26.2 miles of road, less traveled

Sunriver, Oregon

Saturday June 28th

5am alarm clock
Another alarm at 5:15.
out of bed by 5:30
dressed for the race by 5:45
Power bar, Water, a half cup of coffee @ 6am
Pacing our rental house until leaving for the race @ 6:45
Bib # -- check
Timing chip -- check
Sports beans -- check

I talk to a man about to begin his 871st marathon.
He ran his 870th last weekend.

At 7:15 it's already 65 degrees.

Athletes walk to starting line
Quick debriefing
7:30 am start gun goes and we're off
Mom and uncle Ivan at the start snapping pictures and cheering me on.

Passed mile 1 just before 10 min.
Temperature is already quite warm
Pacing feels pretty good--"slow and steady" I say to myself

Reached mile 2 @ about 20 min.
Cory is waiting there with cheers and Gatorade
Ken-from-Indiana and I play leapfrog for several miles.

Miles 3 -5 are done in another 30 minutes.
Josie is @ mile 4 with Gatorade
She holds a sign saying "You can do it Miriam"
I'm on my target pace, but....
By mile 5 I'm usually feeling warmed up. Limber, and settled into my pace.
I am guessing it's 70 degrees by now.
My body feels sluggish and heavy, but I press on--slowing pace slightly.

Mile 6--Scott and Cory greet me with more electrolytes and encouragement
By now, Ken-from-Indiana and I have passed each other several times
Mile 8--Ben is there with more to drink and a pat on the back.
I've settled into a good pace now and finally feel like I'm in a bit of a groove.
I slowly pull ahead of several runners I've been tailing.
Mile 10--the path changes from partly shady to direct sun.
Shade no longer exists.
The scenery is beautiful.
golden grass, snow-capped peaks, a lazy river.
It's hot.
It's getting hotter.

Mile 10 - 13.
I keep a steady pace.
Mom, Christa, Jaxon and Ivan make several appearances.
Aid stations provide water which I immediately dump over my head.
Thank God I bought a visor just before the race.
Spectators are few and far between, but they are enthusiastic.
A 7 yr. old girl tells me I'm strong and I can do it!
I pass a line of people headed out on a horseback ride.
Many Half-Marathoners begin passing me--
(they started 1/2 hour later than the marathoners)
They are on the home stretch.
I'm almost half way.
I pass a runner who tells me the 2nd lap sucks. (Gee, thanks!)
My hip is feeling stiff and soar.
I begin to get that "popping" sensation.

I can hear the annoncer as I round the corner back to the beginning of the course.
He is announcing 1/2 marathon finishers.
They go to the right,
Marathoners continue to the left.
13.1 miles down.
Scott, Josie, and Cory are at the halfway point!
It's nice to see familiar faces.
I finish the first half in 2 hrs. and 20 min.
My hip is really getting soar and my knee is starting to hurt.
I try to push the pain out of my mind.

Mile 14, the pain becomes unbearable while running.
With each step it worsens.
I can make it a few minutes before I'm forced to a shuffle
I slow my pace down and insert more frequent walk breaks.
My hip is soar while walking, but it's bearable.

Mile 15-16 I manage to keep running off and on but it hurts.
The temperature has reached 85 degrees by 10 am.
I am pissed. I'm frustrated. I'm in pain.
I'm in denial.
I shed a few tears.
I take stalk of the situation and decide what I'm capable of.
I AM GOING TO FINISH THIS THING!
I decide I will continue to walk and insert very minimal running breaks.
My primary goal has been to finish
My secondary goal was a 4:30 -40 time. That is no longer possible.

I spend miles 17-20 accepting my new pace.
A mental challenge.
The heat and elevation add another level of difficulty.

Mile 21--Mom, Christa, Ivan, Jaxon, and Ben are welcoming faces.
I burst into tears.
I explain the situation.
Christa offers to walk with me.
A woman and her husband are there, too, cheering me on.
Later I find out that Ben had told them my success story.
The woman insisted on staying to see me pass by!

Only 5 miles to go.

Christa decides to meet up with me a little further down the road.

The temperature has now reached the low 90's.
I waddle my way through the beautiful, tree-lined path--
Nearing the part where the path breaks into the open valley.
"Holy @#$%, It's hot out here", I proclaim to myself.
I pass two marathoners.
One woman tells me she is going to throw up.
I ask her if she needs help.
She says no, she'll be fine.

Ken-from-Indiana passes me at about mile 23.
Christa comes from around the corner at about the same time.
She has on my Mom's tennis shoes and walks with me.
We talk about the marathon.
We talk about Jaxon.
She tells me that Dad called to wish me luck, and she's called him with updates on my progress.
The company is good.
We reach mile 24, then mile 25.

Cory and Scott are walking towards us just after mile 25.
The 4 of us walk, and take a couple of very short jog intervals together.
They stay with me until the last 1/2 mile, then run ahead to the finish line to wait for me.

I pass a wedding rehearsal at the Sunriver Lodge.
Spectators grow in numbers as I get closer to the Village finish line.
I can hear the annoncer calling names at the finish line.
I hear him say the temperature is 96 degrees.
I'm close. Very close.
As I head down the last bit of the course before the it curves into the finish line,
I feel a whirlwind of emotions.
Excitement.
Exhaustion.
Accomplishment.
I'm about to finish.
I'm going to be a marathoner.

I see the crowd of people.
I hear the cheers.
I jog the last bit of the course.
I round the corner and there is my family--
lined up with cameras. Cheering, Hollering!
The crowd goes crazy!
The announcer calls my name.
I cross the finish line in 5:28.
I burst into tears.
A volunteer collects my timing chip.
Another volunteer gives me a towel soaked in ice water, and a bottle of water.
At the end of the line I bough my head to accept my finisher's medal.
It feels good to be done.

I go into the athlete's pavillion to get some food and collect my t-shirt.
I meet with my family.
Lots of pictures! Lots of hugs!
We stay to watch other finishers cross the line.
First finishers of the Half-Iron are just starting to cross the finish line.
I wonder what time they started.
My mom treats me to a 20 min. sports massage.
My hip and knee are very soar, and the massage feels great.
I have a slight headache.
Standing in the heat is uncomfortable.

I get some more water, eat a mojo bar, and we begin a slow walk back to the car.
Time to head back to our rental house.

We have a big family celebratory greek-style lunch.
As always, Ben is an amazing chef!

I'm very tired, but not ready to sleep yet.
The night air is still very warm.
It's 9:40 pm.
I'm kind of floating on a cloud right now.
I think this will all slowly sink in over the next several days.

...post-marathon thoughts to follow in coming days......