26.2

"I did it! I really did it!!" -That is what I kept repeating over and over as my shaking body clung to my wonderful, supportive husband at the finish line of the Ogden Marathon last Saturday. What an amazing experience the entire process has been. It all started with a prayer to find a friend to share my love of running. Then came along Kelly and her contagious desire to run a marathon. I never really thought I could stick to the training and finish a marathon before I met her. What an inspiration! What a reliable, kind friend I have found in her!


The best things about running this marathon were the people and relationships that helped me along the way. And I'm not just talking about last Saturday, but every Saturday for the last 6 months. My biggest supporter, of course, has been my husband. Zook has attended to everything that would have gotten in the way of me making it to the weekly Saturday morning long runs. And I mean everything! He wasn't going to be able to be there to watch me run my first marathon. But, on Thursday night he surprised me by telling me he had gotten a babysitter for the kids and a plane ticket so he could be there to cheer me on and be my coach. I've never cried so many happy tears in all my life! I didn't realize what a touching experience it would be to share this with him.

He insisted I eat well, go to bed early (even though that really didn't happen!) and have plenty of fluids before the race. He stayed with me where Kelly and her family were staying Ogden.

(Here I am on the way to the start line - the most awake and wired I will probably ever be at 5:30 in the morning! I was so excited!)

He made sure I was up on time and insisted on driving us to the place where the buses would drive us up the canyon to the start. He carried a backpack of supplies I might need for when he met us at the half-way point with Kelly's husband (He is equally as wonderful to her!). He made sure he had packed my special water/Gu mixture, Icy-Hot for my aching legs, extra ibuprofen, extra batteries for the mp3 player and lots of hugs of support. It was one of the huge highlights of the race to see him waiting for me just before ascending up the toughest hill on the course.

And now for a little recap of the actual race. It was a gorgeous setting with picture-perfect weather. We had to wait for the buses to take us to the start for about 50 minutes. It felt like an eternity, but they finally came and we were one of the last groups to arrive at the start. Everyone was packed together and lined up for about a quarter of a mile down the road at the start line. It was perfect - we had just enough time to meet up with Ted (who we've been training with on Saturdays) and make last minute preparations and adjustments before the gun went off. And there wasnt' enough time to be nervous and start second-guessing my preparation. I hate that nervous anticipation at a start line! I felt like I was really blessed to not be as nervous as I used to feel before races in high school. I was just excited!

It took more than a minute once the gun sounded to actually cross the start line - there were so many runners. We stuck together (all 3 of us) and the first few miles flew by. Seriously - 5 miles have never gone by so fast! I don't know the exact splits... but I'm sure I could get that from Kelly. We were running around 8:30 miles. I felt great. Supposedly I was breathing 3% less oxygen up there in the mountains than I am accustomed to here in Portland, but I didn't feel a difference.

We stopped for a few seconds to stretch at this point, and as I bent over to stretch my legs I saw some small, pink rocks on the edge of the road by my feet. I had an immediate impulse to pick them up because I thought Waverly would like them. That thought was instantaneously evicted by the thought of how silly it would be to carry rocks in my pocket for 21 more miles! But they were pink, and they made me think of my kids. Our shirts, after all, announced for all to see that we are in fact "Marathon Mommies". So I chose 3 tiny pink rocks and stuck them in my pocket. I thought about my sweet kids often as we ran. Lots of other runners commented on our shirts and asked us how many kids we had. It was special to have that connection throughout the race with our families. I thought of that analogy often as I ran: I "run" daily for my kids, my husband and myself. I do the hard things because it feels good in the end. It is always well worth the effort.

I found myself also composing a nice little sacrament meeting talk in my head during the race: a great analogy of life and running a marathon. Specifically, the importance of feasting on the "Gu" for energy. Before this race I had never eaten more than 2 packets of Gu (super-concentrated electrolytes and carbs for instant energy) even on our long training runs. Every mile or 2 there was an aid station where they offered water, Powerade and Gu packets. I couldn't get enough of the stuff! I must have ingested 12 Gu packets before the end of the race. It reminded me of "feasting upon the word of Christ" and "enduring to the end" (2 Nephi 31:20). It might be possible to endure to the end without the constant "feasting", but WHY do that to yourself? The energy is there for the taking. Arms were constantly outstretched and willing to offer me a fresh packet of Gu. All I had to do was take it. Feasting upon the words of Christ and holding tight to the power of prayer daily are the "instant energy sources" that I need to endure to the end every day. ... I'm just itching to be called to speak in sacrament meeting now! :) But seriously, the Gu, bananas, watermelon and water throughout the race made all the difference.

Just after meeting with our husbands at the half-way point we faced the biggest hill in this mostly-down-hill race. It stretched before us for about 1/2 mile. I took it strong but slow. Ted had run ahead when we stopped to see our coaches/husbands. Towards the top of the hill I lost Kelly, but met up with her a mile later when I had to make a potty break. That was certainly a one-of-a-kind experience in a port-a-john! Luckily, it was just enough time for Kel to catch up. I lost her again soon after and that was the toughest part of the race. It was torture to be just over mid-way and all alone! I kept striking up conversations with other runners, but our paces never stayed the same and miles 15 to 20 stretched out very long. I bet my splits were the slowest through this section of the race. It is amazing what a difference companionship and moral support means during a marathon!

As I started down the best down-hill part of the course (Ogden Canyon) I could see Ted was several hundred yards ahead. It took me a couple miles, but I finally caught up with him. Ah - to see a familiar face! But, he was starting to cramp up and he had to stop and stretch about 3 miles from the end. Those last 3 miles were the longest of the race! Some of it was on a narrow paved trail with tiny rolling hills - what an unpleasant surprise they were for my aching legs! And then I was running the last mile on a flat city street exposed to the brightest sunlight of the day. I couldn't see the finish and it was killing me! I knew this was it - all or nothing - and I let it loose. I kept repeating the one song on my mp3 player that helped me keep the perfect pace: Angel by Shaggy. - A silly song, but just what I needed. "Closer than my peeps (or is it 'peops'?) you are to me, baby!" I sang along in my head and thought about Zook at the finish line.

Just after the 26 mile marker I saw my adoring fans: Mo, Dad, Carrie, Emily and Mia. What a boost! My eyesight was a bit fuzzy at this point, but I could see they had made signs for me and were shouting and cheering. I remember telling my dad how I loved them all so much. ... finish line in sight... .2 miles to go... .1 miles . I'm surprised I'm not about to pass out. It was all that Gu! I feasted and it saved my life!

Right before the finish there was Zook with a digital camera in one hand and a video camera in the other. My time: 3 hours 58 minutes. Sub-4 hour marathon! I am so happy with that! I hugged random volunteers after I crossed the finish as they gave me a finishers medal and removed the timing chip. They must have thought I was insane. And I was! Insanely happy and overflowing with joyful endorphins! Talk about a natural high! I couldn't stop hugging Zook! He was so proud of me - the best feeling in the world. And then my adoring fans showered me with love and support. Thanks, fam! What a moment!

I couldn't wait to see Ted and Kelly cross the line, and they soon did. This day stands right up there with the day I was married and the days my kids were born. But it was not a singular event or moment in time: it was a process, a time to learn and grow, build relationships, rely on others and have faith. Ultimately I did it, but not without the help of Others. I can't wait until my next marathon! (Which thanks to m&m may be a lot sooner than I thought!)