It's been 2 1/2 weeks since the marathon...hard to believe. The marathon went well. I finished in 4:24 (4 hours 24 minutes) and
averaged 10 minute miles. James finished in 4:37. I felt really good until the last 2 miles or so! The day was sunny and 75 degrees (which is so not Seattle weather). It actually felt pretty warm by the time we were done due to the lack of cloud cover and shade along the course.
The course itself was very tough. A LOT of hills. Miles 15-20 seemed to be a gradual incline the entire way. The
scenery was beautiful. Although I didn't see it, there was a bald eagle along one part of the course that participants were stopping to take a picture of because it was so close. We ran along the Washington Bridge (I think that's the name) and had an unbelievable view of Mt. Rainier - many people stopped along the bridge to take photos as well. I didn't stop myself except to walk through the later water stations. I was having a hard time coordinating running and drinking my water. (Just call me Grace.)
When I crossed the finish line I stopped running, however my body felt like it was still in motion. My victory photo looks terrible considering I was so dizzy and my stomach was really upset. After that I had to sit down with my head between my legs until I was able to see straight. I somehow managed to get myself over to the TNT tent and check in to find that Dick's cousins were waiting there to congratulate us. It perked my up a bit, however I still needed to spend time in the restroom emptying my insides:-) They seemed surprised that I finished before James, however the rest of us probably weren't:-)
The
experience as a member of Team in Training was unbelievable.
There were over 1400 TNT participants that raised over $4 MILLION for LLS at the Seattle RNR Marathon. I would recommend this program to anyone. We were treated so well by the staff! It was nice having a coach bus to take us to the start line in
Tukwilla while the regular participants went by school bus! Team in Training also had a tent at the finish line area with food and beverage available to us - it was great! They even had a shuttle available to take us back to the hotel. Our coach actually suggested walking, however the enormous blister on my one
untaped toe really hurt along with my feet, legs and rest of body!
That night there was a Victory Party hosted by TNT. We went for a short time - to eat some food primarily. We came back and kept moving - did a little shopping - to help alleviate the soreness. The plane ride home was difficult. I had the window seat and 2 people were seated next to me. I was unable to get up and move for the 4+ hours. Little stiff and sore when we landed.
It took a few days to fully recover, but we are now back to the grind. We will be running the inaugural Rock N Roll Chicago 1/2 marathon on August 2 in honor of Dick and James' b-day. We have teamed up with the Chicago IL Team In Training for the Inspiration Dinner. We would really like to have some of our IL friends and family cheering us along the way. Our friend Tina was on the course in Seattle around mile 18-19; she had a great sign and gave us a well needed hug and told us to keep going. It was great. She also took some pictures, and all I have to say is "God Bless Texas!" (For the picture of the Clydesdale athlete with no shirt and the small Texas flag as shorts.) We could really use a little inspiration, so if you could join that would be great. Check out the link for the race:
http://chicago.competitor.com/
