National Marathon, part 1

*Sorry - super long post and more to come!*

(Gina and I after the race, elated and TIRED!)

Yay, we did it! Finishing this course of 26.2 miles was empowering. I finished it in 4 hrs and 43 minutes - a time which I am really happy with for my first (haha) marathon. I feel like this experience, as well as preparing for it is a sort of metaphor for life, the challenges we face, overcoming the roadblocks to accomplish our goals. I felt on top of the world, like I could do anything if I set my mind to it and followed a plan. I like this picture because of the way I felt when this picture was taken - spirits soaring high despite a very sore body. However, I echo Gina's sentiments of gratitude for a healthy and strong body - it is amazing what the human body is capable of.

I borrowed all these fun pictures from Gina's blog because they are great. Also, my purse/camera was STOLEN from my car while running a month ago, and while my lovely friend, Debbie took so many pictures, she is currently in Mexico, lucky girl.

Race day was perfect, crisp and sunny. One of my favorite parts of the race was a perky brass band playing over the tunnel at Dupont Circle. I got the chills as participants whooped and cheered. It was a really special event to be a part of... There were so many people cheering us individually by distinguishing characteristics of our clothing, it was funny. "Looking strong, Red shirt!"

The picture above was taken at the half-way point - 13.1 miles. I was able to keep up with Gina up until this point (2:10) over pretty hilly streets and then we went our seperate paces. I had to slow down as I hit a minor wall at this point and it pained me to think that I had still half the race still to run, but I remembered that I had done longer runs and just needed to push through the pain like Gina is so great at doing. She's a great runner! I kept thinking to myself, "I'm so close I can taste it!" My other mental chant was, "Liz said to enjoy it." This really helped me to stop focusing on pain and and look up to enjoy the sights, the beautiful weather, and the overall experience. I also really felt aided by the prayers of my family and inspired by my sisters' successes in running a marathon each to keep going. I also ate 7 Gel's/ GU's! I think that helped a whole bunch, but by the end I was gagging them down. I also followed a good friend's advice (Debbie C) to walk through the water/gatorade stations. That really helped me get to the next point. Towards the end I walked an interval of 30 secs every 10 minutes or so - only when I really felt I needed it. I think that really helped me get through the race and spared me some energy to get through the rest of the day/weekend! I'm grateful that it didn't seem to affect my time too much.
I am so grateful for our sweet, most supportive family and Debbie. They got up super early to drive us downtown and waited in Alex's car to watch a movie while waiting for us because it was pretty chilly. Aaron was so sweet and supportive of the huge time committment invovled in preparing and it was touching (and a bit embarrassing) that he liked to brag about us. He was the MOST welcome sight at the finish line and caught me in a huge hug, and it felt so great that he was so joyful for me. Debbie was so wonderful to fly out here to support me, clean my kitchen, help me cook and detox with me after the race by watching Mama Mia! She also was the one I started making running goals with last summer that got me started on seriously training. There are so many people helping us to accomplish our goals, and more people than we might think are hoping that we will succeed rather than fail.

My fabulous running friends, Jana, Laura, and Gina. I am so grateful for their inspiration, all the fun conversations and jogs together. We had a get together bash at Gina's house the night before to load up on pasta. I really feel a special bond with these girls, especially Gina, because we trained the most together. I don't think I could have gotten through the training without her!

NEXT GOAL: LOSE 15 pounds! : ) I hoped to lose some while training but instead gained 10!