Rocket City Marathon: new PR: 4:35:53!
Wow, talk about an amazing day yesterday! I am going to try to categorize my blog today so I know that I am not forgetting anything!
Weather/Course Map
The weather forecast for Saturday fluctuated throughout the week (as usual!), but we ended up with a fairly windy day that was quite cold! It stayed in the 30s-40s throughout the morning, and honestly, with the sun staying behind the clouds, I am not quite sure if the temperature got to 50 degrees like they predicted. Katrina, Remy, and I ended up ditching our jackets at mile 13.1, and even though I was in long sleeves, the wind kept me feeling VERY cold! I don't think that I felt hot during the entire race! The new Rocket City Course was quite flat, and I loved how you didn't stay on a stretch of road for very long...there were constant turns and changes of scenery! Of course, the best part to me was running through the Space and Rocket Center, but honestly, around mile 18 or so did NOT feel good while running on gravel at the Botanical Gardens. My feet were already hurting at that point! :-O Overall, I liked the course, and I loved the flat stretches where you felt more encouraged to pick up your pace. All of the volunteers/spectators made it worth your while too...so many people out in the cold just to cheer us on! It was GREAT motivation!!!
Fueling/Hydration:
A lot of people ask me (nutrition-wise) how to prepare for a run, and what you eat during a run. A lot of runners do different things depending on personal preferences and health needs. I try to eat relatively healthy/moderately anyway, and Friday night, I ate green beans, salmon, and rice! And of course, as always, LOTS OF WATER throughout the week! Yesterday, I took strawberry/banana GU at mile 5, 10, 15, and 19, and I had a mixture of golden & black raisins in a baggie to help me as well (I feel like these help with my blood sugar and kept me going the last five miles!). I also drink half gatorade/half water to hydrate whenever I feel it's necessary, and with my thyroid issue, I feel like I do drink a lot more compared to my other running buddies. I got a little lightheaded during the Botanical Garden (around mile 17-18), but the raisins and extra hydration helped me get through that! I didn't have any restroom breaks, so when that happens, I know my fueling was just right and successful! :)
Training Plan:
I stuck with my Hal Higdon Training Plan as close as I could. I ran 3-4 days a week, and cross trained (yoga and/or circuit trained) 2-3 days a week. I kept my long runs for Saturday or Sundays. This race was special to me for two reasons. First off, this was supposed to be my first marathon to complete last year, but unfortunately, I got the flu two days before it and was too physically drained to complete it (I only made it to mile 10), and I knew that this year I was going to be ready to do it and complete it! A week before this race this year, I got really sick with a sinus infection, and had to get a steroid shot/medication (and now that I look at my race pictures, I can still see that my face was still pretty puffy/swollen from all of this). I was somewhat nervous about my recovery time, but I felt a week's time was sufficient, and I ended up being right! :) Secondly, I was running this marathon with soooo many people that I know in the running community, that I knew that I wasn't going to be on this endeavor alone. These people made waking up early on Saturdays and Sundays way more bearable! It was so cool to be apart of this journey with so many people! I am also thankful for the night runs with my sister, Benj's Monday Night trail group, and Chelsea's Thursday night group...there were days that I just wanted to go home from work and be lazy, but I was encouraged to train with awesome people!
We Run Huntsville
I am very thankful for the people that I run with. These people have seen me at my worst: no make up, sweaty, stinky, and sometimes cranky, but they still take me as I am. I thank God for the ability to run, and I thank God for placing people like this in my life that keep me motivated! There were many times during the race yesterday that I was right in my head enough (no pain, distractions, etc) that I was able to tell myself "you're okay, you're doing great" and just be able to thank God for giving me the drive to do this (my usual running prayer as I run is "thank You God for this day; thank You God for the ability to run", and I just repeat that over and over and over). I am also thankful that God placed people like this in my life to remind me that I can do this and I am capable! There were even some points in the race that I felt God touching me physically and mentally and people praying for me, and I haven't felt those feelings as strongly as I have with any other race. It was a good feeling :) Thank you for praying for me!
Final Thoughts
Once again, thank you to those that were apart of my 50k and marathon #2 journey for the fall and winter. I can't even put into words how accomplished I feel, and how good it feels to be over! I am not sure what's next in store for me, but I know it's going to be GREAT!!! Marathon #2 felt really special to me, mainly because not only did I felt like I was running to PR and better myself, but I really felt myself running WITH people, a lot of people actually, that I knew. A lot of the time, I wasn't necessarily running with these people physically, but we were ALL running the same race, and they were constantly in my thoughts throughout the race. It was awesome to see how far we all came from when you look back at day one. God gets the glory! :) The feeling of crossing a marathon finish line is PRICELESS!
Denise and I crossing the finish line!
Once again, yesterday was GREAT, and so many memories were made! It honestly makes me want to plan marathon #3, I am just not sure when and where! I hope everyone has an awesome week and a wonderful holiday with their loved ones! :)
-Holly
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