First, I'd like to thank the many people that text messaged me words of encouragement in the days surrounding my first marathon. It was really touching that so many of you remembered and cared. I'd also like to give a very, very special thanks to my Dad for making the trip to Redding and always providing his support for my goals.
We left at 2:30 AM from Stockton to arrive in Redding for signups at 6:00 AM. It
was...cold.
I had no idea what to expect from this race. The farthest I've EVER ran before was 13.1 miles. So add 13.1 miles to the farthest you've ever ran and try to pace yourself for that distance...impossible. I was even more worried that my knee pain would inhibit me from finishing the race.
The course was beautiful. You start out by running across the Shasta Dam and you end at the Sundial bridge:
SUMMARY OF RACE
Mile 1 - Wow, the view is gorgeous. My knee feels funny, but at least it doesn't hurt.
Mile 3 - I'm actually running a marathon! This is so cool!
Mile 7 - Frost covers the paths. Worried about slipping and hurting my knee.
Mile 9 - Relay leg #1 ends. Relay leg #2 runners start passing marathon runners. I'm pretty sure we were all thinking, "F you guys."
Mile 10 - Rolling hills begin. Not tired at all, but knee getting sore.
Mile 14 - Are you kidding me? 4 miles of rolling hills?
Mile 16 - My GPS watch dies. Starting to get tired.
Mile 18 - Loop done? Oh wait..there's a SECOND LOOP? Ahhhh
Mile 20 - I can't lift my right leg more than 2 inches from the ground. Knee too tight/Pain.
Mile 21 - Every 5 seconds I considered walking. No, I can do it.
Mile 22 - Maybe I can't do it.
Mile 23 - Just a 5k left.
Mile 25 - Hardest mile of the entire course. So tempted to walk. Running so slowly.
Mile 26 - Adrenaline rush
Last .2 - Pushed it through the finish. Victory...
The relay teams wore white numbers and the full marathon runners wore yellow numbers. By the end of the race I had an extreme sense of pride in being a yellow numbered runner for one day of my life. I know that I'll never be a regular marathon runner, but I will always remember this experience and look back on it with pride.
My goal was to run the whole way and finish in 4 hours. I ended up finishing 80th out of 219 in a time of 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 20 seconds (9:09/mile). Funnily enough, my half marathon goal last January was 2 hours and I finished in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 39 seconds...unreal.
It was a good weekend. Congrats 49ers.
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| 49er game with Grant |
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| 49er game with Sharon |
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| Dinner with Carissa = bread = CARBS for the race! |
