I Really Should Be Happy

Yesterday was the big day. I trained for 23 weeks, got up at 4:00 in the morning on several occasions, did speedwork at the track, ran up and down steep hills repeatedly, ran two 20 milers, and gave up time that could have been spent with my family. Was it all worth it? Definitely.

Coron, the girls, and I drove to Seattle on Friday morning and met up with Heidi for lunch in Bellevue at California Pizza Kitchen. After lunch, we went our separate ways so that Heidi and I could head to the race expo.

Heidi and I outside of our hotel...

After the expo, we went to our hotel, The Paramount, and had dinner downstairs in the restaurant. I think at one point, Heidi actually said, "Can't we just bag the marathon and go out and have a good time?". It was really hard to be in the big city and not be able to have a few cocktails and stay out late. Heidi and I don't get to see each other very often, so being in bed at 8:30 was a bit disappointing. The lights were out by 9:30 and while Heidi easily drifted off to sleep, I tossed and turned for the next 3 hours. The last time I remember looking at the clock, it was 12:30 and our 4:15 wake up call came way too early!! I was exhausted, and I couldn't believe that I had to get of of bed and go run 26.2 miles.

We headed to the shuttle bus line at 5:20 and were in line for 40 minutes before we finally got on. At this point I started to panic just a little bit because I was worried we weren't going to get to the start line in time for me to go to the bathroom. When we were still sitting on I-5 at 6:45 (race started at 7:00) going at a snail's pace, I was definitely in panic mode. We finally got off the bus, ran as fast as we could toward the start line and waited in line for the outhouses. As we were in line, the National Anthem was being sung and I definitely thought we wouldn't make it in time. We were in Corral 6, so fortunately, we wouldn't be starting right at 7:00. To make a long story short, we did make it in time, but starting a marathon feeling that anxious was not ideal! The Seattle Rock 'n Roll group is going to have to do something different next year. There were thousands of people on shuttle buses behind us, so I'm sure they didn't make it in time.

The first 8 miles of the marathon were perfect. We probably went out a little too fast because we were well under our race pace. At mile 10, we split off from the half marathoners and headed out toward Mercer Island across the I-90 bridge. It was a very long bridge. I don't like straight stretches like that because you can see exactly how far you have to go and it always looks like a really long way. The other hard part about being on the bridge was that there was absolutely no shade. I do not do well with sun. Isn't Seattle supposed to be cloudy and drizzly all the time? Rather, we got one of the most beautiful days. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and we could see all of the gorgeous mountains surrounding us. Any other day, I would have really appreciated this, but this was not ideal for a marathon.

By mile 13, something went seriously wrong. I still don't know exactly what happened. Perhaps we went out too fast and I was just getting tired. Perhaps the Cliff Blocks that I had eaten weren't agreeing with me. I have no idea. All I know, is I felt like complete crap. I felt like I was going to vomit and I was dizzy. At mile 14, Heidi's brother-in-law, Alex, joined us on the course to help us through the tougher miles. Shortly after he jumped in, I told Heidi that she was going to have to go ahead because I just wasn't feeling right. Alex went ahead with her, but after awhile I saw him headed back my way. I told him that something just wasn't right and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I had to make a complete stop and put my head down between my legs. I think at that point, Alex was fairly sure that I wasn't finishing the race and that I'd be lucky if the medical team wouldn't be carrying me off the course. I started running again and felt a little better. Alex asked me how I was doing and I said, "Not very well, but I'm going to make it". He told me that he was going to go catch up with Heidi and try and help her get a Boston qualifying time.

I was all on my own and I still had about 8 miles to go. This part of the course was a very long, gradual hill that seemed like it would never end. At mile 21, I saw Coron and the girls which is always uplifting. They were cheering me on, but I'm pretty sure Coron could tell that I wasn't very happy with what was happening. After the race, he actually said that I looked pretty strong, but I sure didn't feel that way.

Mile 21...dying...

Honestly, miles 21-25 were somewhat of a blur. I remember giving myself lots of pep talks, but I also had to stop at all the water stations to guzzle full cups of Cytomax and water. I was so, so thirsty. After mile 25, I knew I was almost there, but it was tough because there was a short uphill until I hit the 26 mile marker. I reached the top of that hill and then it was all downhill from there. I turned the corner and that's where it got really exciting. There were thousands of spectators yelling and screaming and I was flying. I finally saw the finish line and I was so relieved. I think I even did one of the geeky arms in the air poses when I crossed the line. I finished in 3:55:34. My goal was to finish in under 4 hours. My secret goal (which I wish I would never have even put in my head) was to qualify for Boston. I was 10 minutes too slow.

I started searching everywhere for Heidi and couldn't find her. I finally saw her coming out of the medical tent. Apparently her legs were totally cramped up and she could barely walk. I was thinking maybe I needed to join her there because my legs were a crampy mess too. We met up with Coron and the girls, took a few pictures, and then decided that we really wanted to just get back to our hotel and shower. We were exhausted!

The finish line

(For the record, Heidi made me buy one of these dorky headbands at the race expo. They actually ended up being very helpful, because with 25,000 runners it made it a little bit easier to find each other)...

We spent the rest of the afternoon laying on the beach of Lake Washington with good friends. It was a great way to celebrate our race.

Ella and Celia playing with all of their new girlfriends...

My friend, Jami, and I

Somewhat recuperated...

So....am I happy? I haven't decided just yet. I guess it's sort of bittersweet. While I'm very happy that I shaved 21 minutes off my Eugene Marathon time, and I finished in under 4 hours, I'm also a bit sad that I won't be joining Heidi in Boston (by the way....she made it with just 36 seconds to spare...I'm so proud of her). I honestly thought that the qualifying for Boston goal was a bit optimistic, but now I really think I can probably do it. I just need to have the perfect day. For the first 13 miles, I thought it was going to be a perfect day.


~J