My morning started at 4 am. I woke up, got dressed, and drove down to center street in Provo with Cindy to check in (I can't believe how awesome Cindy is to willingly take me at 4 am!). I grabbed my racing chip and the bag of stuff they give you, and brought it back to Cindy to hold for me while I strapped the chip to my shoe. I kissed her good-bye and told her I would see her in a few hours. They then started packing school buses with runners and shuttling them up to South Fork Park in Provo Canyon.
They had about 10 fires going when we got there, and everyone tried to huddle around them to stay warm because it was freezing. The problem is, the more people that arrived the further you ended up from the fire. I had a sweater on but it did little to keep me warm. That is when I noticed that one of the buses was still just sitting on the side of the road and never went back for more runners. I went over to the bus and found out he was just chillin' for anyone who needed a place to stay warm. That was the best 45 min... nice and toasty!
As it drew closer to 7 am everyone started to fill the streets and warm up. We lined up according to the pacer we wanted to follow, and so I took my place between the ~8:12 and ~8:56 guys. The gun wouldn't go off at first so everyone just started to run, then right as I reached the guy with the gun it went off. Close enough right? haha.
The first part of my run was pretty uneventful. I went about 4 miles solo, just trying to find a good pace. I found it a little difficult because I had never run with so many runners and whenever someone passed me I wanted to increase my pace to match them. I held back and thought I was doing okay. I met this guy, I honestly can't remember his name, but he is from Illinois and he is running in every state that he can. After he completes a marathon in a state he tattoos the 2 letter symbol on his calf. He had about 15 already. Anyways, way cool guy that I started chatting with and we actually ran the next 8 miles together.
As we reached the bottom he checked his watch and told me, yeah we've been doing great. We're averaging about a 8:08 mile. I said, "wow, we've been goin' pretty fast". He told me we had hit 8 minute miles a few times on the way down. Just to inform you, I usually train around an 8:35-8:40 mile for long distances, so I was a bit worried that I was going way to fast. As we reached the half way point I knew it was true. I already felt tired, which usually doesn't kick in until around mile 20, and I was only at mile 13! I saw my beautiful wife Cindy, my mom, and my wife's friend Jyssica cheering me on at the half way mark, and their encouragement helped me to keep going. I now understood, though, that pushing too fast at the first was seriously stupid. Little did I really understand that until mile 16. Then my life really started to suck.
I felt the tightness coming at mile 12, but i assumed it was just fatigue from going too fast. Mile 16 is when the cramping started in my thighs. It was terrible. Plain and simple. I had to walk a bit until they loosened up, then I started running again as far as I could go until they relaxed again. This was my process for the next 10 miles. I was really unhappy and the thought of having to run that far with cramping seriously sucked.
Around mile 18 I met a guy with a bad limp, and it surprised me because he was the skinny fast looking guy who would probably be at the front of the pack. Turns out, he had a stress fracture in his foot and couldn't run anymore. I asked him if I could help him in any way and he said, "nope, I just have to invent a new way to run and finish!" My cramping didn't seem quite as significant anymore. I wished him luck and trudged on. If he could push through it then I knew I could.
The run may have been tough, but it was a beautiful run. We took a lot of back roads out to Utah Lake and enjoyed the beautiful 75 degree weather. It was honestly the perfect day for a marathon. I met some more people and even had a chat with a guy about how much we each would kill for a cheeseburger during the run (they had some fruit but the further I went the hungrier I got!). I loved the people running the course. They were from all over the country and just had a love for running and getting their body moving. It made the run more fun and made me realize that the marathon is not just a competition against others, but a competition against yourself. With that in mind, everyone is always cheering you on, even if you are passing them. It made me love running more and helped me understand why running is such a unique sport. I'm glad I made myself a part of it.
The end of the race I came with a flood of relief, pain, and some emotions I really don't understand! At the last mile I had some friends Phil and Kaylee cheering me on with a sign that said "runners are hot!" That seriously made me laugh! They stayed there for an hour and a half waiting for me. Awesome friends :) I rounded the last bend and headed for my wife, mom, Jyssica, and Malone who were holding a sign that said "You are my hero!" Yes, both signs exaggerate a bit but it lifts the spirits! I finished with a time of ~4:35. I am so happy to have completed such a huge goal in my life. I have never tried to do anything so hard before and honestly I never thought a big guy like me could run 26.2 miles. I loved the experience even though it was so painful and difficult. It has taught me a lot about myself and a lot about the goodness of people. I look forward to my next marathon and hopefully, with better preparation, I can avoid the cramping and get a new PR! THANK YOU everyone that supported me and pushed me through it! Especially thank you to my wife for helping me get to this point and seeing me though it! Love you babe!
This was me going through at the half-way point
Cindy showing me support to the end!
I met this guy at the last mile and we talked the rest of the way in. Nice guy
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