Lucky #10!

Sunday was the San Antonio Marathon - marathon #10 and marathon #1 of 4 in 4 months. I am going to call it Lucky #10 (which has always been my favorite # by the way and was my soccer # growing up).

I was pretty quiet about my goals going into this race. People would ask me what my goal was for San Antonio, and I said I didn't have one. Which was kind of a lie. Secretly I wanted to PR - okay, I always want to PR - which would mean besting my Houston Marathon time of 3:15:35. I didn't know if I could do it; I knew I had been training hard, but I didn't know if I had a sub-3:15 in me. It nearly killed me to run a 3:15 in Houston - and that was on a perfect course, in perfect conditions.

Apparently, I did have it in me. I crossed the finish line in 3:13:18, good for 9th place overall woman and first place in my age group.

Yesterday, I lied to my husband. He asked me if I was a little bit emotional when I crossed the finish line at the San Antonio Marathon and I told him I wasn’t. It wasn’t a total lie, however. Because by the time I crossed the line, I had pretty much gathered my shit together. Back at mile 25 when I finally KNEW that I was going to make a sub 3:15 marathon, that’s a different story–yes I was a little emotional. More than a little emotional. I got choked up when people cheered for me, when the little kids stretched out their hands for high 5′s, and when I made the final turn and headed for home. So Dan, sorry I lied, I was little bit emotional–but not at the finish line.

When I got to the finish line, I wasn’t feeling so hot either. I must have had this glassy eyed stare because some guy actually made me talk to him before he’d let me leave and get my medal. He asked me if I was OK and I ignored him. So he asked again, a little bit louder so that I knew it wasn’t an optional question. This time I snapped out of it and muttered something in the affirmative.

So, race report...I’ve been struggling with writing this section. How much information do you guys want? I could write every detail, or I could just keep the minutiae for myself. In the end, I decided to keep it short and simple (you're welcome).

The day was perfect for running—cool temperatures and slightly overcast. Dan and I got there in plenty of time to stow our gear, hit the bathrooms, line up for the national anthem and take off on our journey through the great town of San Antonio.

This marathon flew by for me. Literally, the miles ticked by with ease. I think, for me, with my last marathon having been at the end of my Ironman, following a 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike - this seemed like a piece of cake. I would have never said this a few years ago. In fact, just to prove to you that anyone has the ability to improve tremendouly through hard work, my first marathon I ran just over 4 hours. My second marathon was even slower - 4:38 (and I think I swore NEVER AGAIN!).

Everything was great until Mile 23. Mile 23 was my wall. But this wall turned out to be pretty flimsy. Maybe it was made out of cardboard, I don’t know. I wasn’t feeling very chipper anymore, and my pace slowed a bit. I also was feeling some pain in the top of my left foot and outside of my ankle. It was at this point that I had a serious conversation about how little I had left to run. I told myself that there was no reason for me not to accomplish ALL of my goals for the day.

My mind bought into the pep talk and allowed my body to keep running. At mile 24, I was still coaxing my body along, but at mile 25 I could smell the finish. I picked up the pace to the best of my ability and headed for home. I crossed the finish line in 3 hours 13 minutes and 18 seconds. My pace for the day was 7:23 minutes per mile.

So now it’s been almost 24 hours since I finished the race. I have a tremendous sense of accomplishment. I’m walking around (a little stiffly) with a huge grin on my face, internally telling myself that I’m awesome. Maybe even saying out loud when I’m at home. I’m really happy that I was able to accomplish this goal.

So there you have it. I ran a sub-3:15 MARATHON! Why do I bring this up? Because if I can do it, then so can you! It doesn’t matter what your “marathon” is. If there’s something you want to do, then make it a priority and get it done. Don’t quit, don’t stop fighting. If you keep telling yourself you’re strong, then one day you’ll actually believe it. How do I know this, because that’s what happened to me.

Next up: VEGAS BABY on 12/5!