{"id":3363,"date":"2012-11-12T19:19:19","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T19:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/?p=3363"},"modified":"2012-11-12T19:19:19","modified_gmt":"2012-11-12T19:19:19","slug":"whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-marathon-not-me-rock-and-roll-san-antonio-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/adjustedreality.com\/blog\/2012\/11\/12\/whos-afraid-of-the-big-bad-marathon-not-me-rock-and-roll-san-antonio-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Marathon (not me) – Rock and Roll San Antonio Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

I AM A MARATHONER.<\/p>\n

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And my head is in the most wonderful place.<\/p>\n

This is not how I anticipated the day would end. I figured 1) I would have a great time, be beaten, battered, and broken, and be so ready for the offseason and kinda hate running\/marathons etc or 2) I would have a miserable day, be beaten, battered, and broken, and be so ready for the offseason and kinda hate running\/marathons.<\/p>\n

I didn’t anticipate 3) have some highs and lows but being so happy at the end with a slightly longer time than I had hoped, but feeling so good at the end, if someone would have told me that it was now a 50k, I would have been like, OK, let’s do this.\u00a0 Who am I?\u00a0 Who has their happiest marathon miles in the last 10?<\/p>\n

Let’s go back and I’ll elaborate.<\/p>\n

All week, there was enough work stress that I had trouble sleeping one night stressed about it, and I got a zit from it.\u00a0 My second zit in 2012.\u00a0 So to say that it was NOT EASY.\u00a0 Also, I was freaking the fuck out about the marathon and I figured that something bad would happen.\u00a0 Getting sick.\u00a0 Twisting my ankle stepping off a curb.\u00a0 Something.\u00a0 Finally by Friday I was in a better head state, and had gotten fantastic sleep since Monday, so I felt better about getting to the start line a-ok.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We went to the Texas Tri Series party, and I was 1 part bummed that my 2nd place finish in my age group wasn’t recognized because they only gave 1sts, but 100000 parts inspired to speed the fuck up next year. 2013 is for FASTER.\u00a0 No new distances (probably).\u00a0 Just speedspeedspeed and working on body composition.\u00a0 Also, got the news that Jack’s Generic will be at my home turf (Lake Pflugerville) and it will have an Olympic option!\u00a0 I AM SO STOKED!!!!\u00a0 Is it tri season yet?<\/p>\n

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I guess I like biting things.\u00a0 Usually awards.\u00a0 =)<\/p>\n

Then, Saturday morning we woke up, packed, and headed down to San Antonio.\u00a0 I am never ever packing the day of again, I forgot so many things (most notably my foot powder – though it wasn’t all bad – I learned chafe-free works just as well if not better). But all the important stuff was there so it was a-ok.\u00a0 We checked in to our hotel (the Mariott Riverwalk) and we could see the start line from our balcony.\u00a0 Good hotel spot, check.\u00a0 We hit up the expo, which was across the street (another big win for the hotel) and got our stuff quickly and circled through all the vendors but I was grumpy because I was hungry.\u00a0 We decided on Saltgrass Steak House – boring chain, but safe food for my belly I know works pre-race.<\/p>\n

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We got lost getting there which made me grumpier because I was trying to limit time on feet, and then when we got there, they had discontinued the menu item I always get (grrr), but as soon as I got my chicken and shrimp, taters, and salad w\/bread, I was a normal human again.\u00a0 After a stop in the room, we had to go back to the expo because they didn’t give me enough pins and Zliten found a leezard!\u00a0 However, that was a quick trip, and by 4:30, we were back at the room and in for the night. TV, dorking on the laptop, setting shit out, snacking, baths, and watching room movies ensued.\u00a0 Totes relaxing, as the kids may or may not say.<\/p>\n

However, I did not have high hopes for rest.\u00a0 I had great “night before the night before” sleep and many nights before that, but shit was LOUD outside (our room was the ground floor on a busy street).\u00a0 The hotel even offered by the hotel and I was really kinda meh about all of it.\u00a0 However, 9:30 hit, and a few false sleep starts and some sleepy juice – I WAS OUT.\u00a0\u00a0 And did not wake up until the alarm went off and it was AWESOME and felt rested.\u00a0 However, again – CRAMPS.\u00a0 Thank god I dealt with this at the Showdown Half a month ago, so I knew what worked.\u00a0 Ibu gels as late as possible on top of breakfast (pr bar, pita chips, and some gatorade) and packed some herbal muscle relaxers as a gamble.\u00a0 I forgot baggies, and I wrapped them up in a cough drop wrapper and then used my spi belt wrist thing.\u00a0 So it worked out.\u00a0 Overpacking ftw! However, I went to bed not full because I only really had one huge meal, and gatorade and pita chips a dinner did not make, so I was probably hungrier than I should have been starting out with 5 hours of running to go.<\/p>\n

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Most importantly, I wrote FIGHT on my nails and fist as a reminder.<\/p>\n

We got to the start and made buddies with our friends around us – a gal from CO and another first marathoner from SA.\u00a0 But, then we had another bathroom need before the start, and because we were 20 corralls back (I was assigned 18, Zliten 21 because he sandbagged his finish time) we went up to the potties and waited.\u00a0 Worst porta ever, piss and shit on the seat, no TP, but I did my best and got out quick, and we jumped in corall 22 and started at 8am (30 mins after the start) and got our day on.\u00a0 I had hoped to keep the 5:00 hour pacer in my sights, but they started way before me.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 Garmin pace ftw.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I wanted to mile by mile recap, but I just can’t.\u00a0 Goldfish brain and all.<\/p>\n

Mile 1-5 I was having a grand old time.\u00a0 I was running conversational pace (10:30-11:30), dancing, singing, keeping Zliten amused and enjoying.\u00a0 Dodging and weaving all the walkers was annoying but I was lovin the course just like I did 2 years ago.\u00a0 Zliten pointed out the alamo to me, which I missed because I was so focused in 2010, and yeah, it’s freaking tiny.\u00a0 Someday I will go IN, but next trip.\u00a0 I ate 3 blocks around 5.<\/p>\n

Mile 6-10.8 I was starting to feel rough.\u00a0\u00a0 YAH I KNOW.\u00a0 TOO EARLY.\u00a0 This was causing me strife.\u00a0 First my arches started to hurt.\u00a0 Then my back tensed up.\u00a0 Then my glutes.\u00a0 I was like, OH FUCK SHIT NO.\u00a0 Worried that my taper was too taper-ific and my legs were not ready for this.\u00a0 But Zliten kept up MP pace range for me so I kept going.\u00a0 I was afraid this was going to be my demise of the marathon but figured I didn’t have much too lose and it’s not like it’s a breakneck pace to keep up so I kept up.\u00a0 I looked at the FIGHT on my hand and thought “why the fuck is this coming up in single digis”.\u00a0 Argh.\u00a0 Not happy miles at all.\u00a0 I had an planned shoving of the blocks in my mouth at 8 because that’s what I’ve trained myself to do.\u00a0 Feel despair = time to shove shit in your mouth.\u00a0 It’s like productive emotional eating.<\/p>\n

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Mile 10.8-15 I split off from Zliten and got a little emotional that finally, there was a race I was watching the half marathoners go and not turning in with them.\u00a0 I felt nothing but happy in Austin when I turned in, but this was my time.\u00a0 It was MARATHON GO TIME.\u00a0 I figured I would get choked up a bit, but I was just feeling proud\/happy\/scared that I was committing to really doing this.\u00a0 The miles got tougher as I went on because it was hot with no shade, and then finally around 15 – the ibu wore off and cramps set in.\u00a0 I crossed 13.1 at about 2:27 so I still had hope of my 5 hour goal around then but it was going to be a rough fight to get there.<\/p>\n

Mile 15-16 Cramps hit.\u00a0 I didn’t have a water station for a while to take my gross tasting pills.\u00a0 So, I walked.\u00a0 I looked at the FIGHT and it did nothing.\u00a0 I needed the walk.\u00a0 Somewhere around here I tried a salt packet just in case I needed it and promptly spit it out and discarded it.\u00a0 Gross.\u00a0 I didn’t feel really off or anything, so I went with it.<\/p>\n

Mile 16-18 Hit a water station, got the pills down, and then felt *better* and a great song came on, so I took off (back to M-pace).\u00a0 If I didn’t walk again, I could sub-5.\u00a0 I was feeling great again singing to myself and running strong.\u00a0 But my body wasn’t ready to keep up 10 more miles of straight running so I backed off around 18 and walked again.<\/p>\n

Mile 18-24 Cramps came and went (pills worked but not all the way).\u00a0 I realized that a) I was going to finish b) it was not going to be sub-5 and c) I was ok because I was having a great great day.\u00a0 Mile 18 I knew I was going to finish.\u00a0 Mile 20, I realized every mile after that was a distance PR.\u00a0 Mile 21, I was taking a walk break, and there was a cheerleading squad and I told them to do a backflip and I’d start running again (and they did so I did).\u00a0 I walked through all aide stations and sucked down nutrition and water and ran when I could (I’d guess the ratio was about 3\/1 runnng\/walking).\u00a0 The awesome was that when I was running, it was m-pace range, but I was scared to continue that so I didn’t blow up.\u00a0 Going slower didn’t feel good at all.\u00a0 When I walked, it was 15-16 min mile power walking.\u00a0 Each mile I felt increasingly better and happier, but I wanted to save my hoorah for the finish.\u00a0 I tried to do a “no more walking” thing at 22, but I had to walk one more time through the 23 aide station.<\/p>\n

Mile 24-26.6 I walked through the 24 station, got 2 gatorades and a shit ton of water, and at about 24.4, a good song came on and I realized that I was feeling great (no worse than 11 at least) and I was close, so I made the “no more walking” pact a reality.\u00a0 It was a HUGE confidence builder passing all the walkers and trudgers (and I mean, by running, I think I was mostly in the 10s, I really felt great and my legs were liking that pace).\u00a0 I passed the 25 marker, went around the go in turn, up the hill, down the hill, and was back to singing to myself and passing people and thinking about how I was going to cross the finisher line feeling awesome, strong, badass, and, well, a marathoner.\u00a0 I found Zliten cowbelling like crazy under the last bridge and this is how I left him.<\/p>\n