Sunday, June 10, 2012

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!

23 comments:

Cotter Crunch said...

congrats!!! So happy for you! you look great!

Cynthia said...

Congrats!! Marathons ate not easy and you rocked it! And still look great at the finish!

For full marathons I love having my family there for support. I like knowing there is someone waiting for me at the end. It helps me mentally want to finish lol. I think crowd support is a very important part of a race. The know it helps push me when I hear them cheering along the way.

Congrats again!!

Julia said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! you look so happy in every photo!!!!!!!!! you did fantastic friend! so excited for you...and it was PERFECT seeing you right at the finish:)

Jenna said...

I'm avoiding my packing by scrolling through my Google Reader. This post made me realize that I want to get that packing over with so I can come and see you and congratulate you in person! You rock.

The Hungry Runner Girl said...

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!! How do you look so gorgeous running a marathon? Love your cute mom running with you. Um...VIP getting to ride up with the race director ha. You are right, that course is difficult, those rolling hills kill your legs. Way to go Megan...let's go celebrate at Maverick:)

kara t. said...

Congrats, I was thinking about you yesterday and loved seeing pics on Julia's fb. Way to knock it out in a fantastic time!!

Generation X (Slomohusky) said...

congrats!

Leisa said...

Congrats!!! I was one of the girls that said hello when we started that massive uphill around mile 7 or 8. It was so nice to meet you after reading your blog for a couple years now. I agree, that course was way harder than I thought it was gonna be. Just wanted to say hi, and identify myself.

Rene said...

Congrats! That is amazing. Love your shorts. I love having support along a course, even if it's not family. My faves are the little kids who are ringing cow bells, handing out goodies, and high-fiving everyone they come in contact with.

Whitney said...

I'm so proud of you! You are seriously superwoman!! So sweet to have friends there helping along the way :) I miss Highland Park and all of you girls! Way to go again!

The Smith Clan said...

You Rock ! Love you!

Stephanie said...

Congrats on a great race!

Rachelle Wardle said...

Congrats Megan!! You look absolutely gorgeous running and I am in love with your shorts. Seriously who looks that great after running 26 miles? Awesome!

Also your family is the cutest and I love your Mom's pants.

Anonymous said...

I'm so proud of you! You are amazing!!! I thought about you on Saturday morning and said a prayer for you. I'm running my first half marathon in September, and the idea of DOUBLING that length makes me sore ha. I can't wait to hear about your future plans!!! Much love!

Jen said...

Congrats! That is a great 2nd marathon. I agree though that whoever says it's a downhill marathon is a lier. And the downhill that there is, is really steep. Great job! You looked so good post race! How is that possible?!!!

Kyle & Mekelle said...

I wish I would've done that marathon before moving from Utah. Boo. Congrats on your time!

ash & diz said...

SO SO SO proud of you!
I was so bummed that I couldn't be there for you! But it sounds like you had an awesome support team there for you! If you decide to do another one (which I will try to change your mind), I will run with you (well, run you in!).

Love ya girl! We should celebrate next week! My Dr is gone and I can play!

Curt & Cassie Ford said...

I am so proud of you! This post gave me a lump in my throat. I can't imagine pushing my body that way. I love that your mom ran with you. Moms are the best :) good job Megan!!!!!!

Suz and Allan said...

Congrats Megan! You are super fast lady! That's great that you got to see Julia. She is so sweet!

Anonymous said...

Hello! I came across your blog, and I am wanting to run my first marathon this year! I have ran many half marathons, and am ready to knock out a full one. I am still trying to decide which marathon to do for my first.... Would you recommend the Utah Valley marathon as a good first marathon to run? I would love to hear your thoughts! I am just worried about there not being many spectators to help encourage me along. I would love to hear your thoughts! xo
michelleleeann@gmail.com

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