Utah Valley Marathon 2013 Race Recap

Going into Saturday I had nearly no expectations. The past six months had been plagued by my fair share of health problems. However, after finally receiving a diagnosis that I was B12 deficient and starting a regimen of shots my health improved drastically and quickly all within the month preceding the race. So as the marathon grew closer and my training times got faster I had no idea what to expect. My last run the Saturday before the marathon I somehow clocked a 7:53 mile as my last mile during my 12-mile run and I started to let myself think I could maybe run this marathon faster than I had been planning. My really optimistic secret goal was a 3 hour and 45 minute finish (8:35/mile). 

I took the Friday before my marathon off work and spent the day getting ready. I felt the most relaxed I ever have before a race.

Carbo-loading at its finest.

 I dropped Ben off at work (he sadly couldn’t get time off to come with me this year) and headed to Provo. I quickly picked up my race stuff at the expo.

Then headed over to my friends Emily and Ryan’s to stay for the night. Emily and I used to be roommates in college so it was just like old times.

College Days. We are so painfully sober in this picture.

I FaceTimed with my nephews Johnny and Brandon before bed and asked them for advice on how fast I should start the race (since I still really hadn’t decided how fast I wanted to start). Johnny gave me some great advice that I shouldn’t start too fast and save my energy. It was a good reminder. I was asleep by 9:15pm, which is a little bit of a miracle since I fell asleep at 1:00am last year.

Alarm was at 3:15am. I was ready and out of the door at 3:30am. On the buses by 3:45am. Uneventful bus ride. Arrived at the starting line in Wallsburg at 4:25am. Had an hour and a half to kill before starting. 

I ate my bagel, drank Gatorade and huddled next to one of the fires they had going. I was freezing (which is why I took zero pictures). As the starting time grew closer I made my way to the line and decided to start with the 3:50 pacer. I head the pacer say he was planning to bank some time since we have a downhill start before hitting the hills. I figured it would help me start conservatively, but I could speed up if I felt good and if not 3:50 would be a time I would be happy with.  And we were off.

I felt surprisingly good at the start despite my ambitious pace. It was clear the people around me did as well because they were all chatting. I kept talking to myself to make sure my breathing was okay. For about the first half of a marathon you should be able to speak without sounding out of breath so I would say phrases to myself occasionally to see how I was doing.  Yeah I am sure I looked really cool and not at all crazy…

Mile 1: 8:34

Mile 2: 8:24

Mile 3: 8:22

It was incredibly helpful having run this race last year and knowing where the big hills were. The first 7 miles flew by because I knew the race wouldn’t REALLY start for me until the 3 big hills from miles 8-9. I spent most of the first miles visualizing the hills and lecturing myself on how it would hurt but that was just temporary. When I rounded the corner and saw them I made myself just think of it one hill at a time.

Mile 4: 8:27

Mile 5: 8:26

Mile 6: 8:30

Mile 7: 8:27

First of three hills via Google Maps. Makes it look far less menacing than is really is...

 The hills were tough, but then before I knew it they were over and I was in the canyon with beautiful scenery. The moment in the race I had been dreading was behind me. I knew those weren’t the only hills, but they definitely boosted my confidence about the future ones. To be honest they were kind of nice. I have grown to like hills (to a point), because what comes up must come down. And downhill we went...

Mile 8: 8:41

Mile 9: 8:41

Picture from Mile 10. I swear I'm not grimacing.

 Mile 10: 8:18

Mile 11: 8:22

Downhill was nice, but my legs started to hurt before I even hit the half. I was also getting a little bored. I didn’t want to listen to music yet so I just kept trying to reassess my goals. I had passed the 3:50 pacer before we reached the first set of hills and getting close to the half I realized I was on pace to finish under 3:45 and was still feeling pretty good.  However, passing the official halfway point I thought “my race is only halfway done, but my legs are almost all the way done”. They hurt. 

 Mile 12: 8:30

Mile 13: 8:27

Half Time: 1:51:32

I decided I would turn my music on at mile 16, but then pushed it back more because it still felt too early. There were a few small hills here and then one last big mile from 16-17. I knew that after that hill most of the race would be downhill. 

At mile 16 we passed Bridal Veil Falls. I didn't take any pictures while running so thanks to the internet for this one.

Mile 14: 8:27

Mile 15: 8:11

Mile 16: 8:19

Mile 17: 8:24

  

At mile 18 I could see the 3:45 pacer in the distance. I knew I had finished the half in a time that could get me under 3:45 so I didn’t know why they were so far ahead. At Mile 19 I knew if I kept up the pace I was going I had less than an hour left to go. My legs were in some pretty severe pain at this point so that thought helped. I texted Ben’s sister to let her know I’d be finishing a little earlier than expected and also finally turned on my music. Then, around mile 20, I caught up and ended up passing the 3:45 group. 

At around mile 20. Sore legs, but feeling happy.

Mile 18: 8:23

Mile 19: 8:17

Mile 20: 8:11

We headed out of the canyon onto University Ave. There were a few spectators, which helped a little but man did my legs hurts.  It was also incredibly hot without the shade in the canyon. So I was doing what I could to distract myself, which mostly meant singing and dancing along with my music, which the spectators liked. They would call out my bib number and tell me I was doing well. This section was also pretty flat, and I pick up speed pretty fast when it is flat.They had misters along this section (stations that would spray you with water) and on top of that I took an extra glass of water at each station to pour over my head.

Mile 21: 8:14

Mile 22: 8:12

Mile 23: 8:22

There was one last hill at mile 24. It wasn’t huge, but it was at mile 24 of a marathon. By some miracle I didn’t walk it. My lungs could care less about the hill and actually wanted me to go faster, but my legs were deteriorating. All I wanted to do was walk. I told myself that at this point I could walk and still finish under 4 hours. There was a guy with a hose asking people if they wanted to be sprayed. I gestured for them to bring it on and it felt fan-freaking-tastic.  After mile 24 though I could actually see the finish line and I didn’t want the spectators to see me walking so I kept going. I tried as hard as I could to not think about how much my legs hurt.

Mile 24: 8:36

Mile 25: 8:27

I ran through another mister, which helped a lot. I was very thirsty and just imagined something to drink at the end to keep me moving. My legs hurt even more than before, which I didn't think was possible. As I got closer there was more of a crowd and I looked around for Ben’s family. As soon as I saw them I got a burst of energy and gave it all that I could to the finish.

Mile 26: 8:26
 Mile 26.2: Didn’t stop by watch…

Second Half Time: 1:50:01

Official Finish Time: 3:41:34 (8:27/m pace)

I was very hot when I finished and a little out of it. They didn't have water at the finish line so I had to settle for Powerade. I went straight to get my finishers photo and the photographer asked me if I was ready and I asked her if I looked ready, because I felt pretty rundown (pun). In all seriousness I didn't feel great. Not sick, but just dizzy and a little overwhelmed.

I look... sweaty. I swear its mostly from the water I poured over my head...

I found Ben’s siblings pretty fast and met up with the rest of the family. They made me an awesome sign and we chatted for a bit. We waited to find out my official time and took some pictures.

I was SO grateful they came. Knowing they would be waiting made me push through my dead legs to finish without walking. I decided since my legs were pretty toasted I would wait in the enormous line for post race massages (took over an hour for a 5 minute massage, but it did hurt so good). Then I headed to Emily's to shower and then back home.

So that’s it. I ran a marathon and felt pretty great. I finished with negative splits and if my legs didn’t give out I feel confident I would have kept picking up speed and finished a little faster. Unfortunately, legs are required to run so that didn’t happen. I learned a lot about myself and having confidence in my running. I also learned I need to do a lot of lunges and downhill running to prepare myself for St. George… SO MANY people supported me through this and had more confidence in me than I did.

It is three days post-marathon and I haven't done anything more than a mile walk. My legs are still pretty useless. Stairs are my arch-nemesis. I plan to take it easy until the beginning of July and then start training hard for St. George and a hopeful Boston Qualifying time.

Mystery Solved

Six months ago I was not a healthy person. Despite makeups best efforts I still constantly sported dark circles under my eyes, every time I stood up I hovered on unconsciousness due to dizziness and blurred vision, my bones felt like they had been filled with cement and I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without needing to sit down and take deep breaths afterwards.

I never shared this photo is December, because I hated how sick I looked in it. And this was on a night I had put on make up and tried to look nice...

I was told by a (crappy) doctor that I was anemic and started taking iron supplements. Some of the symptoms stopped. I could gradually start to run again, but had a difficult time getting faster. I still had days that even after a full night of sleep it was impossible for me to get out of bed. I started using the term “anemia tired” to describe the difference between sleepiness and my body’s occasional inability to function. 

At this point I was “training” for a marathon. Sometimes having good runs and sometimes cutting them out altogether. Back when I first signed up for the race I promised Ben I would go back to the doctor when it was getting close to see where I was health wise. 

So I went to a different (better) doctor and he ran some of the same tests and some new tests and finally figured out what was wrong with me. First off, I was still anemic, but getting better. My numbers were substantially higher than December. Then the big breakthrough -- I was B12 deficient. Not only does B12 cause anemia because of the role it plays in creating red blood cells, but it also explained some of my other symptoms like the numbness in my toes and fingers and my recent forgetfulness.

While it solved one mystery it did open the door to another. Why was I deficient? MY doctor ordered several additional tests, but they all came back negative. At this time, my doctor thinks it is my diet since I’m not a fan of red meat (you can only get B12 through animal products), but I do eat all other meat as well as dairy products and eggs so I have a hard time jumping on board with that.

Anyways, after my diagnosis I received a B12 injection every day for a week. 

Picture I sent my sister after one of my shots. This one hurt super bad for some reason!

 Now I am getting them once a week and soon I’ll get them once a month until my levels are normal. I’ll be tested again in August to see if my body is absorbing the shots.  It has been such a blessing to have my health issues resolved. After having my doctor back in December tell me it was all in my head it was a weight off my shoulders to know something really wasn’t right and that there was a way to fix it. I feel like a real, happy person again! 

Now what has this meant for my running? Well -- basically -- B12 has given me superpowers. Over the past month I have gone from my comfortable pace being a 9:10 mile to a 8:45 mile. My last mile from Saturday’s 12 mile run was 7:53. For the past two weeks my average mile pace has been an 8:36. All of these things seemed like legend and myth for me 6 months ago.  I’m getting faster every week and am going through the motions with running. 

And about that marathon – I’m still running it and it is this weekend. I have no idea what to expect. I’ve improved so much in the past month getting my injections that I don’t know what a realistic goal is. I had an exact strategic plan when I ran the Chicago marathon, but for this one I’m confused. I ran a 22 mile run during training in the rain with a 9:07 pace and that was a pretty conservative run so I am optimistic, but really I have no idea. I have a secret goal of what I want, but we’ll see…