Mill Race MaRaThOn!

I'm still in awe of the fact that I have officially completed a marathon. I woke up and realized that I did in fact run 26.2 miles yesterday. September 26, 2015 is a day I will never forget. Mill Race Marathon was a beautiful course. All of the volunteers were incredible. There were some sporadic spectators to cheer us on along the way. We had a very special friend with us from the very beginning of the morning to the end of the night. Running with 258 Marathoners is so inspiring.  There were definitely some ups and downs on this course. Overall, it was very a very enjoyable and super fun run!

 So, first of all, you're probably wondering how we came across this spectacular race. During the expo at the 500 festival Mini Marathon, Tyler happened to stop at the Mill Race Marathon booth and after talking to a gentleman he told me we should sign up.  I was like "oh you're funny".  But, he was serious, so I signed us up the very next day. We searched online for a 20 week training program and found one that would work for us and our schedules. Ty's schedule was different than mine. He would run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and long runs on Saturdays. I found I ran best running 3 times a week so my schedule was to run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for my long runs. This worked out great for both of us.  Overall, I would say our training plan went well. We had planned on doing a few fun races on some of our Saturdays, but were only able to do the Warrior Dash (which was a muddy blast)! The only thing we would have done differently was figure out a better fueling plan during our runs. That is something we know we need to work on and get figured out. So that's how this race came about! Now to talk all about race day!

My training program

My lovely alarm went off at 3:30am. I got up and took a shower. While I was getting ready Tyler toasted us some Pumpkin Spice bagels (you need some of them in your life ASAP). We ate breakfast and headed out the door. We had to be at The Commons at 5:30a for early morning packet pick-up. We got our packets and secured our bibs on. By this time it was around 6:30a and our dear friend Heather had arrived! It was great to see her there so early and to hang out with us before it was time to head outside and get in line. We had a few bathroom breaks (nerves had kicked in) and then looked over the course map. At this point it was time to head outside and get in our specific coral spots.

The Commons

Biggest supporter and #1 fan!

Everyone was getting so excited to start and the energy was great. I was so incredibly nervous and anxious to get going! I just wanted to take off running already! Standing and waiting for your turn to go is difficult. Tyler's Uncle was running the half and he happened to walk right by us so we got to talk to him for a minute. Talk about luck, it was great to see him and definitely helped calm my nerves. A few moments later the horn sounded and off we went! My nerves were instantly gone and I felt fantastic.

Uncle P.D!

Saying our goodbye's and good lucks!

Taking off! Starting our GPS!

I was happy to know that in a little over 4 miles we would see Heather as we had planned out. 4 miles flew by and we spotted her right away! So amazing to see her out on the course!!! I was able to give her a quick hug and get back on course. At mile 6 we stopped to eat a quick snack. Mile 8 we decided to stop at an energy table and grab a Gu. Not sure why we did this as it was something we hadn't done in our training. It was disgusting and we threw it out. Miles 8, 9, & 10 were great! Mile 11 Tyler said "there's Heather" and it totally took me by surprise. I did not expect to see her anymore after mile 4 until the finish line. That was so cool! I was able to run over and give her another squeeze and then continue! Around 11.5 Ty asked if we could stop.  We weren't supposed to stop for another snack until mile 12.

Mile 4

Mile 11

He said his feet were hurting pretty bad. We ate a quick snack and took off again. Mile 12 was great. Mile 13 we walked a little bit. Mile 14 and 15 were pretty good! Mile 16 Tyler was starting to struggle some more. We stopped for our first bathroom break on the course and ate a banana. I haven't seen Tyler eat a banana since I've known him. I took a picture because he said this would be the last banana I would see him eat! We stretched our legs and took off. This stop was quite the break, approximately 8 minutes long. Miles 17 and 18 we had slowed down about a minute per mile. Mile 19 and 20 Tyler kept telling me to go ahead on my own. During these miles I had ran ahead thinking he was right behind me, but when I turned around he was no where to be found. I would stop and wait a couple of minutes to see him. When I saw him in the distance I would continue running thinking he would catch up. At one point I stopped and called him to see where he was.  Finally, at the end of mile 20 I stopped and waited for him. I tried to encourage him to keep running at our normal pace, but he said no and told me again to go ahead. I talked to a volunteer because she knew I was distraught about leaving him behind, but she also encouraged me to go and that there would be plenty of supporters behind me to support him and keep him going. She also probably knew that he needed to get through this himself.  At that point, I was in tears about it, but decided to go on without him. That was definitely the hardest part about this race for me.

Gagging while trying to get his banana down!

Mile 21 was great. Mile 22 I was regretting my decision about leaving him so I stopped to look back, but I couldn't see him. So after that, every volunteer I came across I told them to tell my husband, Tyler #24 some encouraging words from me (I was shocked to hear later that they really did relay my messages to him-so awesome!) I debated again on whether to keep going or wait. I decided to keep going. The struggle was real! After that, it was difficult mentally for me to continue. Finally at mile 26 I put my head back in the game and took off gazelle intense. Volunteers, spectators, and runners kept yelling and commenting how strong and fast I was going. I was giving this last 1.2 my all and finished very strong!

Seeing that finish line was indescribable! ~*5.12.11*~

 I was so proud of myself for pushing through and finishing like I knew I could. A lady put the medal around my neck, another lady handed me a water, and then a man cut the tracker tag off my shoe. After that I immediately found Heather. I was already so emotional by the time I got to the finish line so when I saw her we hugged and cried for I don't know how long. That was a special moment I'll never forget. We started watching for Tyler and he hadn't come in after about 10 minutes. I was already worried about him and becoming even more and more worried. I walked over to a tent and had them pull up his number to see where he was. All they could tell me was that he had crossed over mile 20 about an hour ago and he should arrive any minute. The activity tracker was down so we couldn't tell where he was exactly on the course. A few more minutes went by and still no Tyler. I was starting to panic just when Heather said she thought she saw him. SHEW what a sigh of relief!

Overflow of emotions!

I did it! I am a Marathon Finisher!

He was running and finishing strong. I ran out to cross the finish line with him. At this point, he was kind of out of it and I thought he was going to faint even before they put the medal around his neck. He wasn't talking and just went straight to the sidewalk and took off his shoes and lie down on the sidewalk. He didn't want anything, but Heather said we needed to get him some chocolate milk. She took off to find some. He didn't want to be bothered so I walked a couple of blocks to The Commons to get my bag out of gear check. I ended up meeting Heather there. She got in line at Subway to get the chocolate milk and by this time Tyler had texted me and said he was in the bathroom changing his clothes and then he would meet us in The Commons. I was happy to hear that.

He did it! So proud of this guy! One of my favorite pictures!

They call this relaxing! Haha...

We sat there with some other finishers for about 30 minutes. I finally took my shoes off. I could feel I had a blister on my right foot. I slowly took my sock off and saw that my suspicions were right. Heather immediately left to go get a medic. I wanted them to come and pop it for me. They arrived and the medics said they weren't going to pop it and that it needed to stay like it was. They handed me a couple of band-aids and left. I was disappointed! I texted my friend Jennell a picture and said "I need you" because she is a master at popping blisters. She called me later and said to take an alcohol swab and a safety pin from my bib and to pop that thing! I couldn't stomach it, so left it alone! It's still big and sore today. That's my only battle wound from the race so for that I'm thankful! I saw some other people who had big bandages wrapped around their toes and I can't even imagine what they were feeling. I managed to get up off the floor with some help and head to the bathroom to get changed. Heather tried to dry my soaking wet hat with the dryer and it literally stunk up the bathroom so bad that she had to stick paper towels in her nostrils and open the door to try and air out the smell! It was horrible!

Scared to look at my blister.

#neveragain

 After an hour we headed to a restaurant to eat outside and listen to the live band they had playing for the after party. It was around 2:30 at this time and we were waiting around for the truck giveaway at 4. We ordered some delicious fried pickles, cheeseburgers, and fries. The food was so so good. I was getting ready to order dessert when I looked across the street and saw "ice cream parlor" on the door. I was so excited because during my run I kept thinking how good ice cream would be after I was done running! Perfect! I couldn't wait to get over there later and get some! We finished eating and then walked a couple of blocks and looked at some booths and shops and then headed back for the truck drawing. We didn't win the truck, but was so happy for the lady who did! Finally, we headed into the parlor to enjoy us some ice cream.

Changed and ready to enjoy the after party and get some food in our bellies!

Fun with the super hero's!

Waiting for our cheeseburgers! We were starving! 

Thank you best ice cream ever!

Beautiful decor!

 I had to save the best for last!  My very favorite part during the race is talking to other participants. I absolutely love hearing their stories. How far they've come, why they started running, how they're doing, how many races they've done.  I would get goosebumps and become emotional after talking to each person. The encouragement I got from hearing their stories is phenomenal. Another favorite part is hearing all the volunteers comment to us. We heard a lot of "wow what a great pace, looking strong, what a great smile, keep up the amazing work, you've just ran a half marathon and look amazing, this is a great pace (from other runners), you look like you're having fun, keep up the good work, it's all downhill from here, you're so close, you've got this,  etc." These people genuinely cared for us and wanted us to do good! That helps so much along the way! I appreciate each and every one of them! I love being able to encourage others a long the way too.  I would watch certain people struggle and then pick themselves back up and keep going even through their pain. I would tell them to keep going and keep up the good work. All of these people are so wonderful and inspiring to me! Seriously, you can do anything you put your mind to.

That sums it up you guys!! For our first Marathon I feel like it went extremely well! I just wanted to have fun and enjoy it like a few of my marathon finisher friends had told me do to.  That's exactly what I did minus some worrying near the end.  Overall, fantastic course and run and I'm so happy Tyler and I have our first Marathon experience together. We accomplished running 26.2 miles and it feels amazing!  I'm excited to see what our future runs have in store for us! Thank you to all of our friends and family who prayed for us, thought about us, sent sweet texts, calls, or social media encouragement. We really appreciate everyone's love and support! Thank you Heather for being our number one supporter and our biggest fan! Also, for taking time out or your family schedule to be with us. You are amazing and we love you!

Feel free to leave any comments about your racing experience/accomplishments or future racing events! I'd love to hear about them. Xoxo

Until next time,

A Marathon Finisher Running Momma