As I was talking to the other runners, they were saying that this marathon is one of the toughest courses in the nation. Hmm, I have never heard that before. The first ten miles was downhill. I like hills. Then there was a pretty good uphill. Again, I like hills, so it wasn't a problem. I didn't think it was as bad as they made it sound. I was totally enjoying the scenery and the early morning. It is a beautiful course! I was plugging away at my training pace and feeling fabulous. At the turn around point I saw Sharon, the lady I ran with in Ogden. There is always a friendly, familiar face in the crowd, whether you know them or just saw them at the last race. I love the camaraderie that running creates!
The miles were flying by it seemed. I was at mile 20 before I knew it. I called Erick to give him the heads up and they had only been awake for a few minutes. I was right on schedule for a 4:30 marathon. I didn't have any nausea, I was feeling great! There was a slight downhill on 5th South as it meets 13th East, my right IT band started acting up and was not going to take any more hills. And then my left calf started cramping. Dehydration? Couldn't possibly be. I had done everything by the book. I was drinking gatorade, accellerade, and water at regular intervals. But I had to walk for a bit. The course goes on the Days of 47 Parade route for about a block. Apparently, the Days of 47 Parade is the 3rd largest parade in the USA, and the largest heritage parade. Who knew? People were actually camped out in tents on for the parade the morning before. It is a huge deal to some people. Amazing.
So, as I turned the corner onto the parade route there were hundreds of people cheering, calling out my number and I was already in pain and feeling emotional, that I had a hard time holding back the tears. I turned the corner with only a few blocks left. I finished with a time of 4:55:59. I did beat my Ogden time though.
I am a little disappointed because I know I could have done better. I guess I just have to look at it as a good training run for St. George!