It has been a (very) long while since I have sat down to write and publish a new blog post. Too long. I will freely admit I let life run its course, and while I did sit down a few times to recap my marathon and recovery, life kept calling on me to be present. Here is a recap of my first marathon:
Leading up to the big day, September 12, my body was ready to taper. While my training was solid and I consistently hit my paces and mileage, my last tempo run was a complete bust. I went out too fast on a late August afternoon that was one of the hottest and most humid I’d trained in yet. The next morning, I greeted the sunrise halfway through my recovery miles I had to get in early now that the new school year was gearing up. I was left feeling that perhaps I couldn’t do it...that I couldn’t BQ at my first marathon...that I was too tired and there was no way to redeem myself from that last major training run.
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| Miles & Smiles...that's how to race! |
Trying to shake the self-doubt away, I focused on tapering well. It was the last step in my training; the work had been done. I did everything I could to rest my legs: no heels; sitting often; stretching and yoga; extra naps. Balancing work and running was easier than I expected as I could channel my extra jitters/energy into preparing my classroom for my incoming students. After 18 weeks of training, I was ready to be done.
Race day approached. I never really talked about my goal to qualify for Boston beyond my closest running friends and some members of my running groups. I never put it out there publicly nor did I chronicle my training paces...because I was paranoid I would jinx myself. Leading up to my marathon, the Last Chance to BQ.2, I barely acknowledged my hope to BQ despite the fact I had trained for it. My boyfriend Steve had faith in me, and so did my friends and running buddies. For me, it remained to be seen. I had faith in my training to get me through 26.2 miles and across the finish line. For a first marathon, a Boston Qualification was a very lofty goal. Finishing the marathon would be the end punctuation, where a BQ would be the exclamation point to finish months of intense training and sacrifice.
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| Steve ran with me for most of the last half. |
The morning of September 12th came and I was as ready as I could have been. My fueling plan was all laid out, tested and true. Race outfit had been picked well in advance (I had raced in it all summer). My GPS watch was charged and my race bag packed. Steve and I left for Millennium Park in Grand Rapids after our traditional pre-race breakfast of coffee, peanut butter toast, and a banana. We were greeted by a few of our runner friends who had come to cheer for me. Then the race started.
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| Team Hansen |
Everything was going well...very well. I started out a bit too fast but settled in after a few miles. The weather was perfect: cool temps and clear skies. I stuck to my fueling plan, taking a Huma gel every 30 minutes, and taking a few sips of water every mile. Steve began to run with me right around the halfway point, and I was glad to have his company. There was a mild hiccup somewhere in the middle, around mile 14. My sole sisters, Liz, Donna, and Amanda, popped up at an aid station with an epic cheering section, my son included. Having them cheering for me and seeing my son stirred up tears and I lost my breathe for a few minutes. It was all I could to to power up a small hill just after passing them, so I could slow down a bit to regain my race composure.
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| My little guy crossing the finish line with me. |
Things were going smoothly until my GPS watch lost satellite signal right around mile 16. It was still keeping time, but it no longer calculated my mile splits or pace. I was a bit shaken and really pissed. Ultimately, I ran the next few miles too fast, wasting precious energy. I hit the wall at mile 22 or 23. The last gel was taken and I powered through, although I did slow down, even walking a few times, trying to reset my mental game. Finally turning right and heading down the home stretch, I focused on the finish line. Steve veered off just before the finish shoot, letting me bring it in on my own. My son, Cole, was waiting for me just before the finish line, and we crossed over it together, hand in hand. My time: 3:30:49. I had qualified for Boston!
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| Liz, Amanda, Donna, & I post marathon. |
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| Trica, my virtual training partner & friend. |
Upcoming blog post: Post-Marathon (Looking Back to Move Forward) Part 2 - Things I Learned from Marathon Training.
