Kansas City Marathon - Part II

I hope you enjoyed the first part of my marathon recap!  I told you it would take another post to get it all in, and here we are!

Truthfully, I could probably write for days on my first marathon experience but I’ll spare you;-)

So, as promised, here are my mile splits:

MILE 1	9:49	<---TRYING to keep my speed down.
MILE 2	9:26
MILE 3	9:31
MILE 4	9:18
MILE 5	8:55	<---Hmm, not really working. Felt so good!
MILE 6	8:59
MILE 7	9:01
MILE 8	8:59
MILE 9	9:15
MILE 10	9:13
MILE 11	9:22
MILE 12	9:25
MILE 13	9:31	<---Sent 1st text.
MILE 14	9:55
MILE 15	9:25
MILE16	10:30	<---Legs just starting to feel it.
MILE 17	10:00
MILE 18	9:40	<---Inhaler wearing off, start to wheeze a little.
MILE 19	10:04
MILE 20	11:37	<---Ok, slowing down now!
MILE 21	10:24
MILE 22	11:46	<---Becoming a mental battle.
MILE 23	12:37
MILE 24	11:16	<---Run, walk, run walk…
MILE 25	11:37	<---Wanted to save just  enough to finish strong!
MILE 26	11:28
MILE .5	5:58	<---Course was long!

TOTAL DISTANCE: 26.5 MILES

TIME: 4:26:53

PACE: 10:02/MILE

Wow, that was a long list!  As I was sitting here typing up each mile I was thinking, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I RAN that far!!  I’m am still in awe of what our bodies can do when they are pushed to their limit.  God sure knew what He was doing when He designed us so perfectly;-)

I was kept entertained over the 4+ hours by the many, many spectators along the marathon course.  I was so impressed with the bands that lined the course and the fans that clapped and cheered as we ran by.  I got a little boost every time. 

One of my favorite things quickly became reading the signs that many people had made and we holding!  Some of my favorites:

• “Can you please hurry? I’m getting bored.”
• “If 26.2 miles were easy, I’d be doing it.”
• “Don’t stop right now, people are watching!”
• “26.2 or bust…because 26.3 is just plain crazy.”
• “Run faster, my arms are tired of holding this sign!”
• “Stranger with candy.” <---Lady holding a big basket of Halloween candy for the runners.
• “Go! You’re only 2 miles from free beer!”

There were many more, but these are the ones that are standing out in my memory.  I appreciate everyone who took the time to cheer us on and put their hard work making signs:-)

As far as FUEL goes, this became very important.  Not only because I was running for over 4 hours but because while the temps were a perfect 52* at the start, they quickly crept up close to 80 by the time I finished.  That’s not horrible, but it is easy to underestimate and you can dehydrate rather quickly.

I realized about 930pm on Friday night, when we were getting back from our fabulous carb-loading pasta dinner, that I had forgotten to bring a bagel or sandwich thin for breakfast.  I had the peanut butter and a banana, but no bread!  So I made a quick dash to the restaurant at the hotel, where the wait staff looked at me very strangely when I told them I needed a bagel to go!  They were trying to close up for the night, but a very kind bartender went in the back and found me a big ol’ bagel and wrapped it up ever so perfectly for me.  Thank you!!!  It was the perfect start the next morning! 

During the race there were aid stations every two miles, which was awesome.  I skipped the first couple of aid stations but starting at Mile 6 I got at least water at each one.  At the 2 hr. mark, I started getting a half cup of water and a half cup of Gatorade at each aid station.  I was terrified of “hitting the wall” and I saw many, what looked like, seasoned marathoners having to stop on the curbs and massage out legs cramps.  So I made sure to hydrate well!

Throughout the race, I took in:

2 Raspberry Hammer Gels  (source)

1 Tri-Berry Gu – which I’ve never had before but enjoyed (source)

Several of the aid stations in the second half of the marathon also had fruit, which I was SO glad to see something natural!  I ended up having

• 1/2 banana
• 1 orange slice
• 1 apple slice

It was a totally amazing experience.  I loved every single second of it!  I remember back when I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in March, I was kinda sad towards the end because I wasn’t ready for it to be over!  I remembered that feeling in the second half of this marathon and had to smile…26.2 miles is perfect.  It was not to short, not too long, and just the right amount to challenge my mind and my body.

The final stats from the website look like this:

bib number:
1817

age:
32

gender:
F

location:
Van Buren, MO

overall place:
778 out of 1425

division place:
47 out of 119

gender place:
226 out of 525

time:
4:27:06

I’m still in awe that I actually did it:-)

Katie took my medal to school today so she could show it off.  She walked in the school saying, “I ran 26.2 miles!” to everyone she saw. Bless her little heart, she is so sweet.

After dropping the kids off, I headed for a nice little 5 mile walk/run to test the legs and see how they’re feeling.  The result: it was a great workout, but my legs are still a little sore.  I don’t want to push it.  I’ve been doing Sun Salutations like crazy, holding the poses extra long because the stretch feels soooooo good. 

I’m going to catch up on weekend laundry today, and enjoy the beautiful weather that we are having.  I hope y’all are having a great start to your week<3

Blessings, friends!

xoxo