My study group and I must have taken almost a dozen practice tests. I am glad to have found them- they are so committed to getting together and studying with me, and for this I am very grateful.
The morning of the test, my stomache was in complete knots and my palms were sweaty and clammy.
I was so nervous! But finally, when we got started and I read the problem twice- I began typing furiously and didn't pause for a second until they called time. After it was all over, I let out the biggest sigh of relief and happiness. And the high didn't stop. I grabbed a quick lunch, ran errands, and then headed over to the expo to pick up my bib for the California International Marathon! All the anxiety and excitement of studying and taking my final was going to be released in a 26.2 mile run! I couldn't wait!
The next morning, I got up at 4 am and made a pot of coffee and carefully prepared for the run. I put on my running clothes, pinned on my bib, adjusted my socks and brand new Asics, and tried to stay calm. For some reason, I had a bunch of fluttering butterflies flying around crazily in my insides! When we rode our bikes over to the buses, and we jumped on the bus full of fellow marathoners, I could hardly sit still. My palms were sweaty again and my heart kept pounding. I thought to myself, I'm such a big ball of emotion! Here is us getting on the bus at 5:30 am:
As I rode on that bus, I realized that we were running the entire distance back. I've ran this race before, and it was amazing this time as much as it was amazing that first time. It was a long way to run back. I was so excited.
Finally, the bus exited off the freeway and made its way to the start line by Folsom Lake. Police escorts flashed their lights, signaling for us to turn. I felt like shouting to everyone on the bus, Yay runners!
When we got to the start line, I began jumping up and down for joy but also to keep warm. It was a beautiful morning and the sun had just begun to come out off in the distance. It was a cold morning, but it could have been a lot colder.
Here's the crowd at the start line:
As the gun went off, I began to run, and waved to all the firefighters standing on the big fire truck. I felt good. I kept telling myself, take it nice and easy, one mile at a time.
Along the way, we ran by horse stables, and there were two horses standing there in the field, watching us. One of them began anxiously running alongside the fence, looking longingly at all of us runners. I cried out, Aww he wants to run with us! There was scattered laughter and some runners smiled.
We also saw two old dudes wearing shirts that said 28 CIMS. They've run every single CIM that ever existed. That's longer than I've been alive! Paul ran over to to the first man we saw wearing that shirt and congratulated him. He nodded in return. It was an honor to run with him on that course.
I found myself running behind the 4:25 pacer pretty early on, and I told myself to keep up with her. My goal this year was to finish in about 4 and a half hours or so. I would have been happy with something around 4:40. Unfortunately, around mile 7, I felt cramps coming on. I began to worry. I slowly began to realize that I had not trained enough. It's funny how you begin to realize things that you wouldn't otherwise think of, as you're running and you're feeling your body begin to communicate to you.
My body began yelling at me,
"Are you kidding me? When is the last time you went for a run?"
(It's been a while...)
"What have you been eating the last week?"
(Um.... salads and stuff. Been staying on a 1200 calorie a day diet to lose weight.)
"How hard have you been training?"
(Not very hard. I've been studying a lot.)
"Are you crazy? Or just plain stupid?"
(......)
You get the idea. After having these conversations with myself, I drew the conclusion that I didn't respect the marathon enough and I jumped into it overly confident because it was my fourth marathon. Needless to say, it became a harder run a lot sooner than I had anticipated.
I wasn't able to set a PR, and came in at 5:03. (My best time was 4:50 at the Avenue of the Giants marathon.) But, I'm actually really happy with myself! My split times were actually really good! For the halfway point, my time was 2:13 (which also isn't a PR, I've ran a half in 2 hours and 4 minutes) but the 20 mile mark was 3:38! That is cruisin!
After about 21 miles, I knew I only had an hour to run the last 5-6. And usually I know I can run that in much less than an hour. But after running 21 miles with stiff legs that were threatening to cramp, I just didn't care enough to push myself to the point of risking injury to my feet and legs. I think with more training and an adequate diet leading up to the race, I would have been fine. Mentally, 26 miles is something I have gotten used to. But it's truly about conditioning my body enough to be ready for such a big run.
Once again, seeing all the runners out there, throwing their all into this run, and seeing all of those volunteers helping us along the way moved me to tears. And the spectators out there in the cold with signs like "Go Daddy!" and "You're NOT almost there!" were priceless. This one guy around mile 22 in East Sacramento was giving a long, loud speech, telling us how each and every one of us are amazing and how proud he was for what we're accomplishing that day. That guy was cool.
At mile 25 or so, there was a band with the lead singer singing Aretha's "At Last", and normally that would make me cry, but that day I was so irritated, because I was so done with running. I love running so much, I can run all day and be happy, but running 26.2 miles with stiff legs will make even me sick of running.
As I finished that last leg, I still felt great and all the people cheered, as I came into the finish line strong and proud. It was like a dream. It's funny how everytime you can see that finish line, it gives you a sudden burst of energy, and somewhere you find it within yourself to burst into a sprint. I never thought I'd be a runner. But now, I'm not just a runner. I am a marathoner.
More photos will follow, and I'm already trying to decide which marathon to run next, so stay tuned!
Last final this Friday and then I'm home free for a month! During my month off, I am determined to knock out a few good reads, maybe a hike or two, some holiday shopping, hang out with Sara when she comes home for Christmas, plan my trip to Honduras, and most of all, cook homemade meals again!
Wow you look great! I'm so proud of you!!
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