For the past several months, I have been training to run the St. George Marathon. I finally got up the confidence/courage to run a full after running several (10, to be exact) half marathons. For a very long time I had no desire to do more than a half, and I didn't really feel like I was in a place where I could put the time in to train for more than that. Last fall I started getting the idea that maybe 2018 was going to be the year I do it. With Molly not being a baby anymore, I started to feel like it was a possibility.
I don't know why, but I really wanted my first marathon to be St. George. I think it was because I have heard so much about it and wanted one that stretched me to do something different. A lot of the races around here have a lot of downhill-- which is challenging in its own way, but I wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone and prove to myself I can do something with some decent incline and rollers in the mix, too.
I have to laugh when I look at my training schedule. I had to move days all around to make it work, but it proved to be a good guide. It looks like it has been through the war, and in some ways, feels that way too. I'm proud when I look at it and all of the hard work it represents!
Early morning hill training (Sean riding his bike behind me)
I am really fortunate to have a couple of groups I run with. Even though most of the people I run with weren't running the race, they were willing to train with me and run at least part of the distance. With one of my running groups, we started some of the long runs at 4:30 am in order to be done early enough to be home before school for our kids! I am so grateful I didn't have to do those runs alone!
I was very moved by the support I received from friends and family before the race. I had friends stop by with running gifts, posters, and treats. I had tons of people wish me good luck and offer words of encouragement.
The week before the race, I was checking the weather constantly! I watched the forecast change dramatically from what appeared to be perfect running conditions, to cold and a good chance of rain. One of the major complaints I heard about St. George was the weather. I'd heard that it was usually brutally hot, or in the case of a few years ago, rainy and windy. Neither of those options were very appealing!
The day before the race, the forecast seemed to stay steady at cloudy with a slight chance of rain, so I was feeling better about the weather. When we got into town we drove the course so I could get a better idea of what I was in for. I will be honest, after driving it, I was a bit nervous! I saw the infamous Veyo hill with my own eyes, and the miles of rolling hills that followed. I questioned if I had done enough to train. That night I asked Sean for a blessing to help calm my nerves and that helped a lot.
I woke up the next morning around 3:45 am with pretty limited sleep, but felt excited race day had finally arrived. When Sean was driving me to the buses, I checked the weather and saw it was raining at the start. I met up with a few friends who were also running, and as we were riding up to the start, we could see the rain hitting the front windshield of the bus. I think at this point I finally just decided, "Oh well!"
Waiting at the start and trying not to freeze!
The rain stayed steady, but thankfully I had packed a lot of warm stuff in my drop bag. I wasn't too cold until I had to drop my bag and line up. Unfortunately, the race was delayed 30 minutes so we had to wait quite awhile!
Finally, the race started around 7:15 and it felt good to finally get going! I actually ran with hand warmers for the first 4 miles or so, but warmed up fairly quickly. I ran with my friends at the beginning without music, which was a lot of fun and kept me from getting bored with music too fast. It also helped with getting through some of the most challenging parts of the course that occur in the first half. I was proud my hill training paid off and I was able to run all of Veyo. Around mile 10 we put in our headphones and did our own thing. I was ready for music by then and it helped me get through the steady incline for the next few miles.
Around mile 13 the rain finally stopped and I was pleasantly surprised with how good I felt and just how much I was enjoying the race. I loved seeing all the spectators in the small towns we ran through and it was nice not having to worry about the hot sun beating down. I got a pretty decent side ache at mile 15, but thankfully it didn't last too long.
My favorite part of the course was actually around the same time I had the side ache, where you round the bend and see Snow Canyon. It was beautiful! I took a couple of quick pictures, but didn't want to waste much time.
I kept wondering when I was going to hit the infamous "wall" you always hear about, but mile after mile, it didn't come. I was surprised with how fast the miles seemed to go by, and again, couldn't believe how much I was actually enjoying the run itself. At mile 18 there was another pretty big hill that I thought would be really difficult, but was totally fine! I don't really even know how to describe it-- it almost seems like a blur now. The only thing I can figure is that prayers from family and friends helped me out a lot and I was just so relieved to finally be running the race that endorphins were kicking in. I never had the thought that I never wanted to do this again, or wonder why I had signed up for something so stupid in the first place. ;) With each passing mile, my confidence grew and so did my excitement that the finish line was within reach.
My friend Emily's husband, Bill, jumped on the course around mile 23 or so to run her in, and he ran with me for a few minutes before heading back to find her. It was fun to see a familiar face and he was the one who let me know church had officially been changed to two hours (announced in general conference, which was going on during the race)-- there were also signs people made along the course. I thought it was so funny and I'll always remember where I was when it was announced church was switching to two hours!
As I ran in to St. George for the last 3 miles or so, the spectators grew in numbers and there were even brass bands playing. It was such a fun atmosphere! Before too long I found myself in the chute for the last half mile, scanning the faces for my family. When I saw them, I waved and blew kisses to them-- seeing them at the end is my favorite part of every race by far! It felt so good crossing that finish line. It was almost disbelief that I actually did it. It is something I had been anticipating for so long, I couldn't believe it was actually over and I survived! haha
I was happy with my overall time of 3:53. I think I paced it well considering I felt so great the whole time and didn't feel like I was going to die at the end. I really wanted to come in under 4 hours, and I did that, so I am glad. I believe there were around 7800 runners, so I was in the top 18-20%.
I truly feel like training was a family effort. Sean supported me on my long runs and oftentimes picked up extra slack for me when I was worn out, or couldn't make it home in time to run kids around. He also woke up crazy early a few times to drive us up the canyon, and helped my with my ice baths. Jackson played man of the house by moving down to our bed in the early morning and watching out for his brothers and sister while I was running and Sean was out for a ride or at work early. The rest of the kids were patient with me when I was tired and made extra effort around the house. It really was a group effort and I am so grateful for them.
I can officially say I have run a marathon!!
