Nike Women's Marathon 2008

I know, I know...How is it that I have waited so long to update on the marathon? Let's just say it took all my mental, emotional, and obviously physical strength and I am just now feeling recovered in all those aspects! It was an amazing morning. I had terrible sleep, not so much thinking about the race, my mind was just jumping around from pointless thought to another. We woke up at 4 :20 a.m. We needed to eat and dress to meet the TNT team in the lobby at 5 a.m. Waiting around that long before the start of the race can really mess with your mental state. I guess spending all summer rolling out of bed Saturday mornings to team runs wasn't the best in preparation for the big day. Lesson learned! It was pretty chilly in Union Square that morning before the sun came up, but in the sea of 20,000 runners crowded into the small area, we sort of kept warm. Once the gun went off, it was around 17 minutes later that I actually crossed the start line.
What a rush! I started jogging, feeling slow and steady. The sun started coming up, my body temperature was rising, and andrenaline was pumping. The aid stations in the first couple miles were so slammed, it wasn't even worth stopping. I was so glad I wore my nerdy fuel belt. We ran along the embarcadero, down past a nice bay view of Alcatraz, and headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge at around mile 6. It was also the first significant hill, and it was VERY steep. I felt like I took it nice and easy. The next 3 miles seemed like ALL hill. Up, down and around. FINALLY, it seemed like we were heading down towards the Great Old Highway along the Pacific Ocean, and I think this may be where I made a mistake. The wind down was pretty steep, and I realize now that I took too big advantage of gravity's help and expended more energy than I should have. When we made it down practically to sea level at mile 10 it was such a head trip, the finish line was just ahead. The route took a sudden turn east, and headed into Golden Gate Park for another climb, this time, slow, steady, and never ending. The Park was the first BIG challenge for me. It was a lot more quiet compared to the route prior. The Park was also where the full marathon route departed from the half route. They head towards the beach to the finish and we dwindled in numbers to persevere less than half way to our goal. It was VERY hard running away from the halfers. I kept thinking how if I was completing the half I would've been so fast and successful. After spending too much time in Lala Fantasy Land, reality stretched out before me, and I had a LONG way to go.
The motivating part in this lonely section was seeing my parent's eager and proud faces as I ran by. They picked the best spot where I could see them perfectly...my dad was screaming my name and my mom was trying to cheer, blow a whistle and ring a bell all at the same time. I didn't smile much on my run, but I was beaming in this moment! Finally I made it through this difficult part, only to be faced with an even bigger wall. Around mile 17 I began to struggle. Up until this point I had not stopped running. My feet started to feel like I was running on hot coals, burning like fire. The morning was developing into a very cold and cloudy day, and my hands were so cold, I balled them into fists for heat. At some point, I realized they were painfully swelling as well, something I have never experienced. I slowed down and changed gears to a walk run. But even slowing didn't make things any easier. Looking back, it made it worse. I thought about giving up. I thought about how I desperately wanted to stop moving, sit down on the curb, and throw in the towel.
It was then that I looked to the side and there was a woman walking next to me. She looked up at me...and we just knew. We were in the same boat, and desperately needing a lifeline. I felt like, FINALLY! someone I can relate to out here, and just in the nick of time. Sarah, from South Carolina. We walked, we ran, we talked. I pulled her, she pulled me, we pushed. The stretch of the route out along the Great Old Highway seemed much farther than it really was...and the lap we had to do around Lake Merced was unbareable. I'm positive that it was almost all uphill. Miles 19 - 23 were probably my least favorite, but having Sarah there made it much better. We told each other at almost every mile how happy we were to have met. Once we were back on the Great Old Highway it was a crawl to the finishline along a straightaway against the biting cold breeze of the ocean. We had about 2.2 miles to go and they were challenging. We ran the rest of the way in, but I was literally saying to myself, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT...I know they say that endurance running is a mental challenge, but those last few miles for me were VERY physical. My feet burned, my hands felt like ice, and my legs already began to feel so sore. I thought I might pass out running the last .2 miles to the finish, but I heard my dad screaming my name, and saw the proud emotional look on my boyfriend's face...I made it. I even managed to smile and hold up my hands in victory for my cross of the finish line. WHAT A FIGHT!
I'm so glad to have made it....and even happier that it's over. I don't know when my next full marathon will be, but I'm going to keep up with racing...planning on a half in December, and a triple crown next Spring/Summer.