Utah Valley Marathon Race Recap

It's OVER!!! I made it! Holy Hannah, I'm glad that it is over with.
3:30 AM - Wake up, get dressed. Breakfast of a cinnamon sugar WHITE bagel (Who am I, right?) and a banana.
3:55 AM - Picked up by my brother-in-law and sister to head to the Provo Marriot. My brother-in-law dropped my sister and I off and he headed to where he was supposed to meet for his 1/2 marathon bus. My sister's running partner is friends with the race director, so instead of riding up on the buses, we got to ride up in his car with him. Yes please.

Me, my sister Nichole, and her friend Amy were able to snap a quick pre-race photo!

 

6:10 AM - Started the run from Wallsburg! I don't like to start with the crowd when it's chip timed. So, we took our time getting ready to take off. The race scenery is BEAUTIFUL. Absolutely gorgeous. Every time I started hurting, getting tired, or feeling negative for any reason I just tried to remind myself of what a great opportunity it was to be able to do this...and that I had to get down somehow and the sooner the better, right? ;) 

The first half of the race flew by pretty quickly for me. I was able to meet some darling readers along the way which was AWESOME. I love getting to connect with people! It makes this whole blogging experience much more fun. I saw some friends that I knew were running. In case you were wondering, I totally yelled my whole way through the tunnel. 

Now, whoever said..."oh that race is easy it's all downhill"...was totally lying. Yes, there are some definite down hill portions, but MAN there are some definite uphill portions too. I thought that the course was difficult. It was pretty hard on my body, and there was a total headwind too.

Another really unique thing about this race is that due to the nature of the course, there are hardly any spectators until mile 20! I couldn't have been happier to see some of my AWESOME supporters at the bottom of the canyon! 

My SWEET friend Amanda was waiting at mile 21, and planning on jumping in with me just for a mile or two. She has had some major knee problems, and so I knew this was a total sacrifice for her. At this point I could feel my body getting tired, and seeing familiar faces cheering me on totally lifted my spirits!

 Soon after I saw some of my family, and my mom jumped in and ran with me for a sec. Isn't she the cutest?

Amanda ran with me to mile 24, and she was going to jump out but I started to struggle. I could tell that I was really dehydrated, which annoyed me because I was VERY particular about my nutrition/refueling the whole way. I knew I was getting so close, but I could feel myself slowing down. She ended up staying with me until the end. She seriously was my little running angel. She talked me through the last five miles, and helped me to keep my pace up. I really don't know what I would have done without her, and I don't know how she ran for that long with her injuries. Miracles people. MIRACLES! :)

There really is no better feeling than running across the finish line. I was so ready to be there!!

 I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:10!

I REALLY wanted to get in under 4 hours, but I am so glad to just have it finished. We spoke with the race director afterwords, and he told us that because of the headwind, most people were coming in with 10-15 minutes added to their time. I don't know if this is true or not, but I feel good about being done! 

It was a tough race, but I made it. I have several friends who are much speedier than I am, and all I could think about the whole time was how much respect I have for these people! Marathons are hard enough, but speedy marathons? UNREAL.

 My awesome sister, Nichole, and her training partner Amy came in at 4:39:20! I am SO proud of them!! Such an accomplishment :)

I even got to see a bunch of friends that finished around the same time as me. How cute is Julia?

I can't thank my family and friends enough for all of their support. I SERIOUSLY have the best support group ever! It made my cry! Having all these fabulous people cheering me on made all the difference!

Going through this training experience with my awesome sister has been something I'll never forget! I loved being able to have my mom and dad there too! They are SO great!

 There you have it!

 26.2 miles completed! My second marathon, done. I'll be honest. I am one sore girl today! I can't wait to tell you what my plan is from here forward!

Did you race? How did you do? What did you think of the course? Tell me ALL about it! Do you like having family and friends there to support you when you run??

Thanks again for all the love, support, well wishes, and happy smiles and words along the way! DONE AND DONE!