THE MARATHON - St. Jude Country Music Marathon, April 28 2012, Nashville TN

Saturday April 28, 2012.

5:45am... the girls all met in the hotel lobby and headed to the start line of the Country Music Marathon.  Alison and I were READY with our matching tops!!

Alison and I

We got into our starting positions in Coral 17 and slowly walked our way up to the front in waves.  The other girls all held their emotions in check quite well so I couldn't really tell what they were feeling but me - I was ready.  I wasn't nervous or emotional... just ready to run and loving every moment of it. 

I said to Alison - soon we'll be one of them! One of the 1% of the population that has run a full marathon!! Iona quickly said that's about the same percentage as those who have joined the mile-high club... and maybe we shoulda trained for THAT instead.  LOL!! 

Our significant others had already mapped out a route of where they'd be spectating, and I could have sworn I heard them say they were going to be at Mile 4, Mile 11, Mile 17, and the finish, but once the gun went off my mind went numb and I really couldn't remember much of anything.  I spent the first five miles being conscious of not going too far to one side of the road or the other - just in case I spotted Greg.  I was looking for his red Buffalo Bills hat as my marker.  Thank goodness I had that to occupy my mind because MY GOODNESS those hills in the beginning were horrendous!! Keeping my eyes peeled for red and keeping a good form juuuuust in case he spotted me first was a great mental challenge to keep my mind off the burning in the legs. 

At mile 8 I passed two of my friends that had stopped to pee.  They are super fast though so I knew I'd see them again!  A little while later one of them did pass me, letting me know the other was in a bathroom line and I'd be seeing her soon!

At mile 9 I ran up on this girl with a gorgeous running top! it was a halter but the back had a string of ruffles from the neck to the middle of the back, it was pink and frilly - I just had to compliment the girl! Come to find out her name is Moe and she's a transplant from Lansing to Nashville. It was her 2nd time running the Country Music Half Marathon and this time she had a specific mission: count the inclines.  Apparently the first time she ran the intense 13.1 she had trouble describing just how hilly the course was, so this time she counted.

BY MILE 9.3 SHE HAD COUNTED 14 INCLINES.

I couldn't help but think - oh boy what have I gotten myself into...

Now its mile 10 and I'm back to looking for a red hat.  Nothing in sight.  I come to find out later that at mile 11 Greg saw me, and he even ran up a hill to try and catch me! But it was no use... Speedy Brandy was gone :)

Right around mile 11 is where the half-ers peeled off to finish on their own.... it was an interesting feeling because 3 times now I've run races with full and half marathoners on the same course and I was always on the half-er side of life.... peeling off to the finish thinking "wow-those other runners are amazing - they're just halfway!" ..... and now, here I was one of those "wow" runners.  It felt damn good.

Somewhere just past the halfway point the heat really started to get to me.  Pouring water on my head didn't seem to be enough and my long shorts had now been pulled up to daisy dukes.  I have no idea what possessed me to, but of all the people on the sidelines one older guy sitting on his cooler caught my eye.  I ran up towards him asking if he had ice in his cooler, and if I could grab a handful.  He was more than accommodating - if he ever reads this - THANK YOU.  I threw a small handful of ice cubes down my sports bra.  It was the first time in hours that I felt like I was cooling down for more than just a few seconds.  The ice-in-the-sports-bra routine would continue throughout the course.

At right around mile 15 I got a tap on my shoulder... it was Iona!!! (one of the speedy ones that had stopped to pee).  She said she was content running my pace for a while so we headed off to tackle the next set of miles together.  She had asked me if I had seen the guys and I told her I hadn't seen a soul that I knew.  She said they would be just up ahead at mile 17 so I should finally get to see Greg - who was holding cereal bars and gummies for me.

Iona and I running together

Somewhere near mile 16 we were on a street in a part of the course that had runners crossing paths.  Iona and I started to look for Alison and hoping like hell that somehow out of 30,000 runners, in this little spot in which to see runners that are at a different pace than you, that we would spot her.  To my amazement there she was! It was a 4 lane road with a grassy median.  Alison and I ran towards eachother and hugged on the grass.  Fans on the sidelines reacted with "awwww's" and cheering and applause.  Ali and I wished eachother well and kept on our separate ways.

At the 17 mile mark Iona and I found our guys.  And to my shock there was Greg - holding a huge sign with a picture of Ethan and the words "GO MOM GO" - there was more on there but I just couldn't process the whole thing.  He knew how much those kinds of signs got me emotional so when I saw him he hugged me and kissed me and after asking if I needed my cereal bars or gummies he said "Don't Cry and Have Fun!" .... I yelled back at him that if there was any way he could - I needed more ice after the 20 mile mark. 

I found out after the race that my mom and Greg had hatched a plan and mom and Ethan made the sign for Greg to hold at the race.  Man oh man it means the world to me that my family thought THAT much of me to make me a sign and hold it for me!

Shortly after that, Iona and I came up on Aymee and we ran the better part of 5 miles together the three of us.  We saw a running juggler, two guys running in matching white suits, and plenty of zany race signs.  Somewhere between 15-20 miles we also ran through the frat-house area of Vanderbilt University.  Man were those kids a HOOT!! they had awesome music blaring - so awesome that I was doing some crazy dance-running, and they were SO supportive yelling CMONNNN ROOKIE!!!

Somewhere in there is when the heat and hills really got to us as well.  We walked through the water stations and started power-walking any steep inclines.  I watched a woman get weary and almost fall right in front of me, and that was enough to keep me in the mindset of having fun and being SAFE, not overdoing anything and risking injury or worse.  So many great fans and volunteers offered fruit and beer, and there were also plenty of hoses and sprinklers to run through! We stopped at every one of them to take a moment and cool off.

When we got to mile 20 I knew we had one thing left to do.... "run to the park and back".  I remembered from watching the race video that the last leg of the race had us running to a park, then running through it and then coming back to the finish line.  I also remembered this part of the video being the flattest and the most shaded of the entire race.  I was feeling good and having a fantastic time and I was very lucky not be alone.  Iona offered me a Jolly Rancher - and I tell ya as soon as I put it in my mouth it took me right back to my youth... I just kept thinking to myself "imagine running like when you were a kid".

At this point though the run started to take a bit of a toll on my body.  For the first time in my running career my ankles started to ache.  They felt as though I had been on ice skates for way too long.  Although it wasn't unbearable it certainly wasn't comfortable!

At 23 miles Aymee picked up the pace and quickly put distance between her and us.  Congrats to her for finishing strong! Iona and I hung back together, continuing to run-walk as we needed to.

As we came out of the park and headed towards the finish line - at mile 25ish there we were again, for a short time passing those runners just entering the park.  I hoped there was a chance to see Alison again to encourage her and wish her well on her last bit - and BAM  there she was!! We hugged again - she said she was tired but she looked good and was taking care of herself and going the safe pace she needed to.  I was so proud of her and of us because we were THIS CLOSE to accomplishing our goal!!

The spectators at the end knew just what to say.... for the last few miles I kept hearing "only 3 more miles and you won't be a rookie anymore" and "only 2 more miles..." They were SO motivating and I swore at that moment that the only way I'd run another full is with another top that would garner that kind of response!

At mile 26 there was Greg again - I just kept saying to him "baby I'm doing it!!!" He was apologetic for not getting to me sooner or having ice, but I made out just fine! Just knowing he was there for me meant everything to me.  I may have been out there for hours but I TRAINED FOR THIS! He was a trooper that day!

Iona and I finished side by side.

FINISH TIME: 5:07:51