Grandma's Marathon Recap!

Whoot! Another marathon under my belt! (this was number 9 if you are keeping track, which I am positive you all are. like you really care...!) 

Anyway, I ran Grandma's Marathon in Duluth on Saturday. 
Recap in a few bullets? (Have I ever done anything quickly? I mean, things I try to do quickly? Not things I do quickly cause I'm lazy.)

• Undertrained. I knew going in that my overall mileage was low. I had my long runs in, but my weekly mileage was lower than it should have been. 

• Fun! I wanted to have fun. Lay off myself as far as time and just enjoy the run and the experience. Easier said than done, but that was my goal. In the back of my head, I knew I didn't want to go beyond 5 hours, because I knew I wasn't going to make a PR, but I could finish under 5.

So? My friend Dana and I made a fun trip of it. We posed with awesome animals we need to buy: 

 After some fun at packet pick up

 Dana made me walk a zillion miles to eat at an awesome brewhouse

Fitger's Brewhouse in Duluth

  Then off to bed. Friends of my friend (follow that!?) offered to let us bunk there for the night. Which was awesome. Except we came in at 10:30 p.m., and none of the houses on their street have house numbers. So, there we were, creeping up and down the block, peeking into windows, trying to figure out which house was theirs. Just like an AxeMurderer would do. (and when you are staying at a stranger's house? How do you tell them you need to get to bed? It was midnight and I was trying to find a polite way to say, "Sara needs sleep." )

Race Morning!  

I met up with the always amazing Bobbi before the race! It was so fun to catch up with her and meet some new friends! I ended up running the first 11.5 miles with her friend Carrie, who was taking it easy after a calf injury. 

•* That. Was. Fun •* 

 If you know me at all, you know I run and train 99.9% on my own. I race on my own. To be able to run with another person and talk along the way? Awesome. At mile 11.5, I was trying to decide whether I wanted to kick it up for the last part, or stick with her and enjoy the conversation and fun. I ended up kicking it up.

And the rain started. 

With the temp at 50* and a drizzling rain, I alternated between being hot and cold, trying to decide whether to peel a layer off or keep it on. It was both great for running, and frustrating. I had picked up my pace, and felt good (if not bored from running alone). With Carrie, we had been somewhere between the 5:30 and 5:00 pace groups and I wanted to pick it up to pass the 5:00 group. Around mile 18 I caught up with them and started to pass them. 

(Huge shout out to Carrie for finishing the race with her calf injury! You are a rock star!)

At miles 21-22, my left leg started cramping up and bothering me enough to slow my pace down, but not enough to stop me. At mile 23? I got a side stitch that kicked my arse. I have only had a side stitch on one other run- the Earth Day 1/2 Marathon in April. This one was much worse and almost had me in tears. I'm guessing it was a combination of the weather and the fact that I had increased my pace to quickly the 2nd half of the race. Around mile 24.7? I almost quit. I know- only 1.5 miles left, but my side hurt. I decided to buck it up and finish if it killed me. It quit hurting at 25.5 and I finished without it hurting. 

In the end? I ended up passing over 750 people from mile 13.1 to the end. I learned lessons about having fun, running with others, and pushing through the pain. (I also learned an important lesson about attending an amusement part the next day, drinking a daiquiri and riding rollercoasters, but we can save that for another post.) 

I think my Facebook post sums up my experience the best: 

Final Word before I collapse for the night: Running a marathon is an amazing feat no matter the pace. When covering that distance, there will be times you want to quit, where things hurt (and rub!), and giving up seems easier than continuing. But you push through, learn something about yourself, your strength and endurance, and apply that to your life. Several hours later, I barely remember the pain I was in during those moments. That's a lesson for life...love it.  

And I do. Because I am blessed to be able to run long distances. I am blessed to have people to support me, cheer me on, and admire my cute running clothes. 

(and I am SUPER blessed that I was not offed by an AxeMurderer that night, cause I was home alone and I would have had a really hard time outrunning a killer that night)