5:37 and change. AKA The marathon recap!

Deeetroit Mar-a-thon!

Oh hellz yeah I rocked Detroit!  I ended up 7 minutes over my time goal of 5:30, not too shabby. At all.  The last two miles were ridiculous, but that is OK with me.  I finished happy, I finished strong, I finished.  And now, I get to do it all over again in January.

So, the recap.

Myself and my friend Annelise seeded ourselves behind the 5:00 pacer.  I wanted a 5:30 or better and was afraid of potty stops, so I figured seeding myself ahead of the 5:30 group would allow some time to be banked.  It worked out for the most part, but next time I want to run a pace I will just start with them.

The first 10 miles or so flew right by.  The bridge, Riverside park, the tunnel, Cobo, Campus Martius, it all just blended together into one large jog around Detroit with Annelise.  After we passed the break off point for the marathoners, the running crown thinned out.  I was expecting that.

Truth. 

Up until Belle Isle I felt really good.  At mile 19 I decided to stretch and gear myself up for then next 7 miles.   I started to get emotional and cry a little and I told Annelise that I will NEVER quit a marathon again.  The stretching actually brought on pain, so I was starting to feel nervous about the last bit of the race.  We decided to walk to a point ahead and that is when we saw the 5:30 pacer pass us.  Um, no.  I asked Annelise, "do you think that we can hang on to him?"  And then I just started to run after him.  Once we caught him I told him that I needed him and that I was going to attach myself to him and not let go.  I held onto that man until mile 24.

Gary got me through the wall, Gary got me through my personal wall at mile 23 - the mile I will never forget - and he got me all the way to the point my calf muscle just would not cooperate.  I started to walk and watched 5:30 slip away.  Typically this would have been at mile 10 or 13, so the fact that this was happening at mile 24 was great.  At mile 25 I called in the calvary.  I dialed Anne and she was wondering where I was.  I was crying and that made her bust into tears.  I told her that I was going to finish.  I was at mile 25 and had to walk as my calf had completely seized up.  I needed someone badly to assure me that I was going to finish this race.

Anne, myself, Jim rounding the corner to the finish line

Anne and Jim ran out to meet me at mile 26, and then ran me all the way in to the finish.  5:37 and change.  An amazing 20 miles ran with an amazing woman, Annelise, and 0.2 miles ran with my running club.

Anne and I running in to the finish!

I conquered the race.  I did something that just 7 years ago I told myself that I was completely incapable of doing.  I needed this.  I so absolutely needed this experience, and not just the 26.2 miles in Detroit that Sunday morning.  I needed to meet the people I have met in the past few years to clear my head of the bad things and lift me up.  To better allow myself to become the woman I was meant to be.  These people, the Annelises and the Annes and the Vickies and the Jims... it is these people that I love and that I know love me back.  I am such a better person for knowing them.






I have never worked so hard for a piece of medal on a ribbon before.  But this was not the end of a journey.  This was not the final destination.  This was the jumping off point.

In 1 week myself and Annelise are driving to Panama City beach, FL to volunteer at Ironman Florida.  In just over a weeks time, the day I have dreamed of for two years is becoming a reality.  We are signing up for 2012.  That day I became a bonafide marathon.  Soon, I become an Ironman.  

http://journeytoimfl.blogspot.com

It is happening.  It is on.  And I CAN DO THIS!