My First Marathon

The race started at 7am on Sunday, March 30th. I didn't expect to be finished before 11:30 (possibly not before noon).
My Bib Number was: 3148

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Well, I finished the marathon. My time was 4 hours, 36 minutes, and 11 seconds. I finished 126 out of 212 in my age group (women 18 through 29).

It was so freakin hard! The course was very scenic, but extremely hilly! I didn't train well enough on hills and hit my wall at about mile 17, which is at least 3 miles before you're normally supposed to hit the wall. The weather wasn't ideal, at a cold 47 degrees with gusty winds which made if feel like lower 40s.

Luckily, I met an awesome woman named Roberta Oveson who is from Minnesota and was here running her third marathon. She ran with me the whole way! She was a God-send and really helped to encourage me when I was getting tired.

Robby was wonderful as well! He came out and waited in three different places to cheer me on. We missed each other the first time, but he was there with a fresh pair of shoes at around mile 15, and he was cheering me on like crazy right around mile 24, which really helped get me to the end.

Here is what I learned from this race:

1. If there are going to be hills, train on them much more often. I trained on some hills, but not nearly as many as I should have.

2. Take the day following the marathon off work. Here I am, miserable and sore, sitting at work, barely able to move.

3. Schedule a sports massage for the following day. I was going to do that, and kept forgetting. Now I'm regretting my forgetful mind and hoping that I can get in sometime today or tomorrow.

4. Carry butterscotch hard candies with you for the race. They have both salt and sugar that gives you a boost when you're feeling tired. And they get the saliva going so you don't feel as dehydrated. I had a cut up Snickers marathon energy bar, but you really need to be near a water station to eat it because it coats your mouth. Roberta was nice enough to share her butterscotch candies with me.

5. Have someone at the finish line to help you out afterwards. I ran through the finish line with every ounce of energy I had left, but afterwards I was spent. My sister was wonderful enough to be there and help me out by holding some of the food and being there for me. Robby was there waiting to pick us up and take us home so I didn't have to walk far afterwards.

Overall, I'm glad for the accomplishment. I finished a marathon before the age of 30, as was my goal. I don't know at this point if I'll ever run another, but I have no regrets about this one. It is a day I will not soon forget. =)