Mission Complete!!

     Hardest thing I've ever done to date, but I did it. I completed a marathon a rather slow with a 6:02:40 which I think I could have done better, but I still met my goal of just completing a marathon.
     The night before the run pre-race jitters hit me pretty hard, I didn't get much sleep, 5 hours at most. In the morning I was pretty surprised that I wasn't all that sleepy.  Arriving at the start line was an experience within it self.  I've never ran in a race of this magnitude, come to think of it I've never ran in a race period.  I've ridden in organized events including the LIVESTRONG Challenge, but never run in an organized event.  Anyway lining up at the start with 19,999 other people was a pretty awesome thing to see and be a part of.  Plus finding out that my hero Lance Armstrong, the man himself, was lined up somewhere in front of me ready to shred the half-marathon was even more awesome.
    The race started well enough.  I tried to not let my adrenaline get the better of me and maintained a nice steady pace, but a port-a-potty break at the end of the mile 1 had a pretty long line and added at least 10 minutes to my time. Once I got going though I got into a pretty good rhythm pretty quickly and enjoyed the running through the streets of downtown Austin.  Once out of the city the course never really got ugly, at least not to the eyes, Austin really brought it with it's hills.  Every hill has a down side though.  Fatigue didn't really start to set in until mile 11 where the course separated for the half-marathoners and the full. Two miles seemed much better than another 15.  Kept on keepin on though.
    Walking was essential and after 13 miles I began to walk at least every 2 miles.  The weather was perfect.  Cool and cloudy with the sun peaking out every now and again, felt like it never got over the mid 70s.  So weather was not a factor at all. I loved it.  Leg pain was though and when it was hurting the most my fans showed up.  A buddy and my awesome fiance showed up at several mile markers during the race, riding bikes to be able to cheer me on.  I have to give it to them, that was awesome, I every time I saw them and heard they're cheers, even having Roxy run along side me for a minute helped me step up my walk to a jog and in the case of the last 400 meters a full on run.
   I had long decided that once I get into the last 2 miles of the race I was not going to walk at all.  Mile 24 marker came up and I started my jog, at this point my legs are killing me, every stride is pretty painful, every muscle in my legs are as tight as can be.  Mile 25 comes up and I see my fans again. Just what I needed on the longest mile I have ever run in my life.  Mile 25, although painful was pretty awesome being it was through the UT campus and right along side Darrell K. Royal Stadium.  Being a pretty big longhorn fan, that was pretty cool.  As soon as I see my fans and they start riding along side me I pick up my pace and low and behold the 800 meter marker is in view and so is a nice size hill that at this point seems like Everest.  I hear, "just 800 more meters", "your almost there", "just do it!" I get to the top of Everest and haul ass down hill.  At this point I can't feel any more pain, I get to the bottom of the hill and make the final turn to the finish.  There it was in view.  I could no longer hear much, the only thing I could see was the finish and the other runners that I was running by.  100 meters from the finish line now I start to feel like I want to slow down, that only made me run harder.  I finally crossed the finish line hands in the air and am able to finally say that I completed a marathon. I did it! I survived.  How awesome is that.  I received my finishers medal and shirt, happy it was over.  Hardest thing I've ever done, but I did it, plus I raised $600 dollars for the LIVESTRONG Foundation in support of my best friend and little bro Andy who is in remission from his battle. Thank God! This one was for you bro, all the pain I went through was nothing compared to what you have gone through. Love you bro.       

Marathon Training: 1 Day Til Race Day

     PRE-RACE JITTERS? Definitely.  What if I didn't train hard enough? What if I'm not ready? What if, What if, What if?????? ugh let's get this thing done already.  As I sit here writing this blog less than 24 hours away from the starting line of my first marathon I can feel my stomach turning and talking in anticipation and yes even some fear.  Okay so a lot of fear. This thing is no joke it's going to be tough. The only thing I can do is remind myself of the reasons I'm doing this and the fact that the race is my reward for 4 months worth of training.  As for my body, I didn't have a very restful night last night.  I missed my own bed, another thing that may put a damper on my performance tomorrow, other than that and my legs in need of a good stretching session my body feels okay.  I'm just going to try my best to enjoy this race tomorrow and finish I will. Til after the race then, right now I need to go  pick up my race packet.
    

Marathon Training: Rest Day Week 15

     T minus 10 days til race day. Being my first blog post I'll bring you up to speed. I've been training for the Austin LIVESTRONG Marathon for 15 weeks now, in doing so I managed to raise $635.00 for the LIVESTRONG Foundation. With only 10 days til the run I'm getting a little nervous. My goal from the beginning has to 5:30:00. Fingers crossed. The time is still my goal but the closer the race gets the more I keep telling myself, "as long as you finish, just finish."
     Training has not been easy.  In case you haven't guessed by now, this is my first marathon and I will be running in support of my little brother Andy who is winning his battle with leukemia.  I do have a kinesiology degree so I have knowledge on the subject, but actually training for a marathon makes a world of difference.  Due to certain circumstances and a tough time in my family's life (more on that in a later post), I have been forced to train with on my own and regrettably no cross-training.
     Marathon training can take a serious toll on your body and mind. At times training can become mundane and mental burn out can come into play over time. All of which I personally have now experienced. My advice to anyone reading this post and interested in running your own marathon is, set short term goals, cross train by biking, swimming, or pool running, STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH, and if possible find a training group to help along the way.