Marathon Play-by-Play . . . And the Days After

Thanks for following the journey through my first marathon. It was a wonderful experience, and I appreciate all of your support. Here's the story of my race:

Friday, December 12th - TSRHC Elite Athlete T-Shirt Visit

David and I were invited to the "Elite Athlete T-Shirt Visit" at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children on Friday morning. At this event, we got to meet all of the hospital's "patient champions" for the marathon, as well as many of the elite runners, including the eventual winner of the men's marathon. The elite athletes and the patients signed a t-shirt for me that I will keep forever. Although I was extremely touched by the patients, I was surprised that the parents of the patients touched me even more. This was the first time that I have been able to see myself in their shoes. I saw a woman who was close to my age with the most adorable little boy who was missing both of his legs and also had hand deformities. I thought - I could be that woman someday, and my mother was that woman. When my mother was younger than I am today, she was dealing with taking her first-born child to a hospital and sending her into surgery. These kids are amazing and brave, and, for the first time, I see that they get so much of their strength and bravery from their parents. Emotional moment of the weekend #1.

Saturday, December 13th - Marathon Expo & Time with Friends and Family

The day didn't start off so well. I woke up feeling nauseous with a headache. I think the reality of the situation finally hit me and my body just did not know what to do. Mindi and Jonathan planned to come by the apartment around 10:00 a.m., so I laid in bed until 9:00 and took a hot bath. Once they arrived, my energy increased and I started feeling better. They brought us a beautiful painting of our first house in Amarillo. I cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #2.

After I finished crying, we made the 45-minute drive to Dallas and met my parents and sister and brother-in-law for lunch. After lunch, we went to the expo. There's no doubt that my heart rate increased as we entered the building and I picked up my packet. This was a little too real. After picking up my packet, my excitement and nerves increased. We spent the next few hours shopping at the expo. I bought a cute TSRHC running shirt, a subscription to Women's Running Magazine, and a new black SPI Belt. After checking into the hotel, we all met for dinner at Macaroni Grill. I ate a salad, a big bowl of pasta, and chocolate cake. I wasn't hungry, but I ate anyway. After dinner, I went back to the hotel, showered, and prepped everything for race day. I sat in bed and tried to read. Then I tried to watch TV. Then I tried to go to sleep. My nerves were shot, so sleep didn't come easy. I don't think I slept very well, but I woke up with a sleep line on my face, so I guess I slept a little.

Sunday, December 14th - Race Day!

Pre-Race. We woke up at 5:45 a.m., but I had been tossing and turning all night long. I got dressed and ate my traditional breakfast - a bagel with peanut butter, honey and banana. I was so nervous that it was difficult to eat, but I forced it down. We watched the weather, and it wound up just as predicted. Very windy and warm. Although highs in the 70s sound great, it is not so great when you are running. Anything above 60 degrees is difficult. We watched the weather for about 5 minutes, and the weatherman talked about the "tough day for the runners." I got sick of that weatherman pretty quickly.

At 6:30, we met our friends Kevin McClish and Mike Flores, who were in town from Amarillo to run the marathon and half marathon, respectively. We piled in the car and dealt with the traffic heading to the American Airlines Center. Sitting in traffic made me really nervous. It felt like we were never going to get parked. As soon as we did, I couldn't contain my nervous energy enough to stand around. I had an issue with my bib - I had been placed in the "C" corral, but my pace was faster than those in the last corral - so I had to go to the help desk before the race to confirm that it was ok to line up in either the "A" or "B" corral. Everyone said to just do this without asking, but I am a notorious rule follower, so I sought out permission. I took off to find Mindi, with David following me, but the American Airlines Center was packed with people. Unfortunately, I lost David before the start and I didn't get to see him again until after the race. I was really sad about this, and so was he, but I knew he cared and supported me, so I decided to move on, knowing I would see him at the finish. Mindi and I found the help desk, and, of course, I was told I could line up where ever I wanted. I know - I should have just lined up, but the permission comforted me. Like I said - I like to follow the rules.

The Start. After waiting in a ridiculous long line for the bathroom, Mindi and I headed out to the start line. I could not believe all the people or all of the energy. It is unexplainable. I lined up at the very back of the "A" corral and waited for the start. The national anthem was sung. I cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #3. Then there was an F-16 flyover. I cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #4. Then the countdown. I cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #5. I began to wonder if I was going to cry through the entire race. Anyone who has run a huge race like this understands that the start is anticlimactic. Even though the gun goes off, unless you are at the very front of the pack, you do not move. Then you walk, then you shuffle. I was in the first group to start, and I didn't cross the start line until over 5 minutes after the gun went off. Everyone is packed in tight, and it feels like you are never going to get to the start line. I finally crossed over the mat at the start, and there were people everywhere on the sidelines cheering. I ran through confetti. I cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #6.

Miles 1-7. I got settled in at my pace. I decided pre-race that I would concentrate on 11-minute miles. This is probably slower than I could go on an ideal day, but this was no ideal day. When I made the first turn after the start, a big gust of wind hit me. People around me were losing their hats. The moaning and groaning started early. Fortunately, I did a lot of training in Amarillo, where wind is just a fact of life. Although my 18-miler in the wind was horrible, it is great that I got the opportunity to run in those conditions, because it never entered my mind that I wouldn't be able to finish the race because of the wind. The marathon and half-marathon courses were the same through the first seven miles, so my family said they would be somewhere close to the split. This gave me something to look forward to. When I rounded the corner before the course split, I saw everyone standing there cheering me on. Emotional moment of the weekend #7. It was so motivating to see them there and to run up to them and give them high-fives. It was such a boost.

Miles 8-17 - White Rock Lake. I ran for a few more miles after seeing my family, and then I was at White Rock Lake. The wind really wasn't that bad on the west side of the lake. It stayed overcast, so I didn't feel like I was overheating. I just kept following my plan - walk through the water stops, take a GU with water every 45 minutes, try to keep my pace around 11-minute miles. As I approached mile 10, I saw some commotion on the side of the road. An athletic and healthy looking man was passed out cold on the side of the road. His wife/girlfriend was crying hysterically. There were people gathered around him trying to help. I felt a strong desire to help, but as an attorney with absolutely no life-saving skills, I just kept running. I kept him in my thoughts and moved on. It was a good reminder that I was in the middle of a very difficult task and to take it easy on my body. At mile 11, I saw my family again. It was another boost; having them cheer me on helped me to keep putting one foot in front of another. I felt great. The half-marathon point is at the point where the runners turn and run on the east side of White Rock Lake. Here's where the wind comes in. Yuck. I didn't know it at the time, but the next five miles would be the most difficult of the race. When I made the turn around the lake at mile 13, I could see downtown in the distance - really far in the distance. This was simultaneously comforting (I am halfway done!) and deflating (I have to run all the way back there?). I am guessing the gusts were between 30-40 mph the entire time. The lake was white capping; it looked like the ocean. I still felt good, but this was definitely the biggest challenge of the day. Fortunately, I got to see my family at mile 14 and 17, and my sister even ran a little bit with me at mile 17. It was great and it made me forget all about the wind. Let's just say that this Amarillo girl coped a little better in the wind than those Dallas-ites did!

Miles 18-20 - Hills! The hilliest part of the course happened here. This is where the "Dolly Parton Hills" began. This was tough, and definitely the slowest part of my marathon. The biggest motivation here was the water station manned by burly, bearded men dressed as Dolly Parton (let your imagination run wild here; yes, that's what they looked like!). This made me laugh and motivated me to keep running up the hill. It was definitely difficult, but I had studied the course map enough to know that this was the last hilly part of the race. I knew I could run 20 miles, because I had done it before. My pace decreased by about 30 seconds, but I just kept on moving.

Miles 21-25 - New Territory. Ok. Here we go. I have never run longer than 20 miles in my life, and now I have to run 26.2. The course is no longer hilly, and it runs through some beautiful neighborhoods. People are outside their houses, everywhere, cheering on the runners. Every once in a while, someone who I don't know yells my name and encourages me to keep it up. This makes my day. I say thank you to these people, but so quietly that they probably don't hear me. I also saw the best sign of the day: "I want to throw up, too, but I drank last night."

As cheesy as it is, Natasha Beddingfield's "Unwritten" comes on my iPod. I realize this is the "Hills" theme song, but at mile 21 it comes on and motivates me. It was the only song that motivated me, and maybe it was the lyrics: "Staring at the blank page before you / Open up the dirty window / Let the sun illuminate the words / That you could not find / Reaching for something in the distance / So close you can almost taste it / Release your inhibitions / Feel the rain on your skin." It was like one of these Olympic moments on TV - Michael Phelps wins 8 gold medals and NBC does a montage of all his finishes set to an inspirational song. I am no Olympic athlete, but this was the point I realized that I was a marathoner; it was awesome, and I, as crazy as it sounds, had more energy during this part of the race than I had at any other time. I listened to the song twice (I know, this is pretty cheesy, but at this point in the race, I went with whatever motivated me). Emotional moment of the weekend #8.

I saw my family for the last time during mile 22. Mom later told me that this was when she realized I was going to be ok and finish strong. Me too. I don't want to deceive you about this - it was tough. However, it was also the point when all my hard work and patience paid off and got me through the race.

Mile 25 to the Finish

When I saw mile marker 25, I sped up. I ran the last two miles of the race faster than any other miles. I was just so excited. I just kept telling myself over and over - I am about to finish a marathon, I am about to finish a marathon. It was awesome! The crowd just kept getting larger and larger as I approached the finish. When I made the last turn and saw the finish line, I was overcome with emotion. First, I saw David on my right. I was crying; he looked so proud. Emotional moment of the weekend #9. Then, I saw Mindi and Jonathan on my left. I was still crying. Emotional moment of the weekend #10. I crossed the finish line. I threw my hands up in the air. I couldn't believe it. It was amazing. I got my finisher medal from a sweet little boy scout. My first finisher medal! Then I took my finisher photos and got my finisher shirt. As I was funneled through the finish, I saw my family in the crowd. I gave my mom a big hug and we both cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #11. David found me and gave me a huge hug. I cried. Emotional moment of the weekend #12. I don't remember this, but my sister told me the first thing I said to her was, "that was hard." Honestly, I am not sure I have ever been more proud of myself. I trained for over a year, and I ran and finished a marathon. Beyond that, I finished happy. I didn't have a great finishing time, but I truly enjoyed every step of the race. I will never forget this experience.

After the race, we took some photos and loaded in the car to eat lunch at Pappasitos. I wanted food, and lots of it. The whole group made it. All I could talk about was the race and how I want to do another marathon someday, and how much I appreciated every one's support during my training and the race. What a day.

Monday, December 15th - The Day After

We were both really tired, so we stayed another night in the hotel in Dallas. I didn't sleep well. Between my excitement and the soreness, it was hard to sleep. Every time I tried to move, the soreness in my legs woke me up. I was that sore. When I woke up Monday morning, I literally had to pick up each of my legs and force myself to stand up. It was unpleasant, to say the least. I told myself that I would be less sore each coming day. Little did I know...

I also got into a bit of a funk on Monday afternoon. Training for and running this marathon has been the focus of my life for the past year, and now it was over. What now? I need a new goal. I have read a lot of articles about this, but I didn't really think it would happen to me. I shed some tears and just felt down, and I decided I had to come up with a new goal this week so that I could get out of my funk.

Tuesday, December 16th - Second Day Sore

I went back to work on Tuesday. My energy was fine, but my legs hurt. I have never been that sore in my life, and I hope I never am again. I shuffled around the office. I didn't go out to eat lunch because I didn't want to walk around any more than I had to. I told myself that this was second-day sore, and that it was all downhill from there. Little did I know...

Wednesday, December 17th - Even More Sore The third day was the worst. I was shocked. I really thought I would feel better, but I hurt so bad. I had been stretching every evening, but it didn't seem to make a difference. I shuffled around the office again. Not fun. I started to think maybe my first marathon would be my last.

Thursday & Friday, December 18th & 19th - So Much Better! It was amazing how much better I felt on Thursday, and I felt even better on Friday. I was still sore, but my shuffle had finally stopped. I was walking again like normal, and again talking about planning another marathon, and I am hoping to go out for a short run today. I have decided that I will run the Cowtown Half Marathon next February in Fort Worth, and I am currently looking for my next marathon. I am thinking San Diego, Oklahoma City, or the Marine Corps in D.C. -- I will keep you posted!

My Stats (to see the full graphical results, click here)

• Marathon Finishing Time: 4:54:32
• Average Pace: 11:15 per mile
• Overall Place: 2700 out of 3938
• Gender Place: 851st Place, 678 Finishers Behind, 56% Ahead
• Division (F 25-29) Place: 148th Place, 117 Finishers Behind, 55% Ahead
• Calories Burned: 2946
• Miles Run: 26.2
• GUs Eaten: 8
• My Favorite Stat: From mile 20 to the finish, I passed 315 runners, and 4 passed me. I finished strong!
  Congratulations to All My Friends Who Ran White Rock, Many of Whom Set PRs!

• Lori Cole - Half Marathon - 2:04:20 (a PR!)
• Mike Flores - Half Marathon - 1:41:59
• Kevin McClish - Marathon - 3:20:15 (Boston Qualifier!)
• David Stroud - Half Marathon - 1:59:20 (a PR!)
• Mark White - Marathon - 4:16:48
• Jonathan Zanowiak - Half Marathon - 2:07:32 (a PR!)
• Mindi Zanowiak - Half Marathon - 2:34:36 (a PR!)
  To see a slide show of all of my photos, click here.