On to the Next One

Well, that's it. The race is over, and this is likely the penultimate post. There will probably be one more post with the final fundraising tally. I met my running goal of coming in under 4 hours with a final time of 3:59:04! That's 40 minutes faster than my last marathon, which I ran when I was in my 20s.

The morning started out very cold, and runners shivered an extra 15 minutes at the start line due to traffic problems. The shivering made my muscles tight right at the start. After the first half hour or so, the weather warmed up, and so did I. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day. There were high headwinds--about 17 mph--but although they probably slowed me down a bit, I really didn't notice them. I started out a bit too fast; one of my early miles was under 8 minutes! That's probably why my calves cramped up into tight balls about 6 miles in. Somewhere around mile 7, there were rows of uniformed military personnel lining the course and cheering loudly and giving high fives, so that helped me push through the pain. Still, when I saw Josh and Cora between miles 11 and 12--which also happened to be when the 3:40 BQ pace group slipped ahead of me--I told them that I didn't think I was going to finish the race. I was almost in tears, my legs were just not working, and every step took incredible effort and will. Josh ran next to me with the stroller and told me that he knew I could do it, that he'd seen me run through pain like this before, and that he'd see me at the finish line. There is no way I would have finished the race without his pep talk.

I pulled back my pace a bit, and after a few miles, my legs started working better, though the pain had moved from my calves to my knees and quads. I still came in at just about BQ time at the first half, which shattered my PR for a half marathon! Too bad it doesn't count, since it's part of a longer race. The second half was slower, but the crowd support was great, and there were water stands everywhere. The Shamrock Marathon is incredibly well-organized and fun, and I would highly recommend it to any auspicious runners. There were some sections that were a little boring: long straight stretches up steady--though not too steep--inclines with little crowd support, by the fort, for example. But the boardwalk finish and the post-race party on the beach with all you can drink Yuengling and good Irish music more than made up for it!

We had a long drive home (Josh did, that is) after the race, and my legs tightened up again as a result. I could barely move them last night, even having to lift my legs up with my hands to get them into bed. I got a lovely massage this morning and relaxed in the hot tub at the gym, and I've done a little light walking, which helps quite a bit. I'm still wearing my medal, which stops some of the funny looks due to my hobbling.

I thought I would feel disappointed if I didn't BQ, but I don't. I feel proud of my sub-4 hour accomplishment, of course, but more importantly, I feel warm and fuzzy thinking about all of the support so many of you have given me and my mom and the Guthy-Jackson Foundation. Whenever I got tired on the course, I would think of that support, and I would feel the sea breezes lifting me up and pushing me forward. During many of the miles of this marathon, I wondered what I was thinking signing up for it and decided I would never run another run. Already at the finish line, however, I listened to Jay-Z's "On to the Next One," and started plotting my next step on the road to Boston. I'll get there, and I'll probably use my next race not only as another attempt to qualify, but also as another opportunity to raise money for the Foundation. Thank you all so much for your support!