Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon - RunMarathon

Well, I had big goals and really felt like I could finish above my goal of 4:30 and decided to start with the 4:15 pace group. I ran my 20 miler at 9:31 at Umstead with the hills and thought with the flat course I would do fine. Well, I started out with that pace group and fell into a pretty easy rhythym. We were exactly about 9:40 pace and it felt slow to me. I met a girl from Delaware and we stuck together until about mile 8 and then she stopped to use the restroom and I kept going. I felt pretty good, not overly fast but wanted to be conservative and not blow everything in the first half and so slow and steady. The pacers started to pick it up and were running about 9:20 now, I stayed back and as we crossed the bridge I started to see myself falling back again. Another girl was running 9:40 and we kinda stuck together. Around mile 11 I was hurting, my hip flexors were soo tight, something I've never felt before. My left knee also began to hurt and I had lost sight of the 4:15 group. We were back on Atlantic and running by the hotel. Debbie in her yellow pants was snapping pics and cheering. I told her my quads and hip flexors were tight and hurting and that I still wasn't warm. She said goo.. gooo, you look good. So, I pushed on.. maybe 4 minutes behind the 4:15 group and just pushing thru. I did turn my ipod on about mile 10 and so was trying to focus on strides and the music. Well, it was all ok until Mile 19. That was where I lost it. Physically not mentally. I never once said, I can't finish but what my mind did say is.. I think I'm going to have to walk and if I have to walk 7.2 miles in, I'm going to be pissed. So, that wasn't an option. I ran to mile 20 (at this point- I felt like a turtle) then I said I'll do 8:2 for the next few miles and hopefully this pain will go away. My knees were soo stiff and the hip flexors, well, the paid was really undescribable. So, I ran until mile 25 and talked myself into running the last 2.2 in. I said, stop being a pansy, you knew it would hurt and NO, running in is a much better option that running in front of that car and letting it hit you. I seriously thought at some point, I'd rather be hit by a frickin car than run another x amount of miles. Soo, I was at this point sludging along and then there was Debbie, she was cheering and then was running beside me. I think I snapped at her and said, I can't go any faster, my legs hurt, I'm a puss and where is the GD finish line? And then down the boardwalk and I see it... It's right there. She says to sprint and I intially laugh and say, RIIIIGHHHT! And then, some weird thing happened and I started sprinting. Well, what I thought at the time was sprinting and there you have it.. I crossed the finish line. I threw my hands up in the air like I had just won the largest Lottery jackpot. I was dissappointed because I hadn't finished in my goal time and I was also relieved that is was over. I got my medal, finisher hat and some water and food and then we went back to the hotel to shower and check out and head home.

Uhhh, train! I obviously didn't train hard enough because I really felt like I wasn't over exerting myself, it was just the damn pain in my legs..

Walked 2 blocks to the hotel and stretched a little..


I think the wind and the cold did hamper my ability somewhat because I really thought I could do better. But training was also a major factor.


I had a lot of fun hanging out with other BT'rs and finishing my 1st mary. Even though it hurt like hell, I'm SUPER EXCITED to do another. Amen, its over. I'm racing another in the warm weather!