26.2

Oh the marathon....such a metaphor of life. There were so many ups and downs throughout the marathon that by the end, I was just super stoked to get it over with. Here is what I remember about the marathon....

Before: Getting SUUUPER amped about the run, feeling really good.

Mile 1: Feet already getting tired...maybe thinking twice about deciding to run an entire marathon in Nike Frees.

Mile 3: This isn't too bad...running just under an 8 minute mile pace

Mile 6: I am totally bookin it!! I am for sure going to qualify for Boston! (I hit six miles in 50 minutes)...at this point I decided I should take a shot block to refuel my energy system...which I then regretted because my ulcer did not like the shot block and I threw it up in my mouth.

Mile 8: HUUUUGE hill. Aw crap nobody told me there were going to be unexpected hills!

Mile 13: HALFWAY!! I am running right on Boston Qualifying pace and I feel way good!

Mile 18: I am still running pace, but I am running out of energy faaaaast. I have thrown up like 4 shot blocks in my mouth now. Definitely not a good idea when I have ulcers the week before.

Mile 21: BONK! Everything starts to shut down. My stomach is experiencing stabbing pains, my left knee starts hurting so I start running funny, my right calf is severely spasming and I can't run normally. My mind starts freaking out that I am not going to reach my goal time...I had to resolve my feelings about not making my goal and continue to push myself. At this point, I reset my watch and decided to run the rest of the race for the love of running the race, not for qualifying

Mile 21-25: All I remember is everything on my body just hurt and I had no energy, but somehow kept going.

FINISH: Not the best time, but finished in just under 4 hours at 3:57:17. Inside I felt like a failure because I didn't reach my time...but then I realized failure is a relative term. I decided that I should just be grateful for a healthy body and the fact that I came back a year later from a major surgery to run a marathon. I've decided that is true success, and I feel good about what I have accomplished.

AFTER: My entire body went insane. Im not sure if my body got extreme amounts of acid, but my stomach went INSANE. I had maaaajor ulcer-like pains and got extremely nauseated. I really felt sicker than I ever have in my life. It was sooo weird. No worries though, I took it like a champ and drove down to Lake Powell that night. Lake Powell is the best place to recover from a marathon. I even water skied the NEXT DAY after I ran it! Boom!

I don't LOOOOVE these pictures, mostly because I look thrashed, but here they are!

Jentry came to support

The fam

Yes, I wanted to DIE

Picture on the course...although I was dying, I had to pretend like I was having a good time!