My marathon training is a 20 week program. My long run at week 10 was supposed to be 12 miles but I figured, why not add 1.1 miles and turn it into a race? I'm sure I speak for many when I say I run much differently when I'm by myself than I do when I'm racing with thousands of people. Races help me gauge exactly how well I'll do with the added anxiety, stress, and masses of people running at different paces. You can't beat the energy of race day, no matter the distance.
I had to drive 2 hours south of my home to Tucson on Saturday so I could make it to the expo and claim my SWAG. This was the first race where I was going to be completely by myself which was nerve wracking. I made a quick stop at Kalens nephew's 3rd birthday party and then it was just me, the I-10, and my iPod. I arrived at packet pickup and got my bib #2328, a new tech shirt to add to my small collection, and my drop bag. I didn't have a desire to shop around the expo even though there were things that definitely caught my interest. I did pick up a pair of $2 gloves to have in case it was cold when the race started. Best decision I ever made.
I stayed at Towne Place Suites by Marriott which appealed to me for two reasons. One, they had a shuttle that would take me directly to the main shuttle area. The less driving for me on the morning of a race, the better. Two, getting a suite meant I had a kitchen in my room which is better than any continental breakfast on this earth. As soon as I checked in, I was given a goody bag that said "Good luck runner!" on the front and had Gatorade, an apple, an orange, pretzels, and a granola bar. I'm still quite new to the racing world and I am sure lots of hotels do this but this was the first time it was done for me. I was so touched by the gesture and the helpfulness of the staff at that hotel. The receptionist then told me that the shuttle would leave my hotel at 3:45am. Ok, that's fine. I'll get up at 3:00 and be ready in time. I went into my room which was just gorgeous and organized my clutter. I explored the hotel lobby and found a treadmill. An unoccupied treadmill. I bolted up the three flights of stairs, threw on my Vibram Five Fingers, and dashed back down pleased to find that nobody claimed the only treadmill in the hotel. I wanted to run three miles as that was my scheduled distance for the day but decided to stop at mile one because I forgot I hate treadmills and can't think of a better way to get bored. Besides, I had just enough time to eat dinner and then go to bed. Before I left to Tucson I had researched some gluten free restaurants near my hotel and found an Italian restaurant 2 miles from where I was staying that had gluten-free options. Hell yes. Still in my running clothes, I drove to Zona 78 which was absolutely packed with runners. So cool. There actually weren't any tables available but since I was by myself, I stole one of the only empty seats at the bar. I got the classic Spaghetti and Meatballs with quinoa pasta (freaking delicious!) and about half a gallon of water. The group of three to my right were all running the full marathon and seemed very relaxed. The couple to my left were Tucson residents and had no idea there was a race the next day. I heard them talking to the bartender about it and decided to politely chime in with details. They seemed so amazed that I was running a half marathon and training for a full. I forget sometimes that this is not normal to many people. The lady asked me how I manage to run 13.1 miles, and how I push myself to run longer distances every time. I told her, "I don't. To me, I can't run 13 miles. That's just too far. But I can run three miles. All I do is worry about the first three miles. Then I tell myself, 'Just add two more miles. You're over halfway to five.' So I run two more miles because two miles isn't scary to me. Then, I tell myself, 'You're just now starting the race. Run three miles. These are the first three miles of your race.' Somewhere in those next three miles I forget how far I've ran and then I realize I'm at 8 miles. I'm over halfway done. At that point I just listen to the beats in my earphones and match my stride so that I keep moving faster. When I reach ten miles I think, 'Oh my gosh I am at ten miles? I can run three more. Just three more. That's OK.' My brain is so stupid that I fall for it every time. Thirteen miles is a scary thought when you're running. If I don't break it down, I will be too overwhelmed." The lady just stared at me baffled for a minute and then said, "That's the best explanation I've ever heard!" I felt a little cool and proud of my methods. We chatted for a while longer and I actually found out that her husband ran in the very first LA Marathon and got 3:58:-- for his time! So amazing. I left the restaurant very full and very relieved.
Once I made it back to my hotel I carefully laid out all of my essentials for the next day. I love doing it for two reasons. One, I am a frantic mess when I'm stressed out and if I don't lay everything out the night before I will forget something. Like the time I forgot to put on socks. Two, I love to Instagram my race day outfit with my bib attached.
I called Kalen and received some last words of love and encouragement from him which I was desperate for. I shared my goals with him one last time. My Sedona Half Marathon official time was 2:45:37. I was horribly slow and I knew I was very likely to set a new Personal Record this race. My Nike+ app estimated my finish time to be 2:26:31. I wanted to make my goal a little bit more interesting. I wanted to aim to finish at 2:15:00. I told Kalen if I use the downhill to my advantage and steady myself at the beginning, that I really think I can get it. He told me he was so certain I could finish even faster than that. I felt like that was a little out of reach but I loved hearing how confident he was in me. I was going to push myself for him. Although Kalen hates running, he is almost like my coach.
At 7:00pm, it was lights out.
I couldn't sleep. It was horrible. I tossed and turned and changed positions in the bed. I couldn't rest. That is, until I woke up and realized all of that was a dream. I had a perfect nights rest with no interruptions but the fact that I dreamed I was restless left me very confused in the morning. I actually woke up an hour before my alarm was set but I was not going to risk falling back asleep because I felt so wide awake. At two in the morning! Why was I up so early?? I made some green tea, my Emergen C glucosamine drink, and cooked my breakfast. I had eggs, gluten free toast with fig jam, and an orange. I was so surprised I ate everything. Normally when I'm nervous I have no appetite. I slowly got ready and enjoyed the extra hour I had to triple check everything. I had my compression pants, long sleeved shirt, jacket, hat, gloves, shoes, socks, sunglasses, sports bra, my phone, headphones, Nathan hydration pack (one bottle with Jack3d, and one bottle with electrolytes.), four packets of Clif Shots, chap stick, compression band for my knee, and moleskin. When the time came, I went down to the lobby where I would wait for my shuttle. It was 3:30am. There was only one man there early like me. We drank some Gatorade provided by the hotel and he ate a bagel while I drooled in envy. He told me he was running the marathon and he was making it his last marathon. This man was 75. I asked him why this was his last and he said, "Ten is enough for me." He gave me a lot of advice on my run that morning as well as my upcoming marathon. I loved talking with this man. He was from Ann Arbor and had a Michigan sweater on so we got along very well. We never properly introduced each other but he knew I was a member of Further Faster Forever, and he was a member of the Dead Runners Society (best name ever haha). We talked for about 20 minutes until our shuttles came to take the 26.2'ers to their start line, and the halfers to our main shuttles. At this point the lobby had about 15-20 runners. All but four of us were running the full marathon. Us four runners piled into a town car that drove us to the medical facility where the buses would be waiting. We nervously situated ourselves in the vehicle and it was in that moment we all asked ourselves, "Why the Hell are we up this early?" The race started at 7:00 and it was 4:00am when we arrived at the buses. The four of us were the very first people to arrive at the buses. We were the first people on the first bus. WHY WERE WE REQUIRED TO BE THERE SO EARLY?! The next three hours were cold, wet, and very drawn out. I made friendly conversation with the bus driver and the man sitting next to me, Lance. Our bus was the first bus to head to the start line. I had the map of the race embedded in my brain which came in handy when our bus driver got lost. I was sitting in the front seat so I helped him navigate. The thing is, we were on the right street but we couldn't find the start line! Oh, yeah that's right. That's because we were there so flipping early the start line hadn't even been put up yet! We spotted the line of porta pottys and decided this was where the start was (duh). A small number of us hopped out of the bus to use the porta pottys but they were zip tied shut (good grief). Somebody asked, "Is it OK if we use these?", and I ran up to one, ripped the zip tie and said, "YUP!" The next few minutes was heaven. For the very first time, I got to use a completely clean porta potty. It was amazing. I love porta potties even at their dirtiest but this was divine. Ahem- ok so blah blah blah we are waiting on the bus. I'm trying to politely barrier myself from Lance who is a major spitter and his saliva is freaking cold! Gross, man. Anyway, the sucky thing is the school bus we were on was one of the drop bag spots so we had to get off of the bus earlier than those on the charter buses. This was about 5:00. Two hours of standing in 30-something degree weather is not fun. I'm a Phoenician for crying out loud. My blood is my thinnest attribute! The photographers from Marathon Foto were running around snapping photos of us standing outside waiting which was actually a little fun...
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| Oh yeah, I also took Kalens pajama pants with me so I could wear them before the race started. I love myself sometimes. |
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| "Well, here we are...." |
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| The photographers really went photo crazy. |
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| Scarfing down an apple 15 minutes before the race started. |
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| Just seconds away from starting. WOO HOO! The sky was so dark and cloudy when we started. It was unofficially freezing and I was so happy I bought those warm, inexpensive gloves |
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| About half a mile in, if that. |
The course for Tucson is notorious for being downhill practically the entire way. For the marathoners, the first couple miles determine how you will do in the race. I talked with a lot of people who had done the full before and they all said the start of the marathon is so steep downhill that if you're not careful, you can blow out your quads. The half marathon was also very steep downhill at times which is something I can hardly train for in flat Peoria. I told myself to start off slow and get a feel for the road. My goal was to hit 11'00"/mile for the first 1-2 miles and boost it up slowly from there. I started off listening to CCR and I really felt like I was holding back. I was so certain I was going to hit an 11 minute mile. So when my Nike+ app told me my first mile was 10'25" I was totally shocked. I wanted to slow down but then I thought about it again and realized, I felt great! I was just breezing through. I didn't want to slow down. In the back of my head I was scolding myself assuming I would be a tragedy who hits the wall at mile 10 like my last half marathon. I was too stubborn to slow down though.
Mile 2 was 9'58". I never run that fast anymore!
Mile 3 was 10'09". Not bad!
I was feeling so great. At Mile 4 I ate my first Clif Shot, just as planned. 10'06".
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| I think this was around mile 5. |
Mile 5 was 10'02". My Nike+ app was keeping me in line and every mile seemed to come faster and faster. I kept thinking, I ran another mile already? And then I heard my music cut out. It cut out the way it does two seconds before I get a phone call. Lo! And behold, my phone starts to ring. Come on now. I glance down at my phone and see that it is my boss. "AW COME ON!" I yelled the way you yell at the TV when Tebow does yet another embarrassing play. I startled the runners around me and had to assure them, "My boss is calling me." They all understood and kinda laughed to themselves. UGH. I ignored the call and kept trying to fumble with my phone without messing up my pace. I somehow managed to text him 'Can't talk. I'm racing.' (Which he knew.) I was so frustrated but I told myself to turn my frustration into power and run through it.
Mile 6 was 10'04". I set a new record for my fastest 10k in this race, hitting the 10k mark at 1:01:28. Maybe my boss should call me during ALL of my races. (I'm not serious.) Around this time, I started receiving text messages from my dear friends in Phoenix. My mom, Kalen, Andy, Crystal, Robin, and Emily were giving me the perfect words of encouragement. I feel so lucky to have a great support group.
Mile 7 was 10'11" and it did feel a little slumpy. I ate my second Clif Shot and powered back up.
Mile 8 was my fastest mile, marking it at 9'45". I was giddy.
Then mile 9 happened. Mile 9 was a jerk-off. Everything felt great. I was loving the course, even the slight inclines. My playlist was perfect. I felt so strong. And then as I'm running I look ahead and see the road go up. Straight up. It was such a steep hill and I was cursing under my breath. I was so slow getting up that hill and really had to breath heavy to distract myself. I still made it through mile 9 at 9'58" but I was so beat from that climb. Clouds Over California was the song that came on while I was running up that hill which was the perfect song for me to hear at that point because
it was the song I finished my first half marathon to and ever since then it always pumps me up.
Throughout my run so far I had passed about three or four water stations and did not stop for any water. I had been sipping my Jack3d and my electrolytes without a desire for actual water. I was feeling great and didn't even have to use the bathroom. I knew I had gone this far in the race, and I was going to keep it that way. No water stops, no potty breaks.
Mile 10 was 10'08". I told myself from then on out I would make only negative splits. I was going to be done soon. I wasn't hitting a wall or feeling fatigued. I felt relaxed, steady, and confident the past 10 miles, even after my climb up the Tower of Babel. I'm so dramatic. The course was weaving through ranch homes around mile 9 and it was where we really started seeing spectators. Spectators are the unsung heroes. I totally give credit to the people who line the course with signs, cheering and whistling every runner that passes just so they can catch a glimpse of the person they are really there for dashing past them. They got me through the last few miles even though I didn't feel like I needed it at the time. I saw a sign that said "You are stronger than you think" and I wanted to start crying. Some girls had signs that said "Run like you are in the Hunger Games" and "May the course be with you". I love you, whoever you are. And of course there are funny signs like the man who wrote "What were you thinking?" I love spectators.
Mile 11 was 10'02". Negative split.
Turned the corner at Mile 12. 9'47". Negative split. I started passing people like crazy. Everyone stopped running! There was a small stretch where I felt like I was the only one who kept running. This sweet lady tried talking to me and I didn't want to be rude so I took out an ear bud and just encouraged her to keep going and that she had one mile left. I threw my ear bud back in as I felt her muffled voice still calling to me as I ran away. Sorry lady. I had to get negative splits!
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| I know exactly what my eyes were fixed on in this picture. I could see the finish chute. I started feeling all tingly and emotional. Also, look at that guy cheating. Riding his bike and all. haha |
I could see the sign ahead marking mile 13. It was the best feeling ever, knowing that it would all be over soon. I pumped my legs harder and stared at that finish chute ahead.
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| Speeding up to my last obstacle: beating the man who was in front of me the entire race. |
I know some people advise not to do this, but I do it anyway. I sprint to the finish line. Why the heck not? Yes I know you are more susceptible to injury that way but when I am almost there, I can't hold back. I have to give every last ounce of energy I have. I have to set a new PR. I have to finish in 2:15:00. I turned into the chute and saw the clock. I started running at 7:04am and the time on the clock said 2:15:00. I was going to beat my goal! I start passing people. My legs were moving so fast. It felt amazing.
One, two, three, four, five people I counted myself pass and then I saw one person in front of me. The man who I stayed behind the entire run. He was my pace setter. But now I had to beat him. I wish I knew exactly how fast I ran because I really felt like I was sprinting 7'00"/mile in the last seconds. I came up on him fast and I felt him notice me. He brought all he had to the table and sped up. We were neck and neck. Everything went quiet and I couldn't hear my music or the cheering. I couldn't hear my footsteps. I felt my eyes tear up. I just saw that pad which signified my official time. My foot had to touch it before his. I had to beat him. In the very last moment I saw both of our right feet slap that pad at the exact same time. We were a dead on tie. I checked. We high fived and that was it. A man gave me a bottle of water and placed my medal around my neck. I had my finish line picture taken. I was crying. It was amazing.
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| I feel so much every time I look at this picture. Look at the clock behind me!!! |
Waiting for me at the finish line were two of my dear friends, Robing and Gregg. I heard Gregg ask me "Are you ok?" as I was moving around the barricade to hug them. I think he might have thought I was injured. I assured them I was amazing and I tried to mumble the words "I set a new personal record!" Almost immediately, I got a phone call from my beloved Kalen. He got a text message the second I finished and he was just as excited and proud of me as I was. He was anxiously waiting by his phone to receive the message saying I finished. I love that man. Robin, Gregg, and I drove to get some victory food. I scarfed down eggs, chorizo, and potatoes, two cups of coffee, a mimosa, and lots of water. I felt like I was delusional. I kept replaying it all in my head. Heck, I still can't stop replaying it in my head. That's why my bloggy blog post is so long..... haha. It was an amazing trip, an amazing run, and amazing to spend time with my dear friends after. They told me all about their backpacking trip they just returned from in the Gila Wilderness. We shared stories of our speed bumps and victories.
My official time was 2:12:07. Not only did I set a new Personal Record, I beat the estimated time that Nike+ thought I would finish at, and I beat my own personal goal! This was the best run I have ever experienced. Thanks for reading my rambles and I'm sorry but my marathon post will be twice as long (get it?).
Much love, Hannah
