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… 

Running is an Adventure

I owe an update on running and my health and all the the breakthroughs that were made in discovering what was wrong with me, but I had such an action packed run this morning I had to share...

I helped this dog and his friend find their owner this morning on my run. 

They came down the street out of nowhere soaking wet and covered in mud. I was a little afraid they were going to attack me since I've been attacked by a dog on a run before (and am almost always chased by unleashed dogs), but these two only attacked me with love (lots of licking). Luckily they had collars on but I struggled to calm them down enough to read their ID tags. While I was trying one of them ended up chasing a bus in the middle of the street and the other one followed, which nearly gave me a heart attack.

I called them back and eventually was able to get one of them to sit still long enough for me to read their tag. I got their owner on the phone and she said she had been up all night worrying. While we waited for her to arrive I had the challenge of getting two big dogs to not run away from me while cars drove by. Eventually they realized I was their ally and one curled up into my lap and I scratched the other dog's tummy. 

The black dog was literally in my lap so you can't see him well.

 I was muddy and wet and they chewed on my water bottle while we waited, but it was so worth it when their owner arrived! I wiped my fur covered muddy hands off in the grass and kept going on my run. I hadn't worn my GPS watch this morning, because I had wanted to keep this run light and easy since I'm getting over a cold. In fact I almost didn't run at all and/or was considering sleeping in or running later and I hate to imagine those two sweet dogs getting hit by a car.

On the "post-dog" portion of my it started pouring rain adding another layer to an eventful morning run. If I hadn't had my phone with me I might have just gone for it, but instead I stood under a tree until the worst of it had past. I still ended up running in some pretty significant rainfall, however.

This morning made me realize how much fun and/or weird stuff happens to runners when their out and about. Now I have a new motivation to get up when I want to skip my morning run -- curiosity of what I will see or encounter. 

Run and Fun

I went into this week pretty confidant I wouldn’t be able to get up for a single run. After waking up this morning to an alarm that started with a 4… I am happy to say I actually made it through. I have been having a lot of fun since last Wednesday, like real life non-running fun, but that also means sleeping less and not eating as well as I should. For me it isn’t about cutting out all the bad as making sure I get all of the good, which I haven't been doing at much... 

Anyways, here is a recap of some of my runs and some of the fun starting with last Wednesday.

Run: I did 12 miles. They were just “general anaerobic” miles, but I threw in a few hills and did the last mile at GMP. Lately in the mornings I’ve been watching Dogs 101 while I’ve been running. I could probably write a whole post about how awesome that has been. I want a dog more than ever. 

Fun: Ben and I went to our friend Jordan’s wedding!

Chase may or may not have been present.

Ben and Jordan have been best friends since High School and I’ve had the chance to spend a lot of time with him over the years. Just for some perspective on what an awesome friend he is he has not only helped us move before but also on a separate occasion used his parents SUV to pick up a couch for us. We were really excited for him and his new wife Katie! 

They had an awesome Ice Cream bar at the reception. I am pretty sure that day my food ratio was 50% normal food, 50% ice cream. 

Friday was another great day.

Run: I did 10 not so fun miles. They weren’t the hardest ones I had ever done, but I was verrrrry sleepy, which made them not enjoyable.

Fun: I left work a little early because of some extra comp time I had from doing weekend events. It was beautiful out so I treated myself to a diet coke, and planted myself on the couch for a while. 

This is the actual picture I sent my sister because I was so excited to get a Diet Coke. True story.

Ben and I ended up going to Wal-Mart to look at flowers to plant in our little garden area outside our apartment. Then in a spur of moment decision we met Ben’s parents for dinner! It was so much fun and something we should really do more often. They treated us to Outback, and while the service wasn’t the best, the company really made up for it.

When we got home Ben and I were craving something sweet (it was almost 10:00, which for me is practically 2am) and I made us some spur of the moment chocolate chip cookies. I only had 1/3 stick of shortening so I had to play with the recipe a little, but they turned out okay.

Saturday morning didn’t start out great, but it got better.

Run: Was awful. Worst. Run. Ever. I was supposed to do 15 and I barely clawed my way past 9. Not even watching Hitch could keep me going. I don’t think the fish for dinner the night before helped. I told myself I’d go back and finish my run later, but my body needed food and rest more than miles.

Fun: Visiting with Brooke and Remy! 

My sister-in-law and my lovely niece are in town (and my brother gets into town today!) so we met Brooke, her mom Rosemary and her brother Colton for Zupas – mine and Ben’s favorite. We went back to Rosemary’s after dinner and had fun sitting around, talking and catching up. We ended up stopping at our favorite pizza place on our way home to pick up a pie. Unfortunately, the place changed ownership and the pizza just wasn’t the same. Still good, but just not amazing like it was before.

Sunday was my dad’s birthday!!

My dad is awesome and wonderful and the coolest dad ever. Not to mention my run-spiration.

Run: I somehow pulled out the 15 miles I was supposed to do the day before. Thank goodness Mondays are my rest day, because I was more than ready for a rest.

Fun: The rest of Sunday was pretty standard. I bribed my Sunday School kids with brownies to make them participate, called my parents to wish my dad a Happy Birthday, watched too much TV and ate too much food.

This week I thought my runs would be really hard, but they have been going much better. Monday I rested – no physical activity for me! I had a great tempo run Tuesday with 5 miles at my 15k pace, easy recovery run yesterday and an awesome 10 mile run this morning with hills and speed pickups included.

AND I have another excited weekend ahead of me.

Run: Tomorrow is another easy recovery, Saturday is a long run of probably about 18-20 miles depending on how I feel and Sunday is another recovery run before my rest day!

Fun: Friday I am getting my hair cut and colored with Abby; hopefully either Friday night or Saturday sometime I’ll see my brother Philip, Remy, Brooke and her whole fam again; Sunday I am going to church with Philip and Brooke and to a reception for her brother, who is leaving to go on a mission for our church for the next two years in England. I’m also planning on some Ben time in there somewhere! 

What is something fun you did this past week?

The Good (and bad)

It’s been a while. When I last wrote I was struggling with an unexplained cloud hanging over my athletic ability caused predominantly by my anemia. I am happy to say that those problems seem to be resolved. I haven’t had a blood test or anything, but I have made drastic improvements in my fitness and am slowly clawing my way back up to where I was before.

I wish I could tell you exactly what helped, but I don’t know if it was any one thing. I have been taking iron pills, trying to eat more green and leafy things and just trying to eat more overall (more healthy things – eating more sugar was never a problem). I’ve been more conscious of getting rest that I need and taking a day off when my body or mind is too tired. I think more than anything I have just been DETERMINED. I love running. Even though it was hard I never stopped exercising and I think that has made bouncing back a little easier.  As with most things running has been a battle of good and bad. Here are a few running related items I’ve had some polarized feelings towards:

GOOD: I was able to have a REAL run outside for the first time this year. I tried a few weeks ago but most of the sidewalks were still covered in ice and snow so I ended up just running to the gym and doing the rest there. It was an enjoyable run and went much better than I expected my first non-treadmill run in quite some time to go. I did 6 miles in a little under 55 minutes (9:09 pace). I even threw two hill repeats in there! 

BAD: I tripped and fell a half mile into my run.

After falling, I got up, brushed myself off and kept running not realizing I was bleeding somewhat badly on my knee (I spared you the bloody photo). I also shattered the corner of my phone. So – that sucked. 

GOOD: My brother Philip is training for a marathon and is just doing absolutely amazing. He is hoping to run the Minneapolis Marathon in June as long as he doesn’t get injured.  I am so proud of him and so happy that I finally convinced someone to run a marathon. 

BAD: I won’t be able to run it with him like I originally planned. With the cost of a plane ticket and marathon entry as well as the time I’d need to take off work I just can’t make it happen. It makes my heart so sad that I won’t be there to see him cross the finish line, but maybe I’ll convince him to run another with me one day? 

GOOD: I ran 18 miles Saturday with a 9:21 overall pace. I was even able to go to a work event afterwards where I was on my feet for 3 hours and felt really good!  

BAD: They were treadmill miles and outside miles are so much better for training. Sometimes I feel like they don’t count as much when it comes to running that distance because really all I’m doing is watching TV. 

GOOD: Did you hear me throw in the bit about training? That is because I maybe just signed up for another marathon…

I ran this marathon last year and it was great. It is much smaller than the Chicago Marathon, but has just as much course support and an awesome finish line party (Creamies!!!!). I like the idea of running a course I know, because I can prepare better for it. Last year I thought the course was entirely downhill and was not ready for the few big climbers there were. Additionally, my quads were totally trashed after all the downhill running so I have to not only add it a lot of uphill running, but a lot of downhill running, too.

I should also mention that the decision to run this marathon did not come lightly. After watching me suffer through my running dry spell Ben was not anxious for me to start training again so soon. He saw me come home from the gym crying almost every day and complain about chest pains, difficulty breathing and dizziness. I’ll talk more about our decision that I would be ready in June later, but it was something we have been talking about for a long time before I registered.

BAD: I could say the weeks and weeks of insane training, early wake up calls and the actual running of 26.2 miles, but I’m looking forward to every second of it. 

Now that I am training for another race and have actually returned to training I am hoping I’ll be motivated to post more.  June 8 still seems so far away, but I know that in no time at all I’ll be at the starting line in Wallsburg, UT ready to run a marathon.

From a Marathon to a Mile in Two Months

It’s really hard to come back to a blog when you’ve taken such a long break away. I guess the only way I can explain my hiatus is that this blog was, for the most part, to talk about running and after my last post my running started to deteriorate and eventually crashed and burned. At this point, for reasons not entirely know, I currently can’t run more than 1-2 miles. I still don’t know exactly what is happening, but this is an account of what has been going on and why I haven’t been able to run normally in nearly 6 weeks.

Over the past six weeks running started to get progressively harder and harder. My pace slowed and my enjoyment weaned, but I still kept at it because I had a spring marathon in sights. I added in extra rest days and put my pride aside, lowering my pace more and more. I was not going to give up that easily.

By two weeks before Christmas I couldn’t run more than 3 miles at a time at almost 10 minute miles (for those keeping track I had just run 26.2 miles at an 8:48 pace back in October). Eventually my general fatigue, nausea and various other symptoms sent me to the doctor to get checked out. I explained to him all my symptoms and repeated to him at least 5 times, “I just ran a marathon in October and now I can’t run one mile at my previous pace. No seriously, I run marathons and now I can barely run. THIS IS AN ISSUE.” He took a lot of blood and set me up for all sorts of tests.

The problems persisted and when Ben and I arrived in Illinois December 22^nd to spend Christmas with my family I still wasn’t feeling myself. I tried running on my parent’s treadmill hopeful it would have some magical restorative powers on me, but only made it 4 painful miles before I resorted to walking the rest of my workout. By Christmas Eve I received an e-mail from my doctor with my test results. After looking over them, doing some googling and having my dad scan them over we came to the conclusion that I was anemic. Specifically I had very low hemoglobin and hematocrit. Definitely not serious, but it did somewhat explain why running was getting progressively more difficult. Here is an except on how it can affect running:

“Your ability to run at your peak depends heavily on your body's ability to transport oxygen. A shortage of blood cells in your body equates to a shortage of the oxygen your body needs to meet the increased demand when you run. Early symptoms of anemiaare fatigue and decreased energy. It may become difficult to run as fast or as far as you normally could, or your could find yourself being out of breath much sooner than usual."

Now, anemia is a symptom not a diagnosis. It often means you are iron deficient, but it can mean a wide variety of things causing it. Without further instruction from my doctor I was unsure how to proceed.

Soon after receiving this e-mail I got a cold /sinus infection and spent the rest of my time at my parents on their couch watching movies like it was my job. I ventured out when I could to go see friends and family, but for the most part I felt pretty awful. Usually, in my regular running shape, I would have at least tried to run through the cold, but considering my general health issues I took an unprecedented WEEK off running. I thought for sure a week of rest and no running meant that I would return to the treadmill with a FIREY VENGENCE. I didn’t expect to be fast or even run for that long, but I did expect to be able to run.

Unfortunately, we returned to Utah and on my first attempt at the gym I couldn’t muster more than a mile and that mile almost killed me. I was still somewhat sick at this point so I wrote it off to that and gave it two more days of rest. When I tried running after two more days I once again could barely make it one mile. This was the run that sent me over the emotional edge. It may not sound like it, but up to this point I had kept it “relatively” together.

After this particularly awful run I couldn’t stand it anymore and came home crying and feeling like I would never run more than a mile again. So I gave it two MORE days off running. During this time, after stalking my doctor and crying to a nurse on the phone, three weeks after my initial tests and two weeks after the results had come back my doctor’s office finally called me back to tell me what I should be doing to treat my anemia. First, they told me that if I was bleeding to go to the emergency room (no duh), then that I should take an iron pill once a day. Don’t know why it took them three weeks to tell me that. Not that I wanted there to be worse news, but I never really felt like anemia could be the only thing causing this so I felt a little confused when that was the only thing that came out of all the tests.

The next day I tried running again and again could barely run a mile. Is this story feeling redundant yet? Because that is how my life has felt for the past month…

However, this run I didn’t feel as defeated as the one two days previous, because even though my lungs screamed at me to stop, my body felt alive in a way it hadn’t in a long time. This gave me hope that maybe I was just still sick and that I hadn’t lost all of my running ability. So I gave it another day.

On Monday I ran 2.5 miles and they felt Good. Not great or amazing by any means, but good. I was so happy I almost cried. To think I would have scoffed at a run that short mere months ago, but making it that far after so long of awful, horrible runs put me in the best mood.

Sadly, the next day I couldn’t even make it .8 miles before I had to stop. I am still trying to remain optimistic, but I can’t help but scratch my head. Although I am sure anemia is a large contributing factor to my difficult running, it surely can’t be the only thing stopping me from running over a mile? When I was last at my doctors he said that since my oxygen readings were at 100% there is almost a zero percent chance that anything is wrong with my lungs. With the exception of my low blood count the array of other tests the doctor ran all came back normal. At this point he has actually suggested that it is all in my head. If he knew me and knew how much I loved to run, he would know that is not the case. In the market for a new doctor by the way – one that calls about test results and doesn’t tell me it’s all in my head. Maybe I should tell him for the millionth time I am a marathon runner that can’t run a mile?

This whole trial has been a testament to how much I really do love running. Even though it has felt consistently awful for nearly two months that distant memory of the times it felt amazing keeps me going. They’ll be moments where I’ll forget – almost as if to just put myself out of my misery not being able to run– but I can’t. I’m not giving up. Even if I can only run one mile every day and even if that mile burns and hurts and leaves me wheezing I won’t stop trying to run until it feels better. Especially if no other physical reasoning behind the setback comes to light.

I haven’t become a complete and total bum since my running ability went kaput. After all of my failed runs I still stayed and walked on the treadmill to finish out the hour, I’ve been doing hour long strength training session 2-3 times a week and have been doing some at home circuit training usually taking 4-5 exercises and doing a progressive circuit 3-5 times. Anything to stay active! There have been times I’ve had to cut even these activities short because of how they’ve made me feel, but it is not in my nature to be completely sedentary.

Now, this may be the most depressing thing I’ve ever written. My Christmas vacation was not completely under a shroud of me moping about running. Maybe mostly, but not completely… I still had a wonderful time with my husband, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, friends and general crowd of Christmas visitors. I’ll write about all that – hopefully with minimal pity partying – next time. Heck, maybe one day I’ll even write about Thanksgiving and the race I did!

Next Race, New Goals and Post-Marathon Recovery

So I signed up for a new race! It’s not a marathon, but it is something to look forward to and give me some training motivation! 

The race I signed up for is a half marathon called the Thankful 13.

Photo from Thankful 13 Facebook.

It takes place Thanksgiving morning at Thanksgiving Point, about 20 minutes from Ben’s parent's house (where we will be staying for Thanksgiving). I was planning on going for a longish run the morning of Thanksgiving anyways and this way I get a medal, a race shirt and a guilt-free day of eating! I am nervous about how cold it will be, but I am hoping to invest in some good cold-weather gear soon. I have yet to run outside since the marathon. It has just been too cold for the clothes I have right now.

Speaking of the marathon, recovery has been going really well. The week after I was able to run around 35 miles and bike 25 miles with Ben on our anniversary.

Anniversary, woooo.

I did have a little tightness in my ITB area, but with foam rolling and stretching it was gone by the one week mark. Last week, I ran 5 days for a total of 49 miles and did one day on the elliptical. I did a longer run of 16.5 miles this past Saturday and felt great the whole time. Well minus the part where I ate three bowls of cereal right before running and I felt like it was going to come back up for the first 7 miles… but other than that it was great. 

This week I started a new training plan for my half marathon. I found one online with high mileage looking to increase speed. I don’t really have a time goal for this half marathon. I mostly just want to have a fun Thanksgiving run and see how I race at that distance. However, if I want to qualify for Boston this spring/summer I need to pick up speed so it is good to start now and stay motivated through the winter. The plan I’m using has me running between 55-65 miles a week. One new feature that I’ve never really utilized in training before is the use of two-a-days. One day a week I’ll run between 5-7 miles in the morning and then run another 5 at night. I’m interested to see how my body reacts to that! 

I have also cut down the amount I am doing Jillian Micheal's Six Week Six Pack in favor of doing a real weight training regime at the gym.  For one thing, I have been doing six week six pack for almost six months now and I am pretty sick of it. However, I really feel like it did make me stronger and improve my running, which is why I want to take it a step further and do full on weight training. 

I found a website that shares two of the strength workouts Olympic marathoner Kara Goucher (my running crush) uses. One look at her and you she is doing something right besides just running 1.5 million miles a week.

Kara Goucher for those who didn't watch the entire 2.5 hour coverage of the Olympic women's marathon like I did...

So far I have gone through each of the two work outs a grand total of one time each at the gym. The weight area is really intimidating… Lots of guys looking at you like you couldn’t possibly know what you are going -- sad thing is that they're right. Anyways, I am planning on weight training two days a week and a third day of just abs as well as Jillian occasionally if I feel up to it. I’m a little sore today after yesterday’s session, but I got through my 6 mile recovery run this morning in one piece. 

I’m really excited to have this race coming up! It has taken a little bit of the pressure off deciding what marathon I am going to sign up for to try and BQ. Decision, decisions!

Chicago Marathon Weekend -- Part 2

It only took about a minute to cross the starting line and my first thought was “crap I need to pee”. Instead of dwelling on that I pushed it away and kept reminding myself to smile and take in everything I could. Once I passed something that would be my only chance to pass it. I could only run the first mile -- or any mile -- of the Chicago marathon once so I should make it count. So as I ran I smiled and waved while simultaneously bobbing and weaving through the crowd of runners.

Wave 1 start gives you an idea of the congestion! I was on the right side when I started.

I also obsessively checked my watch. However, within the first mile of the race my watch became useless for a while since we were passing under so many bridges and surrounded by tall buildings I wasn’t getting a GPS signal. I had general idea of how fast I was going because of doing basic math in my head using the total elapsed time and the course clocks around the route, but it was wasn't exact and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t freak me out. On top of that the pace I was running felt ROUGH. I was starting to to get worried I was burning out and the race had barely started!

5K split: 27:13 – 8:46 pace

Like I said I tried really hard to look around and take things in as much as possible. I love Chicago and I knew what a unique experience I was able to have by running around it and seeing it as not many get to. The spectators were also really fun. The best ones were the ones that clearly were just there because their apartment was on the route because they cheered for everyone. The ones there for specific runners were fun too, but were laser focused on finding their runners!

Eventually my watch started keeping accurate mile times, but they didn't match up with the mile markers. I didn't really care because at least I was getting an idea of what my pace was. However, at this point my pace was still uncomfortable. I didn't feel awful, but I did not feel as comfortable as I had on many of my long runs.

One of my big motivators throughout the race was knowing that I had friends and family tracking me via text message and I really wanted them to get those messages and know that I was doing well. The first of those check points was at the 10K so when we reached it  and I crossed the timing mat I imagined the text being sent out, which really gave me a boost through the next few miles.

10K split: 54:34 – 8:49 pace 

I knew the next check point was the halfway mark so I just kept chugging along feeling a little uncomfortable at my pace, but happy to at least know what my splits were. At mile 7 we started to turn around and head south as I heard someone say that we had reached the northmost point already.  I also still really needed to pee, but all the bathrooms I passed had lines and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice time to stop.

As we headed back into the heart of the city I was focused on the Willis (Sears) Tower.  I knew that was about the halfway mark so it was nice to have that visual motivator.

Star is about where the Willis Tower is.

My hardest mile was probably 12-13. It felt fast, but my watch wasn't working since we were  back in the city and the signal was being blocked by large buildings again. I REALLY wanted to pass that timing mat and have my next progress text sent out with a good time so once again I tried to start mentally keeping track using the elapsed time on my watch and the mile-market clocks, which was too much math for someone running a marathon to try to do.

There were loads of spectators around me and by this point I had found a 3:50 pacer to follow while my watch wasn't working. I forgot to mention that the 3:50 pacers had passed me earlier. I tried to run with them while my watch was still working, but according to my Garmin they were doing 8:35 miles, which I was just not ready for yet ... more on them later though...

Anyways -- I was following a 3:50 pacer. His name was Fergie, which I only know because it was on his shirt and people kept yelling "go Fergie!".

Halway Split: 1:55:22 – 8:37 pace

After I passed the halfway mark I had a thought that really changed the rest of the race for me... In three miles I would only have 10 miles left. That was when I really took inventory of how I felt. Even though the first half hadn't been easy it hadn't been that hard either. My legs still felt amazing. Before I knew it we were out of the buildings and my watch was working again and my pace was steady.

Just like my plan dictated I reassessed and decided it was time to go faster. I also spotted another 3:50 pacer ahead of me and decided it was time to move on from Fergie and catch up with the next pacer. I couldn't believe how much more comfortable I was keeping up 8:40 miles than I was running 8:50 miles. I guess that means I really trained well for distance?

The aid stations throughout were pretty good. I actually really like lemon-lime Gatorade so that was a blessing since that is what they were hanging out. For the first half I only took one cup of Gatorade and stuck to water for the most part. I was also carrying my own water-Gatorade mixture with me just in case I got thirsty between stations. I was actually really worried with how the aid stations would work with this being such a big race, but they were pretty successful. I mean I did run into more than one person, my shoes stuck to the ground due to all the spilled Gatorade and I did see one woman totally BIFF it thanks to all the liquid on the ground, but overall it was pretty effective.

Before long we passed mile 16 and I was still feeling amazing and sort of waiting for something to hurt or to crash, but I just went with it and kept speeding up.

Eventually I passed the other 3:50 pacer and set my eye on two more up ahead. By mile 18 I had passed them. At this point I kept thinking how much music would help me at this point, but I really didn't need it yet. I told myself I'd put it off till mile 20. I also still needed to pee.

Once I reached mile 20 my first thought was I have less than an hour left of running. That was a nice thought. I also spotted a huge heard of 3:50 pacers -- the same ones who had passed me earlier. This is why I will never rely on a pacer for a whole race -- they start WAY TOO FAST! Basically, I passed up the whole group and continued to pick up speed.

I was about to turn on my music, but then I heard someone say we were close to Chinatown and I didn't want to miss that so I kept chugging along.

I started to feel it in my legs around mile 21, but was still doing okay. My pace was now around 8:35 miles and I wasn't pushing myself. I got an extra boost when I notice a girl whose blog I read running up ahead of me. Like the fangirl I am I went up and introduced myself. She was super nice and excited I said hi. She asked me how I was doing and I said fantastic... then I passed them up.

Almost right after that we ran through chinatown, which was actually not anything too special. I am sure they have cool stuff going on, but when we went by there wasn't anything.

I think I'm trying to give a thumbs up?

 I turned my music on at mile 22, which was sort of a great feat since I had to hold my water bottle and gloves while pulling out my iPod, turning it on, clipping it to my pants, putting in the earbuds and not loosing speed. I did it though!

The music was a great distraction. It made it easier to not obsess over my watch too. I was starting to get to the point where I looked at it and would think half a mile had gone by and it would be .10 in reality.

Miles 23-24 were probably the hardest. I was feeling pretty done. I was still keeping up the pace without dying, my breathing was fine and even my legs weren't doing too bad, but I felt myself deteriorating a little. I started fantasizing about walking. I took lots of gatorade and water and that helped keep me moving. Also I spotted two more 3:50 pacers up ahead and just for good measure... passed them.

When I reached mile 25 I felt a little bit like a superhero. I was grinning like a goofball because that is when I really truly realized I was going to beat my goal. I knew at about mile 20 I was going to finish sub-4, but at mile 25 I knew I'd finish sub 3:50. I literally could not stop smiling. I probably would have cried if I wasn't conserving liquid.

Right after I turned my music off. The camera guy caught me by surprise in the right on...I am thinking of splurging and buying the one on the left though!

At mile 25.5 I turned off my music and just let the finish wash over me. The streets were lined and they were all cheering. I was running almost all out (my last mile was my fastest with a 8:20 pace!), but reserving a little energy because I knew there was a small hill right at the finish that I was determined not to walk up. When I first turned and saw the hill it was a little daunting and most people were walking up it, but I was prepared. Running up it actually reminded me a lot of the hill next to my apartment. When I was about 3/4ths up I thought about stopping to walk or jog, but then I saw that just a little further and it would be downhill to the finish. Once I went over the crest I was grinning like a fool again.

I wish these were better quality! They were taken from far away.

I scanned the stands for my mom and sister, but didn't see them. They saw me though and snapped a picture!

Ben thinks it looks like we're all in a flash mob in this picture!

In retrospect though after they told me where they were and they had a cowbell I HEARD them.

Scanning the crowds from my mom, sister and nephews!

I actually didn't realize I had crossed the finish line at first because the banner was still a few feet down so I kept running. It didn't take me long to slow to a walk though.

I'm done!!!

 I had done it. I didn't know my exact time yet, but according to my watch I had finished in 3:48:45 and I knew my actual time couldn't be that far off (it was 3:48:26). I collected my medal and space blanket and posed for my first post-marathon photo. 

Don't I look happy?! I was!

I made my way thgouh through the runner’s area grabbing a whole bunch of snacks. I wasn’t hungry YET, but I knew my nephews probably would be. I also took my offical finishers photo:

I might have to splurge on this one too!

After asking for directions about three times I made my way to the runner reunite area where Megan and Kait were waiting for me! They brought me flowers and a card and were such a sight for sore eyes! I was so happy to see them. My mom and sister were still in the stands waiting for my dad to finish so they kept me company.

They are the BEST for coming to see me!

 My dad ended up finished in 4:19:10 at 60 years old! He is so incredible!

It took a while, but my mom, sister and nephews found us. At this point I was freezing cold. I had lost what warmth I gained from running and the sun had disappeared and even the space blanket wasn’t doing a whole lot to keep me warm anymore. Luckily I had packed some extra clothes so once we met up with my mom I was able to bundle up!

So happy they came!

And then my dad found us:

And last but not least my favorite picture of the whole weekend the father/daughter marathon duo picture:

I ended up driving home. My sister took the boys home via train and then gathered up her additional children and came back to my parents’ house. We pigged out pizza, cake, ice cream and candy corn. Needless to say it was AWESOME.

Of course now I am horribly depressed the marathon is over and am ready to sign up for another one. My next post will be all about the options I am considering so everyone can weigh in on what I should do!

Thanks again to everyone who played a part in my being able to run the marathon. My dad kept telling me over and over again that he wouldn’t be running this marathon if it wasn’t for me asking him last summer to do it with me. However, what he fails to realize if that I wouldn’t have run any marathon ever if it weren’t for him telling me I could and making me feel like every run I had was the greatest accomplishment in the world. Thanks dad!

Next up -- trying to qualify for Boston!