SUCCESS!!!!!!!

Ok, here is my race weekend recap..

Friday: Boring plane ride, only half full. I get to Nashville, and as we descend to the runway I look out the window and uttered one word: "shit." There are some large hills in that city, made even larger via airplane. We landed and I went straight to my hotel. The reason I stayed at my hotel Saturday evening (instead of flying out after the race) was so that I could soak in the tub and be a bum. Much to my chagrin, my room didn't have a tub - only a shower. No problem, there's a pool and I brought some extra running clothes so I could just sit in the pool in running clothes. Off I go to the expo where I bought my traditional marathon socks and lapel pin, plus two new running shirts - one from John Bingham that has a penguin on the front and the words, "I'm slow, I know, get over it" on the back and then a running tank that says, "Running is cheaper than therapy." I'm happy with both of my purchases. I wandered around, listened to Bingham speak (which is always fun) and then wandered around Nashville. I met up with Bill and Beverly at the Wildhorse Saloon where we had a late lunch. I went back to my hotel room, rested and watched bad tv movies. I was asleep by 8pm, which was perfect since I had to wake up at 4:30am on race day.

RACE DAY!!!!!!!!! I woke up early, dressed, "named by biceps" (writing my name on both arms so people can cheer me on) as my friend Ed said once, hopped aboard the shuttle and off I went. I met a girl from Arkansas and hung out with her and her running group "The Hot Legs" before the gun went off.

7am. The gun goes off. We're on a wave start, and since I'm in corral 14 (of 24), it takes a while for me to leave. Finally, we're off! I set my Garmin and tell myself to start slow and be stronger in the middle - and try to last to mile 20 before giving up running completely.

Before I tell you of my splits, let me tell you of my time. My two previous marathon races were sad times (but at least I finished safely, so I was happy). My finishing time in San Diego was 6:53. After a summer of poor training, my Marine Corps finishing time was 7:02. For this one, when I signed up, I said my estimated finishing time was 6:15, but secretly I figured I'd finish in 6:30.

I finished in 6:21:12!!!!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a PR of 32 minutes, and it's 41 minutes better than my last marathon!!!

Here are my splits:
Mile 1 - 11:48. Oops. Too fast. But there were some downhills.
Mile 2 - 12 minutes. Still too fast.
Mile 3 - 12:30. That's more like it. These hills are annoying. Took a gu.
Mile 4 - 12:05.
Mile 5 - 11:36.
Mile 6 - 12:07
Mile 7 - 12:44. Saw Bill and Beverly on the other side.
Mile 8 - 12:36. Gu time.
Mile 9 - 12:54. Oof. Uphills-a-plenty.
Mile 10 - 11:59.
Mile 11 - 12:53.
Mile 12 - 14:30. I have no clue what happened here. Uphills maybe?
Mile 13 - 13:20. I reached the half-way point at 2:47. I took a gu. It turned out to be my last - I just forgot to take any more. See mile 21.
Mile 14 - 15:56. I decided to walk a mile or two before running again, since I pushed myself so hard in the beginning. Big mistake. My desire to run after that faded quickly and I ended up walking more than running.
Mile 15 - 14:59. Jogged a bit.
Mile 16 - 17:40. Got bored. Started calling friends and family.
Mile 17 - 14:36. Jogged some more.
Mile 18 - 16:21. Getting bored and my desire to jog is gone.
Mile 19 - 15:53. Ran downhills. Walked the rest.
Mile 20 - 15:01. Ran downhills fast. Walked the rest.
Mile 21 - 17:34. I was in tears. I was hurting, I was lonely, I was bored. I called my mom and Andy and just cried. After hanging up with them, I realized it had been a while since I took any source of sugar, so I ate a bag of M&Ms and felt instantly better (I learned about M&Ms in a marathon from the MCM).
Mile 22 - 18:01. Hmm. I have no idea why I'm this slow, but at least I was in a better mood.
Mile 23 - 19:24. I stopped because I ran into an ex-boss from Louisiana (small world) who was running the race with her brother and her brother was hurt, so they were painfully trying to get to the finish line. I stopped and chatted with her for a second.
Mile 24 - 13:49. I started jogging again.
Mile 25 - 16:15. The end is near. Why go so fast? I know I'll PR.
Mile 26 - 15:23. Tried to jog/shuffle to pass up walkers (how sad am I?)
last .51 - 7:32. My Garmin totaled out at 26.51 miles, but that's probably because I weaved in and out occasionally, as well as didn't cut the matrices right. But once I hit the shute, I sprinted towards the end, practically crying from happiness with my time.

I am very happy with the results. I cut off 32 minutes in less than a year, felt much better about this training, and am not hurt. My Achilles tendon didn't flare up AT ALL, I have NO blisters on my feet, did NOT chafe at all and didn't lose a toenail. My glutes and quads hurt, as do my ankles and the bottom of my feet, but overall I am very happy. Unfortunately, I sat weird at the airport and pulled my back, but that usually happens after a marathon (for me), but I know I'll be back to normal within a week.

After MCM, I decided to not do a full again until I dropped 30 pounds. I didn't drop the pounds, but still knocked off 32 minutes. I have decided, again, to not train for another full until the 30 pounds really DO come off. I am not signing up for MCM but will do the Virginia Beach half over Labor Day and the Nike Women's half in October. I can handle halves, no problem, and I'd rather work on speed with distances of no greater than 13 miles for now.

Overall, the race was fun. I enjoyed the first half more so than the second half, mainly because there were more half runners and once they split from us full, the roads were lonely. The first half is MUCH more hilly than the second half, but the hills made it fun after a while - I felt so free running down the hills without a care in the world. I didn't see many "fun runners", those doing tricks or dressed up, but the bands were good and the energy level was high.

If I do this race again, it'll be only the half, because the first half is the most fun.

After the race, I went back to my hotel. I had a king-size bed, so to minimize my movements, I put all of my belongings on my bed. How sad am I? Yes, I slept with my suitcase on my bed. I left my room only once, to go hunting for food (which was two blocks and a hill away by foot) and then watched more bad television.

Now I'm back to reality and have to go to a double dose of rehearsals today. I told my director that I will be in pain and don't expect me to wear my heels for a few days.

Cheers!