My First Marathon

I am thrilled to announce I am officially a marathoner!  I completed my first marathon on April 25, 2021, in Chesapeake, Virginia.  A week out I did not think I was ready, I had overtrained and had issues with the muscle on the side of my knee.  I took the week off from running, foam rolled, did my PT exercises, electric stim, and a ton of BioFreeze to try to calm the muscle.  My confidence in my ability to complete the 26.2 miles was shaken and as much as I wanted to just not go, I had told too many people about it to back out.  I over-packed my bags taking 4 different running outfits and 2 different running shoes.  The weather was to be rainy with winds up to 20 mph so I was not sure what I was going to wear and I had not decided on my shoes.  Saturday I tested out my shoes and decided to run in my Brooks, a check of the weather and I was pleasantly surprised the wind and chance of rain had been reduced.  The temperature would be close to 70 degrees.  I was able to go to bed at a reasonable time and actually slept well.  In the morning I woke up and started my pre-race routine.  I ate my cream of wheat, had a cup of coffee, and then dressed.  I opted for shorts and a tank top and took my windbreaker. Once I arrived at the park, the nerves set in. I kept reminding myself it was a bit of nervousness and a lot of excitement.  A pre-race picture with my running group and we headed to the start.  I had made plans to run with another club member, I warned her I could not keep her pace but we would stick together as long as we could.  I ran a bit faster and she ran a bit slower and we completed 18 miles together before I needed to slow my pace.  We had some great conversations and the miles did not seem that long which helped me so much.  At mile 18, I put my headphones in and started bargaining with myself to keep going.  I did have to walk at this point as my knee was beginning to hurt.  I ran out of water in my hydration pack and at the one water station dumped about 3 cups of water in thinking that would get me through the last 5 miles but it was not enough and I ran out again with about 2 miles left.  I kept trudging through and about a mile from the finish I saw a running club member we refer to as our captain, he had already finished the race but came back to run with me for support.  I was able to run the last half mile to cross the finish line.  I finished the marathon in 5 hours 13 minutes and 42.7 seconds! 

Things I learned from this experience are that I need more strength and flexibility training in my routine.  I need to work on my pre-race meal to find something that will sustain me for a longer time period.  I did not feel as worn out completing this marathon as I did when I ran my first half in 2019.  I am looking forward to running another with the goal of not walking and finishing under 5 hours.  When you are one of the last finishers you get a lot of great race photos.  My family is so great at supporting my crazy ideas, even when they don’t understand why I want to do something.  I have made some great friends through my running journey and joining the local running group.  I am grateful for their support and encouragement, without them, I could not call myself a marathoner. 

Thank you to Tidewater Striders and all of the volunteers for an awesome event!