Utah Valley Marathon--Part 3--The Marathon

Alright, so picking up where I left off...

The night before the marathon we all met in Provo to pick up our Marathon packets and to carb load at the Brick Oven. It was really funny because the week of the marathon I was most nervous on Thursday, which I though was weird. Friday I wasn't really nervous at all. Anyways, we ate ourselves silly and then went to the hotel and went to bed since we had to be on the bus by 4:00 a.m. I slept terrible and was actually relieved when the alarm went off and it was time to get ready to go.

We grabbed a muffin and an OJ, met up with Perry and Maleah who had gone home to sleep and got on the last bus up to the start line! When we got up to the starting line it was FREEZING and so we kept ourselves busy standing in line for the potties, trying to huddle around the fire pits and jumping up and down to warm up. We also ran into some other neighborhood friends, Lane and Jenny Brooks so it was fun to see them for a few minutes before they smoked all of us in the actual race! The time went so fast and before we knew it, it was time to start!

So let me back track a bit. I had 2 goals for the Marathon. First and foremost I had a goal to FINISH! Second, I wanted to have fun. I had a couple of friends tell me that if I finished and said I want to do another one then I've run a good race, so I thought that sounded pretty good! So there were my goals, and I accomplished both of them!

We had so much fun running! Unfortunately we lost Adam at the starting line, which worked out since he's speedy and would've been ahead of us in no time, and the Brooks and Atkins (Perry and Maleah) were faster then us too, so Phil, John, Lindsay and I ran together until about mile 14. The course was great, although there was more uphill then I was expecting, but we all kept each other going. It was also way easier then I thought it would be and I think I had a pretty good race strategy in that I would only think ahead to the next aid station, which were every 2 miles. Now, to be clear, when I say way easier I don't mean it was easy, just easier then I was expecting it to be!

So at about mile 8 the back of my knee started to hurt, which worried me a bit, but I knew that if I could power through it would eventually go numb. Then I discovered as I was walking through an aid station that it really hurt more to walk so that was motivation enough to keep me running!

Like I said, at about mile 14 John and Phil pulled ahead of Lindsay and I. Then at mile 15 Lindsay's foot really started to hurt her so she slowed down a bit and I pulled ahead of her. We had decided beforehand that we wanted to finish together but that we also didn't want to hold each other back so it was a major bummer that I pulled ahead of her. I felt bad that I left her but knew that she would be okay and that she wanted me to run my best race. I was also super worried about her foot because I knew she was in a lot of pain and as it turns out she has a stress fracture on the top of her foot...she just went to the dr. yesterday to get it checked out! Anyways, I had heard through all my training that most people hit the wall at mile 20 and that the last half of a marathon is the last 6.2. Combine that with the fact that our longest training run was 18 miles and I was super worried. As it turned out I got to mile 20 and felt GREAT! At mile 21 I still felt pretty good and got a little teary thinking that I was almost there. Then mile 21.2 came and I started to STRUGGLE. I don't think I hit a wall because I never had the feeling that I couldn't go any farther, but I just really had to use my mental strategies that I learned from my marathon book to get me through. I also made sure I was only focusing on getting to mile 23, which was the next aid station. I'm telling you, thinking only 2 miles ahead saved me! If I had thought anymore ahead then that, especially at that late stage of the race, I probably would've quit! So I got to 23 and they had Otter Pops there and let me tell you how refreshing that was! A lime Otter Pop has never tasted so good!

After a short walk so I could eat my otter pop I started to run again, looking ahead to 25. Honestly, all I remember between 23 and 25 was that there was an aid station at 24 that I wasn't expecting. Other then that I don't remember much! Actually, I'm not sure how I even got to 25 but all of a sudden I was there, then just past mile 25 my Dad was standing there! I was surprised to see him because I wasn't expecting to see any of our cheering section until the gates to the finish line! Needless to say it was a pleasant surprise, and then an even more pleasant surprise when he started running with me! He was an angel sent from heaven and I could barely hold back my tears as he ran next to me and told me all about those in our marathon group who had finished. He let me know that our friends Lane and Jenny had come in first and then Jenny barely beat Lane. He let me know that a little while after them Perry finished, then Adam and then Maleah. I asked about John and Phil and he said they were only a couple of minutes ahead of me and that Phil finished first and then John was next. He asked where Lindsay was and I told him and then he just kept encouraging and distracting me. At one point I looked up and nearly crying told him the finish line looked so far away and he told me that it was just a few blocks and that I just needed to keep my head down and keep running! Then, all of a sudden I saw Natalie waiting at the 26 mile marker! My dad fell out and I grabbed Natalie's hand just like the mom in Denver. By this time I had my emotions in check and I was so happy that I was almost finished! Cute Natalie started sprinting and I told her I couldn't go that fast so she needed to slow down. A few steps later, right before the gates narrowed I saw Josh and Jackson and said, 'run it in with us boys!' and the 4 of us crossed the finish line in 5:01:08!

And there you have it! The story of my first marathon. If you got bored, sorry. Writing it all down is mostly for my benefit anyways! Now, one thing about my time...I REALLY wanted to finish in less then 5 hours so I was a bit bummed when I finished in 5:01:08 but according to my watch my actual running time, including aid stations, was roughly 4:39. It turns out we stood in the lines for the potty for about 22 minutes!!!! That is CRAZY! So the next marathon I run I will for sure change my potty strategy and not waste so much time trying to deal with my digestion so my chip time can be less then 5 hours!

I can't wait to run another one. I will be running Utah Valley again next summer but my knee still bugs me so I really need to go see a dr. about that! I don't think its anything serious but since I'm 8 weeks out and its still bugging I should get it looked at!

So now enjoy the pictures!

Jenny and Lane Brooks...they are both super speedy and she qualified for Boston for the second year in a row!

Mr. Perry the Platypus is in the green shirt.

Adam coming in in the white shorts. I thought I had a closer up of Adam but I guess not!

Maleah! She's speedy too! She was only about 1 1/2 minutes behind Adam.

Me and my Dad. He had stopped running with me because I was coming up on Natalie.

Some of the spectators. I wish I could say Brady was cheering but I was told he was actually yawning!

More spectators!

Phil!!!! He was so worried he wouldn't finish and that he would be pulled off the course because it was closing down and he was the first to finish in our group of 4! Silly guy!

Johnny! I LOVE the look on his face! I see...RELIEF!

Josh, Jack, Nat and Me!

Me...ALMOST THERE!

I absolutely LOVE that Lindsay was raising the roof as she ran by our cheering section. She's my running hero and I couldn't have done it without her!!!!

Me and Lindsay! We seriously had so much fun training for and running this race!!!! I love her!

Even my Grandma came out to cheer me on!

Me and Marilee! I was so sad she wasn't running it with us but she needed to get her knee healthy! She'll be running Santa Barbara in November and hopefully I'll be there to cheer her on!

Me and my Dad! I seriously can't express how much it meant that he ran that last mile with me! I don't think I could've finished without him! By the way, he's also a marathon runner. He ran St. George in 1991!

Me and my family. They were on this marathon ride with me all the way...dealing with a tired wife and mommy every Saturday and being 1000% supportive every step of the way...literally!