Here we go again~

Oh, it was hard getting out of bed this morning.  However, thoughts of the marathon and the facts of it's approaching date got me up and out.  It was a great morning and it was very nice to be out.  I met up with the Heidi's for the traditional 5 mile square.  If I haven't said it a hundred times before, I love running with the Heidi's.  We were laughing and enjoying ourselves after just a few short minutes of meeting up.  If it's not the running and the marathon that got me out of bed, it was the thoughts of running with them that got me up, so thanks Ladies!! 

Oh, wow, I am officially starting with the "belly aches" that come with a race.  Usually these come the morning of a race, or the night before, but not in this case.  They started yesterday!! I was sitting in church, going through the week in my head  and it dawned on me that I am no longer counting down the marathon in weeks but in DAYS!!!  Yikes!!  My stomach is doing flip flops right now while writing this.  My thoughts, feelings, prayers, hopes, wishes, desires and emotions are with all of you this week.  Just a few more days until the BIG DAY!!  Have a great week!!

Avg Pace: 8:48

Went 4 quick miles with JaNae tonight.  Actually it felt more like 10 miles.  I had eaten a later dinner and so my stomach was not in the right place so it was a little harder to run.  We didn't start running until 10:15pm so it was a late night, but always nice to get out and have a little conversation time with my "friend". 

Avg Pace: 8:48

Had a great morning out with "the Heidi's" this morning for my last official run before the marathon.  Isn't that weird?  Tyler volunteered 'again" to take the early shift (yes, I know he is good to me) so he woke up and went out at about 5:30 so that I could go at 6:30.  However, after he left, I laid in bed wide awake with thoughts of the marathon.  My nerves are really starting to settle in.  Not a good time for this beings that this should be the time that I am eating good and hydrating myself and instead I find myself not eating (due to loss of appetite) and feeling dehydrated.  I think it may be the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY that I may have to force myself to eat, what would be the odds??   I was just asking Kelli (fellow FRB'er) why couldn't this happen during Thanksgiving or Christmas??  Wouldn't that be nice??  In any event, it is an exciting time that only comes around a few times in a lifetime, so I really need to start enjoying it!! 

Wow, it is a great feeling to be writing this post and to know that the much anticipated St. George Marathon 2008 is over and that my goal has been accomplished!!  Really, words can not express the time, thoughts, emotions and feelings that go along with a marathon.  It is a very motivating, exciting, enduring and humbling experience.  I am so thankful and feel so blessed that my body allowed me to do this today. .   Okay, sorry, past the emotion part, now I can move on to the details. 

So, I didn't sleep much last night.  Got to bed at about 11:00 knowing I had to wake up at 4:00am.  I laid in bed for about 30 minutes until I actually fell asleep, woke up to go the bathroom once, then woke up "wide eyed" at 2:00 sure I had missed the alarm.  Then, couldn't get back to sleep but eventually feel alseep about 20 minutes later, then was up again around 3:00ish, and up for good just before 4:00am.  I think I dreamed way to much about several different areas around the marathon.  Needless to say, we were up on time, made it to the bus by the time we wanted and was feeling great about the day until................ we stepped off of the bus to an ever present rain and wind!!!  Not a good thing.  Especially considering that right before we got off the bus, Tyler said to me "if the weather is bad today, you know you have to have a whole new plan?".  I sat silent for a moment before saying "okay, talk to me".  I have gone over this marathon at least 50 times during the preperation and planning of this and now I was told that I had to have an entirely different plan?  No, he gave me a few words of advice that made me feel better, then we ran into Michelle who added her words of wisdom and then the realization came that like or not, the weather was what is was, so I may as well make the best of it.  My original goal was just to qualify for Boston at 3:40:59, but then decide that I would really like to do it in about 3:35:00.  So, I found my place in the line-up right between the 3:30 and 3:40 pacer.  I started running and felt awesome.  I hit the half way point and felt awesome (aside from the required assistance to get my soaking wet t-shirt off from a volunteer working the booth, that was a little embarrassing).  Hit 17 and realized I was down to single digits in miles and felt even more awesome.  My good friend Heidi W actually drove down last night and met me at 23 to run the last few miles with me.  She was a great help and really got me through those last miles (Thank you SO MUCH Heidi!!).  I actually felt really good until 25 at which point, I had to really talk myself through the last few block and tell myself that "No, the muscles in your legs will not tighten to the point of breaking your bones, even though they feel that way".  I saw my mom, sister, mother in law and son at the corner of 300 south and Main street which of coarse brought out the emotions in me (I know, surprising!!), but it also inspired me to push myself as hard as possible those last few blocks to the finish line.  I was amazed when I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch and noticed my time was 3:30:25.  I improved my one and only marathon time from last year by 28 minutes.  I felt awesome (yes, I know I have said Awesome like a hundred times this post :), proud and relieved to have it over.  Tyler came and found me, thank goodness he had a blanket he shared with me and then the fun began, eating ice cream, bread, cookies, juice, etc.   This is really a very fun thing to be able to accomplish and experience with Tyler.  When I crossed that finish line, I enjoyed it so much more knowing that he was there and that he understood exactly how I felt.  Thank you Tyler!!  Okay, the emotions are starting again, better end the post!!! 

Splits:  8:38, 8:19, 7:51, 7:34, 7:48, 7:35, 7:40, 8:59 (veyo, ouch), 8:42, 8:32, 8:48, 8:25, 8:01, 8:25, 7:38, 7:31, 7:39, 7:49, 8:46, 7:54, 7:23, 7:59, 7:33, 7:27, 7:42, 7:46, 7:52. 

Lots of water and rest! Good Job and Good Night to all who ran today.  I hope that you all recover well.