Des Moines Marathon experience

This was the day that I have been training for since April. I met Jenny in the lobby at 7:20 and Amy S. was there as well. Jenny gave me a shoe charm that said strength so if I get tired during the race I would look at it and keep going! After a potty break in which one of the doors was missing in the ladies room and no toilet paper (thank goodness for paper towels!) we finally were at the starting line. The gun went off and no one moved for a few minutes. Finally we were across the starting line!!

Around mile 1 Amy W. passed us but by the time I realized it was her she was away from us. I checked my watch to make sure we were not going to fast because of the excitement and we were at our usual pace. I was getting warm so I took my long sleeve shirt off and threw it on the ground (MISTAKE because it got really cold again with the wind). We were told to where layers and then just throw them on the side of the road and they would be picked up later and donated. At mile 2.5 we passed a walker who was going as fast as us running! We picked up the pace to pass her and I was beginning to wonder where the water stop was at! Finally got some Gatorade and water from the nice volunteers who provided encouragement to us!

Miles 4-7 involved another potty stop (I wonder if you can run with a catheter?) and lots of hills but thankfully the scenery was beautiful. The houses in this part of town were so gorgeous so that provided good distractions. At one point I stopped and picked up a flier for one of the houses for sale-474,900.

At mile 8 we saw some of the people who were at mile 15.5 going very fast. Thankfully it did not discourage us. My hands were so cold I could not feel my fingertips but then I spotted a glove that someone had thrown on the ground. Unfortunately it was only one and I looked like Michael Jackson but it did the job. To make us feel better we started to think about one of our good 18 mile run and envisioned that run for the final 18 miles.

Before we knew it, we saw the sign for 10 miles. I thought that there was no way we had just done 10 miles because it just flew by! The police officer directing the traffic there said I'll see you in 4 miles. There were a bunch of bands along the way and even people playing their radios for us to hear. That helped a lot to take my mind off of running and my aching foot.

In miles 11-15 we saw our families a couple of times. I finally saw Jason when we got out of the stadium. Finally we were halfway done and I was still feeling good except for my aching foot. We were behind the 5:30 pacer and I was trying to keep up with him. Whenever we got to a water stop we would walk while we drank and ate Sport Beans and they would leave us behind. We really wanted to be done by the 6 hour mark because that was the check out time at the hotel and I wanted to shower before the trip home! We saw Jason again and I asked him to bring me a Snickers for the finish line. Not sure why I had started having that craving! One of the people at the water stops had grapes and they were the best tasting grapes ever!!

Miles 16-18 were absolutely beautiful and I was still feeling good. It was along a trail in a wooded area so it reminded me of the Cedar Falls Trail. Jenny said she had a story that she was saving for mile 25 so I saved one of mine for mile 20! We caught up with the 5:30 pacer but of course just when we were catching up to them they would start running again and then we would stop at water spot. During one of the stops, medical people were there and one of the racers ahead of us was asking if it was normal to not feel your legs. They assured us that that was just fine. Thank goodness because mine were like jelly!

From mile 18-19 we got back to more spectators and bands. I guess I was looking kind of intense cause one of the course workers asked where the smile was. That was enough for me to settle down and relax. Thank goodness because from mile 19-20 was into the wind and it was brutal. I don't know the exact wind gusts but if felt like I was not moving at all. I thought if I can get through this I can get through anything. Jason was at mile 20 and 21 to cheer us on and said I'll see you at the finish line. I got excited then that the end was near.

Miles 22-24 were pretty difficult. I really wanted to just walk but knew that it would only make everything ache more when I started running. Usually after we get going after a break it is pretty sore but we pretended everything was just fine, at least the upper body was! At mile 24.5 we had our last water stop and we were finally back in downtown.

At mile 25, we discussed our funniest moments in our training and the best runs we had. We sped up as we talked and laughed and passed a lot of people. Once we got to mile 26 I started to get emotional but the finish line was in sight and we sped up and passed some more people and crossed the finish line together at 5:33:16! Jason and Jenny's family were right there to greet us. Jason had my favorite Gatorade and a Snickers for me! It was so good. Joleen had stayed to watch us finish so we took a couple of pictures and visited with her before going back to the hotel.

Overall, the marathon was just awesome. Every ache and pain was definitely worth it and I will probably be crazy enough to do another one as long as my training partner does it with me!

Marathon update

Well, the hard core training started this week. Since the beginning of May I have been training with one of the gals from work, Jenny. I was telling her about the book and that a group of us were going to run a marathon in October. She lives near me so we decided to run together. Once she read the book, she signed up for the madness, too! The plan is to run four days a week with the last day being the long run. Eventually our longest run will be 18 miles and then we will taper off the running in the weeks prior to the marathon. I actually miss running on the off days. Yikes!

What does

this.....



and this.....




have in common?...................................
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Answer:

Yep, I am lacing up my running shoes again for the first time since high school. What in the world am I thinking? Sometimes I ask that myself. Let's start from the beginning. One day at the beginning of April I actually was able to visit with some of my coworkers before I started my shift. A couple of ladies were going to get together and train for a marathon. Two of the ladies are in their 30s and have kids. They are in great shape and I knew I needed do something to get in shape. Anyway, there is a class at University on Northern Iowa that is called the marathon class. My coworker, Amy W, took this class and has run a couple of marathons since then. The professors have written a book to get you training for the marathon. That weekend Jason and I went to Des Moines for our anniversary and we stopped at Scheels to buy some good running shoes. I ordered the book later that week and started my pre training April 14!