St. George Marathon Recap

Before the race:  I drove down Friday afternoon with my 2 fave girls.  I was little nervous but when we got together I calmed down a lot.  The drive was quick and easy and we headed straight for the expo.  We walked around the expo for a bit after picking up our numbers.  Somehow I walked out of there with nothing new.  Then we ate at Brick Oven for dinner and I was off to the hotel.  I stayed in a room with Danny and went to bed around 8:30 and actually fell asleep around 10:00.  It wasn't a great night sleep but I stayed in bed until 4:00 then jumped on the hotel shuttle and met the girls to head up to the start. We got in the porta-potty lines first thing and it was a good move because our line took forever and we only had about 5 minutes until the gun went off.  I brought up an old blanket and old pillow to use but didn't even have time to sit down.  I took off about 2 minutes after the gun went off.

T, Me and L waiting in the porta-potty line.  I love the reflection on T's hat!

During the race:  The temperature was in the mid 40's at the start with a cool breeze at our backs.  It felt perfect and I ran my first 10K in 41 minutes.  Veyo hill at mile 7 was a tough hill so I plugged in my iPod.  The next 5 miles were tough but we held to our pace.  I kept one earbud in but talked until about mile 15.  There were so many times during the race that a song would come on and I would think of the person who recommended the song to me and dedicate the next mile to them.  It kept me happy and focused.  A few that stick out to me are at mile 17 when I took a GU marked with "Fight like Hell" from a friend and right then the song "Holding out for a Hero" came on (which he recommended).  I focused on all the support from him and it helped get me through the next mile.  At mile 21 "The Adventure" came on which a song from my awesome team captain's playlist and I just thought about how much I adore her for the next mile.  The song that came on as I was coming into the finish line was "Don't Stop me Now" and that was all it took to bring me home motivated by Traci and our training and her friendship.  So many times fun songs would come on and I could focus on times during training the songs came on or think about my friends and family.  It really helped me think about something other than my legs.

Somehow I didn't bonk this race - it never hit me physically or mentally.  I thought so many times about things that hurt - but then I would just say to myself "it's supposed to hurt you've run 21 miles" and then I just kept going.  I knew I had trained hard and I knew I was on target for hitting my goal so I just kept running. 

For me this was the perfect race.  The course was beautiful.  The temperature was perfect (it did get hot by the end but overall it was great).  My family was there to support me.  My sister ran side by side with my for more than half the race.  I knew my brother was in front of me kickin' serious trash.  My training partners were there running along side me.  I simply loved the entire race. 

The last mile was very emotional for me.  I knew at this point I was going to qualify.  About 1/4 mile out I saw my sis-in-law Amy with the kids holding these signs cheering for me.  It took all my energy to not cry at this point.  I kept telling myself that I needed to finish then I could cry.  I gave the kids high-fives and Tayson ran along side for a few steps.  A little bit later I saw my mom and dad.  Then right at the finish line Todd and Emily were cheering.  It was so much fun and I was on cloud 9.  As soon as I crossed the finish line the tears came I saw my friend Lori (who rocked the marathon with a 3:15) and I was just so excited.  The lady next to her said "I don't even know you and I'm crying" it was hilarious.  Before I was even out of the coral Laurie and Sherry finished right at 3:45.  Then right behind us was Traci with a PR (almost 10 minutes faster than her last marathon!!) 

Adam, Carson, and Tayson

The girls cheering me on

I was so happy at this point

Traci, Me and Laurie at the finish.  Love these girls more than words.  Best training partners ever!

Super speedy Lori

All the kids with the signs Kami made for us.

Danny (little brother), Sherry (big sister) and I.  I love my family!

More details just for me....

All the people who came to cheer me on: my mom and dad, my mother-in-law, Todd, the kids, Todd, Amy and kids, Emily and her kids. Timmy and Kami were also cheering me on from Provo while they got texts.

Nutrition: I did my first GU (caffeinated roctane) at mile 5 to get me ready for the uphills.  I did my second GU (just a regular peanut butte GU) at mile 11 and drank a full glass of water with it.  Then another non-caffeinated roctane at mile 17.  I did my last GU (caffeinated roctane) at mile 22.  I drank a full glass of water with each GU and drank a few cups of Gatorade at other stops.