Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Recap

So this was the big weekend I have spent endless posts blogging about over the last 4 months. My first full marathon. My overall thoughts on the weekend are that I LOVED the weekend as far as the company was concerned. Great group of people. As for the race...it kicked my butt BUT one day later I am thinking it was a great experience, and I learned a lot (mostly that I am not as fast or strong as I think...just kidding).

The race was on Sunday, so we headed to Cleveland on Saturday. The day started early as Clark had to make an trip to the airport to pick up our rental mini van. Yes we do have a mini van, but with 5 kids I felt it was so disgusting that there was no way we were taking it. I was very pleased with this decision b/c the mini van we got was nice and clean. Then we made our way around town picking up the "Cleveland crew." First we picked up Shane and Keith. Both are physical therapists at Hendricks. Shane being mine. Then we picked up Jaime who was added in at the last minute b/c she decided to run the half. Jaime and I have been best friends since our pediatric residency, and she helped me train for this marathon. Finally we picked up Nate, who I know b/c his wife is a nurse at our practice and while normally she would have been joining us for the run, she is preggo. This crew was FANTASTIC!! I laughed nearly the entire drive both ways. Constant joking (I think many directed at me, but that is okay). While Clark and I were the only ones who knew everyone, I knew they would get along great!! First of all we are all runners, so we had one major thing in comment, but the guys are simply hilarious!! 

The Crew: Left to right: Keith, Jaime, Me, Nate, Shane

On the way we stopped at Applebees for lunch. I am convinced I got a mild form of food poisoning from this stop, but it was resolved by race time. Then we headed directly to the expo. Clark was less than thrilled that we had to pay 8 dollars to park for 30 minutes to run in and pick up our race packets. This for some reason did not bother me b/c even in Indy you pay to park. We really didn't spend much time at all walking around the expo. I did however see a booth selling cheap sunglasses and, while I normally don't run in sunglasses, this might have been my best decision of the weekend. I would have been miserable without them. I also picked up pace bracelets that I later realize were a joke and something I made Clark rip off my arms when he hooked up with me at mile 14.

Here we are making fun of the fact that your race bag had a box of tampons in it. The guys especially loved this!!

 Sitting in the princess chair

After the expo, we checked into our hotel. Considering we could not find anything downtown and had very limited options b/c we waited so late, I was pleasantly surprised. It was not too bad. That evening we ate at Champs. It was good, but I need to choose a little more wisely I think before a race. We were all back in our rooms close to 8pm to try and get some rest. That part is always just a joke. Who sleeps the night before a race? I tried. Clark was on the couch, and Jaime and I shared king bed (b/c he wasn't racing, and we were). Although Jaime kept taking Benadryl neither of us really slept much at all. Every time we looked at each other, we were both awake.

I did a horrible job taking pictures this weekend but here is one of Keith and Shane at dinner. Keith looks to be praying or something. Really we were watching a horse race on TV.

Sunday morning we got up at 4:30am and got ready to be out the door by 5:30. We had no problems making it downtown. Clark drove use very close to where we needed to be, and we all jumped out while he figured out where to park. I had great goals of getting a picture of all of us before the race, but we just sort of scattered and that was it. We never hooked up again until it was over. No good lucks.... nothing. Kind of weird. Jaime and I were starting together, so I at least was not alone. Basically we went to the bathroom a couple times then got in corral to start. The corrals were not lettered like I am used to, but rather you just lined up according to you pace. Jaime and I got behind the 3:45 pacers. There was Rosa, who looked like a very young fast runner and guy whose name I don't remember. It was fun to talk to the people around you b/c you all had the same goal. I met a gal named Heather who was also doing her first marathon and we ran off and on together during part of the race. She killed me in the end (but was still nowhere near 3:45).

I am sure I am in this sea of people somewhere.....

The race started at 7am and we were off. I think it was already almost 70 degrees at this time.I hated the start. Way too crowded as usual. Even worse than the mini b/c at least with the mini I am fast enough that my corral is close to the front. Here, since the half and the full are together, there were a ton of people ahead of us. It was a challenge just to keep with the pace group b/c of all the people. As a result our first mile was too slow and then the pacers had to try and make up that time so then it became too fast. I don't really think it started to spread out much at least for several miles. Jaime and I ran into Shane on the first mile. That was fun. I will say I felt great for the first several miles. I should have b/c that pace should have felt pretty slow compared to how I start most races. The first several miles came and went quickly b/c I was so focused on trying to stay with the pacers (logistically not b/c it was hard) that I didn't think about much else. Surprisingly my legs felt okay. I guess my pre race cocktail of one mobic, 1/2 percocet, Pennsaid (something like that, basically a rub on anti inflammatory) worked. I did not get my usual compartment syndrome. I was thrilled about all this. Then somewhere during mile 5 this guy totally tripped me from behind. I lunged forward almost falling flat on my face screaming some not so nice profanities at the time. That did not make for happy legs. It hurt, and so did my legs a little after that. In fact for a short time I was limping and afraid I pulled a muscle. I was kind of ticked off thinking what was going to end my marathon goal was a trip from jerk behind me. Things got better and actually I really wish I could have apologized later b/c I know it was an accident, but I never even looked at the person who did it.

I was still feeling great thru mile 9 thinking so far so good. Then around mile 10 there is this hill from HELL that just shows up. Ummm..hello...isn't this course described as flat and fast? I would say there were several hills. This hill in particular was a long steep hill and probably the start of my deterioration. I ran the hill. Never really even thought about walking it, but I could feel it in my legs when I was done (I have since learned that nobody expected that hill b/c it was not on the course elevation map and has never been part of the course before.....made me feel better for being so annoyed by it).  It was during the water stop after the hill that I kind of lost my 3:45 pace group. I just sort of let them go thinking I needed to slow it down a little. At mile 12, the half split off  and I really wanted to follow that crowd. I didn't.

I knew Clark would be waiting to jump in and run with me if I could just make it to mile 14. So I kept going. It really spaced out once the half marathon runners split off. Now I can't figure out if I so easily gave up b/c Clark was there or if that would have happened regardless. All I know is I started to feel horrible. My stomach was bothering me. The heat was blazing hot. My legs were hurting but not in the spots of my injury. Both my knees were hurting more from an IT band side of things. Not something I had before the race started. I was having chest and arm pain. All that combined and when I saw Clark I immediately said I need to stop. I think he was sort of shocked b/c he was not expecting this at all. I stopped and this was the beginning of all my walking. This is my biggest regret about this entire race. Never in a million years did I think I would be walking so soon. Again I can't even blame my injury or even legs b/c they were not bad enough to force me to walk. I guess it was the heat. I just didn't have it in me. I couldn't tell if I was overheated or drinking too much and taking too many gels. I wasn't sure what to do. Clark tried his best to motivate me. He was telling me how great everyone else was doing b/c all the splits were coming to the phone he was carrying. That was when I took his phone and posted on facebook that this was the worst race ever and I wanted to quit.  I was crying at one point and yelling at Clark that I couldn't do it and wanted to stop. He would never had allowed that. I think I went back and forth from apologizing to Clark that I was doing so terrible to telling him to just stop talking. He is a great guy for putting up with me.

Here are a couple of photos Clark took of me while running.

I would say that mile 15-20 were probably the worst. I was distraught b/c in my mind I was failing and I thought I was going to be so humiliated by my time. I didn't have a plan. I didn't know what to do to make myself keep going. I wanted to quit. Eventually however I thought of all my friends who do interval running for races. Basically a run/walk concept. I needed a plan. At first I was like okay I will walk 0.1 mile and run 0.4 and then keep repeating. I did that for a short time. I always walked thru every water stop taking 2 waters at a time. Eventually I starting walking 0.2 miles and then running 0.8 miles (still walking thru water spots even if during the run time). That seemed to be working. I just focused on the garmin and it was small enough chunks that I could get to the next walking part. I really wanted to run the last 3-4 miles without walking, but even that didn't happen. When I got to that part I just keep doing what I had been doing with the walk/run. I can't even write much about my surroundings b/c I don't think I noticed. I will say that I noticed that everybody around me seemed to be doing the same thing. Everybody was walking and if they weren't then by time I was running again, they were walking. I do remember just thinking it was soooo hot. I kept telling Clark, "the sun is just blazing down on me." I remember almost crying when some spectator had a cooler of ice and was allowing people to take big handfuls. I put ice down my shirt. Clark held ice on my head. I thanked anyone and everyone with a hose and always stood allowing them to hose me off for 10 seconds or so. I remember when I had 7 miles to go screaming at Clark to do some simple math for me b/c I for the life of me could not figure out if I was doing 12 minute miles and had 7 left what time I would finish. He apparently wasn't coming up with my answer fast enough b/c I was yelling at him about how this was simple math and I "JUST NEEDED TO KNOW THE ANSWER NOW." Mind you I couldn't do the simple math but felt he should have been able to. I just kept asking him if I would make it in under 5 hours.  Did I mention how great he was to put up with me. I really really really appreciate him running with me and not letting me quit.

By mile 24 I at least knew I would finish. I was happy. My legs still wouldn't go, and I felt like such a wimp b/c every other part of me knew I should be doing better, but I was happy it was almost over.  Clark's original goal was to leave me at mile 24 and head to the finish to watch. I would NOT let him leave me. Finally the end of the race was near. It was nice that it ended going downhill. This was a gift from God I think. I tried to push it in (and make it look like I had actually been running the last 12 miles...hahaha.... NOT). I was thrilled to be done. There was no collapsing at the finish. Really aside from feeling totally nauseated and in a lot of pain from sore very blistered toes, I was fine. I didn't feel like eating or drinking much of anything after the run initially.

I had no trouble finding the crew at the end. We laid under a tree while waiting for Shane to finish. Probably one of my favorite parts of the day was when we decided to go cheer on those finishing. I screamed just about as loud as I could for every single person passing. I loved watching all the little kids run out to finish with their mom or dad. I loved watching people clearly in pain push thru that and finish. I am a great cheerleader for other people. Not for myself but for everyone else. I was so proud of all of them. Shane was the last of our crew to come in and the only one of our crew I got to scream for. We all did. It was fun. I was so proud of him for being out in that blazing sun so long and still finishing and looking great at the end.

Here is Keith, Jaime and I

 Nate clearly happy!!

 Shane and Keith chillin while Clark went and got the van

 Jaime looking very cute!

I will post my splits b/c I always do. Good or bad, I always do. I will say that nobody from my crew was even close to the times they are capable of. It was hot. We all should be proud that we came across that finish line. The race was red flagged meaning it is crazy hot and you all need to slow down. There were TONS of people going down during that race. Lots of ambulances. It as HOT!! After reading all the comments under the marathon site on facebook, I realized that nearly everyone was WAY OFF their usual times. Comment after comment after comment about how it was the "slowest race they had run", etc. I should not feel like a wimp. We were all in the same boat!!

Here are my splits based on my garmin which says I did 26.52 miles (instead of the course 26.2...clearly it was that 0.3 extra that did me in:)
Mile 1 9:06 (could not get thru crowd)                    Mile 14 8:51
Mile 2 8:25                                                               Mile 15 9:21
Mile 3 8:29                                                               Mile 16 10:02
Mile 4 8:37                                                               Mile 17 9:51
Mile 5 8:35                                                               Mile 18 10:48
Mile 6 8:43                                                               Mile 19 12:22
Mile 7 8:21                                                               Mile 20 12:42
Mile 8 8:32                                                               Mile 21 10:38
Mile 9 8:42                                                               Mile 22 11:41
Mile 10 8:21                                                             Mile 23 11:03
Mile11 8:35                                                              Mile 24 11:49
Mile 12 8:21                                                             Mile 25 10:29
Mile 13 8:38                                                             Mile 26 10:26
 My half time was 1:53                                             My last 0.52 on garmin 8:30

My overall time was 4:15:51 with an average overall pace of 9:45. Considering how much walking I did.....I can't complain. I walked A LOT!!!

I was 947 overall out of about 2598. My sex 252/1034. My age division was 52/184.

I will leave it up the rest of the crew if they want to comment and post times, places, etc. I was so proud of everyone in our crew. They did great. After the race we went back to the hotel begging them to let us in our rooms b/c they did not have late checkout past 12:30 and it was 1:30. We wanted showers before the drive home. They did let us back, and and we took super speedy showers. Then we went to Red Robin for juicy hamburgers and fries. It was good. Finally, Clark drove us home (I can't say enough about my awesome husband for taking care of me all weekend and being willing to drive us all). We thought we would sleep, but that did not happen. This crew had me entertained the entire time. I loved this weekend!!!!! I loved our Cleveland crew!!!

Keith and Shane

 Jaime and Nate

 Clark and I

I still need time to reflect on all that I learned this weekend and how to move forward from here. I guess I will save that for another post b/c this is long enough. Will I do another marathon?? Yesterday during or immediately after the race my answer was NO. However, now I have a few things to prove. Of course I will do another one!! My goal is to RUN a marathon. The entire thing. It was the hardest race I have ever done, but I am so glad I did it. I am glad my friends and husband were their to experience it with me!! 

Until the next one...........happy training!!!