Being More Than Mommy: First marathon

I'm not sure where to even start. I had to wait a couple days before writing my thoughts down or it would have been a whole lot of "That was the worst thing I've ever done." "Running sucks" "I suck"...

I'm feeling a little better about it now, but I still don't really feel like rehashing it. Bottom line, it was a rough day for me.

Here's how the weekend went-

The day before:
After a long drive to Portland, we checked into the hotel and headed to the expo. I was able to get my bib and a shirt but that's about it. Pnut and Little Dude were INSANE. I said hello to Lindsay and Julie then went back to the hotel. Note to self-NEVER take the kids to the expo.

Don't they look thrilled?

I met Lindsay and her family for dinner. I had chicken and rice, and a glass of wine. It was nice to hang out and relax a little.

We went back to the hotel and I was asleep by 8:00. I think I got the best sleep I've ever had the night before a race.

Race day:
Since I fell asleep at 8:00, I was up pretty early. Unfortunately the kids were also up early. I was trying to get ready while trying to get the hotel wifi to work on the ipad so Little Dude could play a game, and trying to get Pnut some breakfast. None of this was easy at 4:30am, but I got dressed, and the kids were happy. I headed out to meet Lindsay, Kerry, Julie and Megan.

Once I found everyone we headed to our corrals. Julie and I were in the same one, which was nice. We hung out, hit the porta-potty, and took a bunch of pictures.

I felt totally ready. I was excited and confident. Brian sent me a text letting me know where he and the kids were. It was awesome to see them!!

I think I was blowing them a kiss

Julie and I ran together for awhile.

I was feeling good and ran ahead for a bit, then she would catch up, then I'd run ahead....This happened a few times. Around mile 7 (I think) I had this horrible idea to try and catch the 5:00 pace group. This was also the time that it was getting really hot and sunny, and there was no shade. Did I mention I didn't run with a water bottle? I didn't, and I was thirsty. I'm sure the aid stations were not that far apart, but at mile 9, I thought they were 10 miles apart. Around this time Julie caught up with me. We chatted for a couple minutes and that was the last time I saw her. (ps-she did awesome!!)

I finally got to the next aid station and thought I could get myself together. I was only 9-10 miles in. I knew there was time for me to pull myself together and still have a good race. I stopped, tried to pee, got some water, electrolytes, and pretzels. I took my time and thought that I was ok. I ran around the corner and saw Brian and the kids again. I got some hugs, and picked up a rock for Little Dude that was on the course. I felt like that was the boost I needed.

I was wrong. About 1/4 mile from there I fell apart again. I was so thirsty. Around mile 13 I sent Erika a text that I was fading. You know things aren't going as planned when you're sending texts during a race. From here on, things were just painful. I started getting stomach and leg cramps. My mouth was so dry I couldn't swallow. I had a headache. I ran occasionally but I mostly walked.

Trying to keep it together for the camera

That picture was around mile 20. I was done. Right before this picture was taken, I was going to call Brian and tell him I quit. The only reason I didn't was because I was too emotional to even talk. I worried he would answer and I would just start crying.

At mile 24 I started to wonder if I was going to die. I seriously thought I might die. I was dizzy and so crampy. But 2 miles from the finish....what are you going to do? Who quits that close to the finish? So I kept going. I forced myself to run the last 1/2 mile. I saw Megan and her family. It was awesome. I knew the finish was so close. Then I saw Brian and the kids. Lindsay and Kerry were with them. I remember seeing Lindsay but I was so out of it, I didn't see Kerry. I remember giving Brian a hug and just crying. Someone said "Go! You have to keep running." So I took off to the finish line.

Crossing the finish line was a little anti-climactic. I felt like my finish like was seeing my family. I knew then I had made it. I got my medal and ate some Cheetos. I can't remember the last time I had Cheetos, but they were good. I don't have a picture with the medal because I couldn't put it on. I didn't want anything touching me.