What happened was, a group of my friends decided they would put a team together to run RAGNAR. That wouldn't be too bad, I thought. So I trained and ran that. It was hard, don't get me wrong, but still a good time. Well, when that was over, my friend Leanne said something along the lines of, "You know, we are already at 13 miles....if we train 7 more, we could do a full..."And that's where it all began. Just like Satan, little by little, I was convinced that hey, maybe I really could do a marathon. Maybe I should just try it. It can't be that bad, right? After I ran my first half marathon, I remember Jason and I both saying we would never run a full. Never. But I think we both knew in the back of our mind that it would have to be something we checked off our bucket list one day. So, I decided this is a better time than any. I would do it once. Check it off the list, and be done with it.
So, my friends and I trained. We got up at 3am to do our long runs, and to beat the Arizona heat. We were dedicated. It was hard. We got up to our 20 mile run, which is the longest run you do before a marathon, and I thought, okay, I'm there. I'm going to do this. And then, I found out I was pregnant. I didn't know if I should go through with it. I didn't want to put the baby at risk, and I knew the marathon was secondary to the baby's health. I did a lot of praying. I also talked to my OB, who happens to be a runner, who said to go for it. My body is used to the running, and the baby would be fine. Just to be very careful, don't get dehydrated and listen to my body.
I ran a half marathon on July 4th with Jennette, Jolene and Brent. We ran the Neola Half Marathon, which was great. I ran it in 1 hr 54 minutes, which is an 8 minute 40 second pace. It gave me hope that I could do the marathon. I had never run that fast in my life. Digestive wise I had done really well, and there was no cramping. Hallelujah.
Well, the day of the marathon came. I will never forget the terrible anxiety, and resulting digestive issues I had that morning. Just the worst thing ever. I ran the first 9 at a good pace. In fact the first 4 miles were under an 8 minute pace. Then there was this wretched 2 mile long straight up hill, or so it seemed. Marlane and I stayed together for the first 9 or so, we lost Leanne and Amy around mile 2? Then I had to stop and use the bathroom, so off went Marlane. Around mile 12 I texted Jason and told him I was dying. (I'm not dramatic at all) He caught up with me around mile 16, and ran with me until mile 20. I was cramping, and didn't know what to do. Running is a mental thing. And when you are worried about the little baby in your belly, the mental toughness kind of goes down the drain. I was really concerned because I wasn't sure if the cramping was from the digestive issues, or being pregnant. I slowed way down. In fact, I was walk running.
I will never forget how grateful I was for my family that day. Each of them were stationed 2 miles apart, so that I could run with them for a couple miles, then get handed off to the next person. Had it not been for my family, I would not have finished. Truly. I'm not just saying that. I had asked Jason where the car was at mile 17.
Needless to say, I'm sure I'm boring you with the details, but I finished. My time was horrendous. 5 hrs 17 minutes. Don't laugh. The hardest part for me was feeling like my time did not at all reflect my training. I had trained hard. But when it came down to it, my time did not end up being my priority.
Looks like I'm really trucking doesn't it? Well, my dad said, hey why don't you run for a second so I can get a picture...
This was reality:
And that's how I came to run a marathon 3 months pregnant......
