26.2 miles. Thank goodness it's not 26.3, because THAT would be crazy!
St. George is one of the most beautiful places I've visited. Red rocks, canyons, stunning mountains, amazingly nice people, and running paths unlike anywhere I've ever been. I must be an Alaskan because mountains make any place THAT much more beautiful.
The best part about my arrival to St. George was seeing my parents and sister for the first time in months, and my amazing cousin and uncle for the first time in FOUR YEARS! Can you believe how quickly time flies?
 |
| My family! |
It was so amazing to see all of their smiling faces :) And not to brag, but I had the best cheering squad at the race. :)
 |
| Best support squad ever! |
 |
| So blessed. |
My quick weekend trip started at the Marathon Expo to pick up my bib and runners packet. There is something so amazing about an Expo. Looking around and seeing other runners who share the same crazy obsession, vendors selling running gear that "I swear I'll use every day," free bite size samples of goo (who doesn't want a spoonful of sugary slime at 6pm?), and vendors promoting upcoming races that you can't wait to sign up for (but somehow quickly forget after the marathon when you can barely walk!). I love the expos. Another fun fact about Brittany is that I love freebies. Free candy, pens, stickers, pads of paper, powerbars... all things I will likely not use/be allergic to... you name it, I love it. Hence my love of expos. Amazing.
Saturday morning, my alarm went off at 3:30am. Just a mere 3 hours after I fell asleep. Luckily, nerves and excitement helped me get right out of bed as I threw on my runner's outfit that was neatly planned the night before :) My training buddy and running-partner-in-crime, Dennis, was also running this race, so we met and rode the bus to the start together.
 |
| Greatest training partner ever! |
WHAT A FUN STARTING LINE! It was about 45 degrees at the start, so the race had fire pits with free coffee and hot chocolate (both of which I didn't partake in... not exactly a good pre-race idea). The bonfires however, were amazing. It was like a giant camping trip with a bunch of runner friends. Aside from the 26.2 miles of running, it was my favorite part!
 |
Clearly I was making a fashion statement.
 | | Free space blankets for all! |
|
 |
| Camping with 7000 new friends. |
 |
| Where's the s'mores? |
The race itself... well... it was amazing! Miles 1-10 were definitely warm up miles, but as my coach told me, "it's dark out, so they don't count." There was a nasty hill from miles 8-11. But the moment I stepped at the top of the hill, the most beautiful sunrise spread across the sky. Quite the reward.
 |
| Yes, I am that girl who takes pictures while running. |
My legs felt like bricks at mile 13, but luckily by mile 16 I finally felt amazing and started to pick up speed.
 |
| And yes, Dennis runs while looking backwards for the perfect photo op. :) |
I can't say I've ever negative split the second half of a race... but I did for this race! (Negative split means running the second half faster than the first half). I took the first half out in 1:37 and the second in 1:31. With a total time of 3:08.04, a best time by 8 minutes and a 5th place finish in my age group. :) I'll take it!
 |
| Almost there... |
 |
| High five! |
The advantage to the course is that it is primarily downhill after mile 15, with the exception of a couple of small hills and flat stretches. I can't say I've ever averaged under 6:50 for the last 10 miles of a marathon! What an awesome course! Now... that's not to say it wasn't painful. My legs buckled multiple times on the downhills and my quads were on fire, but it was nothing I couldn't mentally power-through. Hopefully I can get in the lottery again next year!
 |
| We did it! |
 |
| Wahoo! |
The rest of my weekend was spent recovering. With lots of delicious homemade recovery foods from my Mom :)
 |
| YUM. |
And of course, there was bocce.
No comments:
Post a Comment