"You've Got This" and "Go Team Kim" were signs that I took personally on Saturday. They might not have been written for me, but I would read those signs along the way, and they boosted me up.
I ran the Ogden Half Marathon on Saturday. It was my second 1/2 marathon and hopefully not my last. Did I really just say that? The theme or slogan for the Ogden Marathon is "Get Out and Live". I LOVE that! I am so thankful for a healthy body that allows me to move and do the things that my mind tells it to do. I thank Heavenly Father frequently for this blessing, and I ask Him to allow it to last for a long time.
Matt and I drove down to Ogden on Friday and went to Union Station to pick up our race bibs, t-shirts, and goodie bags at the expo. The goodie bag was a disappointment, but the shirt is the best race shirt that I have received yet. This doesn't mean that it is a super cool shirt, but it's not so ugly that it will hide in the back of the shelf like my other ones. I may actually wear this out in public! After checking into our hotel, we met Matt's parents at the Brick Oven in Layton. We had a good pasta and garlic bread dinner... followed by a couple of Tums we picked up at WalMart. I certainly didn't want heartburn or a tummy ache that night.
I woke up at 3:30 am and couldn't go back to a good sleep. The alarm went off at 4:30 and our big day began. It's hard to control those nerves before a race. It makes it hard to eat something, and I never want those nerves to cause stomach problems. That is not good for running. But we both coped well with the pre-race jitters. We had to drive downtown, park, and then get to the buses by 5:30.
The race began in Eden, Utah up Ogden Canyon. It was a beautiful morning. It wasn't as cold as we had anticipated. They had fire pits that we could stand by to stay warm. They had fruit and mini Cliff bars for us to eat. So I ate 1/2 a banana and most of the Cliff bar. There were plenty of port-a-potties, so the lines weren't horribly long. Fun music was playing (I think it was a live band). We took a few pictures while we were waiting around. Here are a few...
Finally, 7:00 rolled around, and we were off! I ran with Matt for about a minute, and then I told him to get going. He gave me the "I love you" sign and that was the last I saw of him for the next 2 hours. He was lost in the hoards of runners.
I ran without my music for the first 3 miles or so. I just listened to other people's conversations, to the sounds of shoes hitting the pavement, and to the heavy breathing that some people were already doing. Oh, I felt bad for them if they were already struggling. I felt pretty darn good even going up the big hill. I'm glad that it was at the beginning of the race and not at mile 12 when I was about to fall over. When I did put my music on, I was really happy that my running playlist gave me lots of great songs to keep me going. I'm glad that I took some of the old stuff off that I was getting sick of.
Running by myself for 2 hours wasn't as lonely as I thought it would be. I enjoyed watching other people and looking at the gorgeous scenery of the reservoir and then the canyon walls and river. My pace was good... right where I wanted it. My knees didn't have any pain despite the downhill. I drank plenty of water and Powerade. I ate a few of my "jelly beans" and "honey chews", but I later found out that I didn't eat enough of them. Because by mile 11 and 12 I felt drained and could tell that I had low blood sugar. I knew that eating at that point wouldn't help me much. It was too late for that to kick in and help me with the rest of the race. At mile 12, there was an aid station that had pieces of chocolate chip cookies. I ate one which probably only helped me mentally.
The thought of walking for awhile hadn't even crossed my mind until I came out of the canyon. But when the thought did tempt me around mile 11 and 12, I had to force myself to keep running. I was thinking that I had come this far without walking, so why start now? It would only delay getting to the finish line, and I needed it to be over! Those signs I referred to at the beginning of this post really helped me at this point. Who was this "Team Kim"? I don't know who the real Kim was, but that sign helped me anyway. I kept seeing "You've Got This" along these last two miles, and that boosted me up.
Finally, that last 1/2 mile came. My mantra that I have used for the last two years popped into my mind. I hadn't needed it up until this point in the race, I guess. "I can do hard things!" and my newest one... "I DO hard things!" I said that to myself and I kept moving towards that big banner up ahead... FINISH. Finally, I was close enough to the end to see the clock straight ahead. A big smile came across my face. I saw 2:06 on the clock! I couldn't believe I was beating my goal of 2:10, and I was really beating my unofficial time of my first marathon of 2:23! The clock time last year was something like 2:40 because of a long line at a port-a-potty (it took 15 minutes!) and a couple minutes to cross the starting line.
Because it took me a minute to cross the starting line, my official chip time of my race is 2:05:47. I'm really proud of myself for training better this year. My friend Natalie was a big help to me. I'm really thankful I didn't have to stop to use the bathroom this year:) And I appreciate the love and encouragement I get from my sweet husband everyday. I wouldn't be a runner without him.
After crossing the finish line and receiving my super awesome medal, I saw Matt off to the side waiting for me in the finishers' corral. I threw my arms around him and told him I had nothing left in me to give. I left it all out there. I gave the race all I had. He was proud of me. Thanks, babe! I'm proud of you, too.
Matt met his goal which far exceeded what he did last year at the Salt Lake Half. His finishing time this year was 1:48:34. His goal was to be under 2 hours, but what he really wanted was to be under 1:50. And he did it!
Matt is running the Chicago Marathon (all 26.2 miles!) in October, so that will keep him running this summer. I don't have anything planned right now, but I need to find something to keep me motivated. Anyone up for a little challenge?
