Hey my LAWL chickies!
So-here's the scoop before I take a muscle relaxer and pass out . . . . .
1. It didn't rain. Upper 60's and mostly sunny. Couldn't ask for anything better really.
2. I finished in 8 hours-like exactly 8 hours.
Here's the thing-the main course is only open for 8 hours-as I was coming down the "chute" I saw Ellie (my coach) and she started motion to her right and telling me to "RUN". I didn't know what was going on-she knew I wanted to finish within 8 hours-so I figured I must be really close. So-I ran. Seriously-I ran. And I don't run.
It was really strange-someone was carrying the timeclock. No one annouced my name. My family was behind me somewhere. I ran to the first chip mat I saw and stopped running-but then saw another one under the balloon arch and realized that was the finish-so I started running again. It was weird-no one met me with a sliver blanket thing. They did cut off my chip (my official timing chip) and give me my medal-but no one was checking on me-I was breathing REALLY hard and wheezing from the running.
Anyway-turns out that I was the last person to finish the regular course. Ellie was telling me to run because they were closing the gate and she thought that I would want to finish at the real ending. Which I did. But no one in my family saw me finish-my dad didn't get a shot of me crossing the finish line-because he was looking for me to finish at the alternate ending. So it was a little anticlimatic. But still good.
3. I finished 2 hours faster than in 2004.
Amazing what a 90 lb loss will do.
4. I felt pretty great and managed to stay another 21/2 hours until all of my group came in. It was wonderful. I was blubbering all over them.
They were so happy to finish-just like I was last time.
5. Pierre, Beulah, and a new friend Timmy made appearances during the marathon. Pierre put on quite a show-bursting around mile 23 and causing me to bleed through my sock and onto my shoe. My mom's all like-Is that blood? In case you still haven't figured it out-they're blisters. I get quite friendly with them-seeing as I spend a lot of time with them.
6. I got up at 4AM to drink a bunch of water and get in my necessary amount of coffee. I peed 4 times before we even started.
7. I peed in the bushes-with several other ladies on a hillside with a group of homeless guys at the bottom getting quite a show.
But there were like 50 people in line at the porta-pottie and I REALLY had to go. I fell (bare-assed)into sticker bushes and another lady actually had to help me up because my knee was twisted underneath me. Nice-"Yes doctor-I injured myself peeing in the bushes and wasn't able to complete the marathon." I always said I would never do this-but as Ellie says "You'll neeever see these people again!" I feel like such a rebel.
8. I basically stayed at my target heart rate for 8 hours-wonder how many calories I burned? I could probably figure it out-but I just don't care right now. I was breathing hard the entire time-but could talk if I needed to.
9. I feel pretty amazing right now-but also absolutely exhausted. I think it's time for bed. Too bad I have to walk downstairs to close everything up.
Marathon update
