Key Bank Marathon

I completed my 6th marathon on Sunday. It was my third Key Bank. It is run (for those who don't know) through Burlington. It is a beautiful course and a great spectator race. My mom and sister Cherie, along with my niece Annabel came to cheer me on. It has become a bit of a tradition for our family now. As Cherie said it is what she does on Memorial Day, comes to Burlington, watches me suffer, and we all bar-b-cue. This year was bit different, my sister Andrea couldn't make the trip (although I really tried to guilt her in to it). Phoenix is bit too far away to make a trip for a long weekend. And my house is in the midst of being painted, so I have no deck furniture out yet- thus no cook out his year.

The race was a tough one. It was sprinkling at the start. I hoped that would just be all it was going to do as the forecasts I had been reading mentioned nothing of rain. I was actually more concerned with heat as it looked to get up to 74. It ending up being a steady rain for most of the first half of the race. My girls (Chloe and Alexa) were with my mom, Cherie, and Annabel to watch, but it soon became to miserable for them to stay. Luckily my house is located within easy walking distance on the downtown viewing sections. They returned home (although I didn't know that for some time). I was soaking wet and, occasionally as a wind gust hit, cold. Wet clothes and running don't mix. To be quite blunt, you chafe. Badly. In very sensitive places. Even still, the pace was not bad for me. I was hoping for a 3:45 (Boston qualification). At the half way point I was still on that pace, about a 1:52. At mile 16 where my friend Jason handed me my water, I asked him to call Cherie. I hadn't seen her, mom, and the kids for awhile and was concerned that the rain had been too much. I wanted to make sure that some how I got dry clothes at the finish. At that point it was till cloudy and although the rain had subsided the wind was sending chills through me causing me to worry. Jason biked to catch me again and assured me that the kids were home, but Cherie would be at the finish with dry stuff.

The next 10 miles were nothing sort of my own person head game. My body began to protest the amount of Gatorade/ GU (energy gel) that I had ingested (remember I planned for potentially hot running). This is not an uncommon thing for distance runners to suffer. The glucose sugars that fuel you can also real havoc on your digestive system. Preventative measures are used, but this time it didn't work. Needless to say over those miles I made a number of deals with my body. The last 3 or 4 miles saw the sun come out and temperatures began to very quickly feel extremely humid. I finished in 4:00. I have finished some faster and some slower. That is right in the middle of my previous times.

I have, however, never finished a race and felt as badly as I did for this one. When the medical support asked if I was alright. I honestly had to think about whether or not I really was. I made it through the chute to Cherie and used her as my human crutch. I remember thinking that I was very close to passing out. I think Cherie knew it too because she started looking around saying Jason said he would be here too. She called him and I sat on the ground in line for the port-a-potties inching forward and praying that my body would return to normal health. I was swearing that I would not do another one.

I don't know if I will or not. Marathons are like child birth. You always say never again in the middle of the suffering, but once it starts to fade you think well what if this time I...

I know one of the things that I love about this distance is that it takes everything you have. It is the ultimate test. The ultimate challenge. I don't know whether I should be thinking why did I do that to myself? or look what I could push through? I do know that in the end when I walked in my door and out into my (now sunny) backyard. My girls yelled, "Mommy! will you come push us on the swings?" I do believe the distance is a bit lost on them.

I am extremely grateful: to Jason for biking all over the city in the rain to hand me waters, to my mom for watching three kids under the ago of 6 all alone, to Cherie for driving my car down to the finish to give me dry clothes and take me home, to Jason for sitting with me and walking me to the car Cherie was bringing (not sure he will ever know how ill and weak I really was), and to mom and Cherie for making veggie soup and grilled cheese for me while I lay on the couch. As lonely as a marathon is to run- you can not do it without a lot of support to get you to the finish line. It is a great reminder of who will help you out when you ask.




This picture was taken of me by Jason at mile 8. It had been raining steadily for 7 miles. I was running up to get a water and I am in the middle of saying, "This sucks."