Long Beach Marathon Race Report!

It is official---I am a marathoner! Read on for the details...

The first lesson I learned during my marathon was that, regardless of what I thought, I had no clue what to expect! I went in with the ultimate goal of finishing and having fun and the "wouldn't it be nice" goal of finishing in under 5 hours.

All the Team in Training folks met up in the lobby of our hotel at 5:45 am and walked to the start together. I hadn't slept well the night before (due to a combination of nerves/excitement and noise from the elevator near our room) but I was running on a buzz of adrenaline. There were SO MANY PEOPLE in this race and there was very little elbow room as we positioned ourselves into our starting waves. We started at 7:10, but looking back it doesn't feel like we waited long at the start at all, it must have been all the excitement!

Although I didn't realize it at the time, I started my marathon much too fast. I did take my walk breaks, but I was heavily influenced by the energy surrounding me and let myself get carried away by runners at a faster pace than my own. I stopped for a quick potty break around mile 5 and then did something silly...ran really fast and skipped two scheduled walk breaks to try to make up the time I lost waiting in line for the bathroom! It was around this time that the pacing chart I'd brought along with me fell out of my shorts and got trampled...(I wonder what that could mean...?)

The weather was just perfect for running (cool and cloudy) and the route was fairly scenic. Lots of running along the ocean, past the Queen Mary, through downtown Long Beach and CSULB. Around the halfway point I started feeling the effects of my over enthusiastic start...I was really tired already! I knew that I should eat, but I had difficulty getting shot blocks down and was starting to battle nausea. Around mile 15 I passed the point of no return...I was sick to my stomach and grumpy because I hadn't eaten enough but I felt so poorly that I had difficulty forcing myself to eat on the run. Those were some tough miles and I had a lot of difficulty sticking to my scheduled intervals of running for 8 minutes and walking for 1. Now I know that I will have to be more organized when it comes to fueling on the run for my next marathon. By the time I started to realize I needed fuel I was already feeling pretty beat up.

I was looking forward to seeing two of my friends at mile twenty, when they planned to jump in with me, and my family and friends who I knew were waiting for me toward the finish. But all of that felt a long way off. Then, around mile 17 I had a series of great pick-me-ups. This was the portion of the course that runs through Cal State Long Beach and lots of sororities and fraternities come out to cheer on the runners. Some of them blasted music, held signs, and did silly things to try to lift our spirits. I saw one guy riding on a tiny toy car...he was sitting on top of it and riding it down a hill, toward me. I'm sure it doesn't sound all that funny, but at mile 18 it was hilarious and it kept me moving forward.

My teammate Eric began to pass me around mile 19 and I was not feeling so great. He stuck with me and really pushed me to keep going when all I wanted to do was walk. He could have easily passed me and kept on going, but he decided to stay with me and help me make it through some of those tough miles. Bless him! He was like my guardian angel delivering me to Shira and Nicole at mile 21. Thank you Eric!

Shira and Nicole arrived at mile 21 like balls of energy! Nicole hung with Eric, who went ahead (I'll say it again--bless him for sticking with me!) and Shira stuck with me, helping me set small goals to make it to the end of the race. Streetlight by streetlight, she helped me stay focused on making steady progress. We made lots of deals together..."run to the next streetlight, then you can walk until the_______"

At mile 24 I spotted my husband, best friend, sister and brother in law and I just about lost it. They each had signs for me and were cheering me on--it was such an awesome feeling! I stopped to hug them, then made my way along and my brother in law even ran alongside me for a little bit! That gave me a nice boost. Just a little farther along I saw my Aunt and Uncle cheering for me and before I knew it all I had left was a mile, then half a mile and then I saw the mile marker for 26 and knew I was almost there. I found an energy I didn't know I had and did my best to finish strong. While running through the finishing chute I saw my Aunt and cousin cheering me on, then my mother in law, sister in law and grandmother in law. Each face I saw smiling and cheering for me fueled my finish. Before I knew it I had a medal and a mylar blanket and I received my Team in Training 26.2 pin. I did it! I accomplished a long standing goal that I once thought would be nothing more than a dream. And along the way I raised $2400 for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and made a bunch of GREAT new friends. That is pretty awesome if you ask me!

I finished my first marathon in 5 hours and 22 minutes.

I can't wait for the next one!