Didn't think I was a "runner", I just knew I enjoyed it. So here I am on Marathon #4 and my first Marathon was November 2010 with a time of 5:34. I now classify myself as a runner! I took my time on my first Marathon because I had no idea what to expect. It was in Seattle and the course was very nice. It was also in November so it was in the 40's-50"s the entire way. My second Marathon was on New Year's Eve and it never reach above freezing. It was also mostly trail which I enjoyed. My muscles started to ache half way through due to such cold temperature but I finished with a time of 5:25. Then there was my third Marathon in Redding, CA and I was a little nervous because it would be my warmest one yet. It was two weeks after my second Marathon which was in January and this made me even more nervous because there wasn't much time between the two. I really wanted to run the entire way but you never know how you are going to feel. I did great for the first 20 miles and then cramped up so bad that the last six miles soon became a walk run interval finishing at 5:05.
So here comes number 4 and my main goal is to finish under 5 hours and try to run the entire course. I started out feeling really good and just a few miles past the half way point I began to tire and not feeling my best. This was now my hottest race and was in Newport, OR first part of June. I did enjoy the heat and was happy not to have two or three layers of clothing. My honey was there on his bike the entire way taking photos of me and Stacey. This was really cool to have him there and pictures along the way for free!
At mile 20 I kept going back and forth with this older man. I kept jogging/running as he would walk/run. I would tell him only 6 miles to go then 3 to go as I kept running and glancing at my Garmin wondering how in the heck I was doing this. I kept going back and forth in my head I need to walk and then I would say no keep going. This lasted the last 3-4 miles and pushed all the way to the end, running the entire course and finishing with a time of 4:34. I couldn't believe I shaved 35 minutes off my last Marathon and was thrilled to death. I was so happy and the beer right after never tasted oh so good!
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