and 22. She was encouraging but kept getting in my way and was having a hard time keeping up so it was decided that she needed to just go back to the car. I'm told from my Sister and Dad it was quite comical watching her try to keep up with me. They were both laughing hysterically when I ran into mile 22 about 1 minute ahead of her. haha leave it to my family to find something funny about the last 6 miles of a marathon. Seeing them laugh helped me to relax and I just started laughing too and thanked them for being there. Love my family!
My feet felt 100 times better the last 3 miles once the medicine kicked in but I realized for the first time that my quads were shot. Every little incline hurt but one thing never changed for me in this race and that was consistency. My legs were locked into the effort at this point and baring a catastrophe I was not slowing down! Miles 23-26 paces were 7:06, 6:58, 7:00. I saw my family for the last time at mile 24 and thanked them again for the support as I ran towards main street. The little hill at the end of mile 24 looked intimidating but once I got to it it really wasn't so bad and was over before I knew it. It was after I reached the top of the hill and the 25 mile aid station that I realized that sub-3 was not only possible but it was going to happen. I was overwhelmed with confidence and just kept telling myself to relax and finish strong! I was not going to be satisfied with 5th place female I wanted sub-3!!
The last 2 miles of this race are hard, daunting and painful but I was so incredibly focussed. I dedicated mile 25 to a girl from my hometown who was recently in a terrible car accident and paralyzed. Whenever my quads would scream I would remind them how grateful I am that I can feel them and I ran for Sam. The last mile was all for Trevor. The pain was intense but I managed to pass two guys in this mile and oddly still felt relaxed. I kept wondering where in the heck the finish line was? It is totally a blind turn there at the end and I was way to focussed on running to look at my garmin so I didn't know where I was time wise until I saw the clock. Jake & Andrea were there cheering for me. Jake told me to get up on my toes (yes I heard that), Andrea told me I was going to get 2:59 and to push it, My Mom was screaming, My Dad and Sister were waiting right at the finish line and I was bawling like a freaking baby! And now I am bawling again as I relive the moment. Had I seriously just broke not only sub-3 but sub-2:59 with time to spare? I was elated and just so incredibly proud! I had medics come jumping up to me at the finish because I had tears streaming down my face but I assured them I had absolutely never been better! What an incredibly journey! No pace band or strategic pacing plan just good hard consistant running! 24 hours after the race I am still smiling and everything still feels extremely surreal to me.
It was exciting to talk to people after the race and hear how well everyone had run. Jake running a solo effort and winning his first marathon! So deserving and so happy for him. 4 girls breaking 2:55? What? Wow just some amazing runners out there yesterday and so cool to say I was in the top 5! After the race we walked up to my Grandma's house .25 mi from the park and then went back for the awards ceremony. I was so excited to place 5th. Not because of the little bit of cash I won but to be standing next to 4 incredible women I admire so much and realizing for the first time that I am turning into the real deal. I am not getting cocky here....I know exactly where I stand but I am going places and that is exciting and proof that you do not need a HS or College running career to be a great runner. I started running when I was 23 and ran my first sub-7 minute 5k about a year ago and a year later I ran a sub-7 minute marathon! I am not saying this to boast myself or because I think I'm awesome but because I am proof that a lot of hardwork, smart training and dedication pay off!
Lastly it can not be reiterated enough how much I appreciate the support from this blog. So many of you have helped me to realize my potential and taught me how to train right. Without your encouragement and belief in me I would be no where near where I am today with my running. So thank you, thank you, thank you! And now I will sign off from the longest recap ever and move on to reading all of the reports I've been dying to read. :) | 