Wow. Where do I begin?? All I know is that it’s checked off in the books. After months and months of training, Race Day came and I was as prepared as I could be. I had trouble sleeping each night leading up to the race— however, to my surprise, I was able to sleep most of the night before…
Early in my training, I set my goal to finish within 4:00:00 flat. I had 2 fairly solid half marathon finishes, so after much review, I thought 4:00:00 sounded like a good goal. With it being my first marathon (and not training above the 20 mile threshold), I had no idea what exactly to expect. I heard about those “last 6.2 miles” from friends and family. One of the popular sayings was, “There just ain’t nothin’ like it until you do it.” Many others said, “There’s two races within a marathon. The first 20 and the last 6.2.”
We had a great crew heading over to New Orleans. My fiancé’s mother, step-father and sister were ready to run the half marathon, along with her sister’s roommate who joined in on the fun. My parents and fiancé came along as well and were an incredible support team. We drove over to New Orleans on Saturday and had the chance to enjoy the city. Great food, great sites and a gorgeous day. After a nice meal and a killer Abita beer, it was time to rest up for the adventure the next morning…
5:00am came fast, but I was ready. After reviewing my notes for my game plan and eating a hearty peanut butter and banana sandwich (with an extra banana on the side)—my pre-race tradition, I did some light stretching and mental preparation for what was about to take place at 7:00am. It was a crisp morning…OK, it was pretty chilly, however it warmed up as the morning went on. The starting line was PACKED. Everyone was either stretching, jogging, chatting, or standing in line at the Pot-O-Gold’s. I found my corral and waited for my turn to start. After the first 6 corrals took off, I finally approached the starting line. It was a moment that I visualized each day of my training and my heart started to beat even faster. My emotions got the best of me as began to tear up with excitement. It was finally here. I was about to run my first marathon…
The countdown began and the gun went off. I knew better than to just burst out of the starting line—even though your adrenaline is telling you to. I wiped away the tears, took a deep breath, smiled, said another prayer and took off (maybe not all in that order.) People were flying all over the place—it was a mix of marathoners and half-marathoners, each of them having their own pace. Blocking out everyone else, I settled into a 8:50-9:00 minute mile pace for the first 6 miles. Prior to the race, I set Jenn’s phone up for a text-message alert that sent her 5-6 of my split times, so she could track me along the way. It was a way to reassure her that I was OK and to let her know what mile I was at in case they wanted to track me down. I wrapped up my 5K (3.1 miles) mark at 27:19. I began to pick up the pace a little bit and crossed the 10K (6.2 miles) mark at 54:56. At this point I was warmed up and was able to find my groove. I had a guy that was running relatively the same pace as I was, so I stuck with him during this time. I later left him as his pace was slowing down more-so than my plan. We circled through Audubon Park—a gorgeous site and awesome place to run—and came down St. Charles Street. New Orleans is New Orleans. A party city to say the least. People were drinking and partying along St. Charles—yes, even at 8 in the morning. Some were even offering the runners a beer-to-go…I passed.
I crossed the half-marathon line (13.1 miles) at 1:54:47. Who do I see? My parents and Jenn were waiting along the side of the road yelling and cheering. It was a sweet moment, as their support has been amazing through this entire process. I gave them the thumbs up, said “I love you” (whether they heard me or not, I don’t know), and kept running. At this point, looking back, I know I kicked it into a quicker gear TOO soon. I was only half way through and needed to hold back a little more than I actually did. Complete Rookie mistake. Coming through the French Quarter was another great change of scenery. People were swarming the streets and cheering for anyone they could. The smell of New Orleans is….well, if you’ve been there, you know what I’m talking about.
I crossed the 16.8 mile mark at 2:26:22—still feeling great. No cramps, no soreness, just me and the road. A few miles prior, I began to intake some energy Gu to refuel my system. Right around this mile mark, is where the half marathoners split and headed to the finish line. I could hear the fans cheering at the finish line as I veered left and headed off to a LONG stretch of solitude. I still had a ways to go.
As I ran up the long stretch of road, marathoners were running the opposite way—back towards the finish line. It was about a 4.5 mile (one way) out-and-back route. It was a mental game at this point, as I passed tons of other runners who were running the other way. I had to re-focus and began to look for my 20 mile mark. I crossed it at 2:54:57. ”Not bad”, I told myself. Volunteers were offering a “clear liquid” in tiny, plastic martini glasses. I avoided them, as I didn’t know 100% what the clear liquid was…I am sure it was just water. I chuckled and kept going.
I hit the 20 mile mark and knew that I had a 10K left. I thought I was sore at this moment, but I had no idea what “sore” was. I knew I had a little over an hour to complete this last 10K—which I knew was doable. However, one minor detail that I didn’t mention earlier is this: I set my goal to finish in 4:00:00. A few weeks prior to my race, I set a stretch goal to finish in under 3:50:00. At this point in the race, for me to finish in 3:50, meant that I needed to finish the last 10K in 55 minutes—the same as my first 6.2 miles of the race. I crossed the 23 mile mark and became a little delirious. Pain was shooting through both thighs and my strides were becoming weak. “Go Hard or Go Home”, I told myself. I had a whopping 3 miles left. I didn’t come all this way for nothing. I put my nose down and picked up the pace. I finished mile 24 in 9:10, mile 25 in 8:57, mile 26 in 8:55…
As I turned to what I thought was the finish line, I saw the sign for Mile 26. “Damn.” I thought to myself. “Still .2 miles to go.”
I looked down at my watch and saw that I was just MINUTES from my stretch goal of 3:50. I cut loose into an all out “sprint” (or so I thought at the time). I wrapped around the final turn and entered into the finish line chute. Just like I pictured the starting line, I also visualized this exact moment of crossing the finish line. People were hollering left and right. I looked rapidly for my family and spotted the gang off to my left. I smiled at them and made some kind of hand gesture—not really sure what it turned out like, but I attempted the “thumbs-up.” The music was blaring and I was just steps away from wrapping up my biggest accomplishment yet.
I threw my hands in the air and crossed the finish line at 3:49:28. I did it. I became a little wobbly and gathered some water, fruit and accepted my medal.
It took awhile for it to all set in. I found my family, gave them a hug, snapped a few pictures and just took in the moment. It was a day I will ever forget…
Thank you again to all of my friends and family for your continuous love and support. It was you that helped me accomplish this goal of mine.
Below are a few pictures and captions from the race.
To see all the photos that Jenn took, click here:
(Above): Crossing the 13.1 mile mark and seeing Jenn and my parents for the first time during the race.
(Above): Right after seeing my family within the finish line—I had just a few feet to go.
(Above): My parents and I right after I finished. I was in another world, but was able to stop and smile for a few pictures…
(Above): My #1 fan. Her support and understanding for my passion doesn’t go unnoticed. I love you, Jenn.
