All Roads Lead to Boston.....Or at least mine.

Reflecting on Houston 2017

This was me the morning before the marathon. I was soaking in everything at the expo like I haven't done before. I'm usually the type to grab my packet and maybe look at a few merchandise booths but that was it. This time though, I wanted to take in everything, experience it all and make all the memories I could. I was ready to run and achieve a goal I had worked hard for.

Yes, I was nervous, I think more so than I had ever been. I think its because I truly believed I was going to do great. Now, I knew at this point that the weather wasn't going to be ideal for me. We had gotten several emails at this point recommending that we not attempt any PRs and run conservatively. The temperature was going to be warm and the humidity very high. Both John & I thought, okay, its going to be tough but we live in TX. I've run in the heat all summer. I was okay with not achieving a PR but surely I was still good to BQ. I hydrated all week, ate well, got plenty of sleep. All the boxes were checked.

KT & I before we split for our corrals

The guys & I in our corral awaiting the start

The alarm went off but I was already up. I can't ever sleep the night before. I'm always afraid I'll sleep through the alarm. I made sure I ate exactly what I did every morning of a long run in training. I'm not superstitious but as any runner knows, you don't do anything new or different. I met up with everyone a little after six. We stopped just before Corral B for a photo with KT before she headed to line up.

All was good. I found my coach, DA, who just put me at ease. Didn't say much, was just calm. Just another run, no biggie. As the announcer started counting down and introducing the Mayor and other important people, I felt the nervous energy. I couldn't stand still. Again, they advised to run smart and be aware of how we were feeling out on the course. The Star Bangled Banner played, the gun sounded and we were off. I told DA to go get it, he gave me a fist bump and I think said, "you got this" and off he went.

The plan was to run a 9 minute mile for the first 4 miles. John was going to meet me between mile 4 & 5. This was suppose to be the first of 4 times I would see him. We clicked the first mile right at 9 minutes. All was good, it was warm but I felt good. Mile 2 was the same. Mile 3 & 4 were both under a 9. I saw John, took some electrolytes and continued on. I felt good. I felt strong. At this point, I was suppose to ease into race pace, an 8:45 but this was to happen over the course of the next 10 miles. So the pace was as follows:

Mile 5=8:47
Mile 6=8:55
Mile 7=8:50
Mile 8=8:50
Mile 9=8:58

And then things changed. I felt the weight of the humidity and my pace jumped to a 9:50 for the next mile. At first I thought, its okay I have time. I have a little room with some of the first 4 being below what they should have been. Deep down, I knew this was not looking good and it was going to be a struggle. I can remember thinking, I want to quit. I had a lot of miles in front of me to feel this way already, I should quit. I started the mantra a friend told me works for him. I started looking for John again. I thought he had said he was going to be there. I needed my electrolytes. I started to not feel good and knew this was going to be another failed attempt at my BQ.

At the halfway point, I got hopeful again. We turned a corner where we could see who was behind us. The 3:50 pace group was behind me. I was certain they had already past me, but no! Although they were gaining and I was not picking up the pace. In fact the pace was steadily declining. Shortly after seeing the pacer behind me, I was watching her quickly pull away from me. Now my inner voice is asking, "What's the point of finishing, you aren't going to do what you came out here to do." Hmmm, that was a tough one to answer. So again, the mantra started, "By His Grace, In His Strength, For His Glory".

I think it was at Mile 14, I saw a familiar face, actually two! John was there and a very dear friend and workout partner from Camp Gladiator! She drove all the way to Houston just to see me run. I was so glad to see her but in my mind, sad & embarrassed she was seeing me run such a bad race. She got some "action" shots. These are the raw images folks!

Mile 14/15

Got my electrolytes and off I go
(not sure what the guy in the foreground is doing)

The next time I saw them both was at Mile 20. The pace just kept getting slower while I just wanted the finish to get closer! I told John, I was okay. I was at peace with my run. I had prepared for this marathon but nothing can prepare you for weather that you didn't train in.

Water stop at Mile 20
(walked through almost all of them)

More electrolytes

Loved the sponges

One thing I had never done during a marathon before was have to stop at a medical tent. I stopped twice this race. It wasn't for anything major, I didn't need oxygen nor had I broken anything but my legs were cramping pretty bad. The tents had BioFreeze and the volunteers were actually standing with huge pump bottles waiting to dispense it into the hands of those needing it. One medical tent so far as to pump it out onto paper towels and had them laid out on a table to hand out and rub wherever it was needed.

In those last 6.2 miles, it rained off and on. While it was somewhat of a relief from the heat that was literally making me feel compressed, it combined with sweat to make my eyes burn. What a mess I must have looked like. So much so, a complete stranger ran out on the course to give me a bottle of water. These last miles were a lot of stop and go but the longest part of it all was the last .2. The crowd kept you going but once I saw the 26 mile marker, I just needed to be done. John & CH were there. I heard their screams but I just wanted to stop. So in 4:36:43 I finished my 5th marathon. No BQ, no PR. Just finished. I had struggled every step from Mile 8 on. I am proud of that. I didn't let the weather break me.

As John and I drove home yesterday, I thought about how I was feeling. My feelings & emotions were all over the place. I was happy I had finished and didn't give up. I was sad & frustrated the weather got the better of me. And I was disappointed. Not in myself but in the fact that so many people were cheering for me and waiting to celebrate with me. I felt I let them down. I'm not sure where I'll go from here. If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said, never again. Today, the answer would be, not today or tomorrow. Right now, I think I'll just go back to running for the pure fun of it, support those that have supported me and log some miles while they train for their next big race.

Until next time......

Wish me luck!