Surprise Marathon

Surprise! I ran a marathon! This past weekend was the Vermont City Marathon up in Burlington, VT. My friend and I had signed up to run in a 2-person relay (each runs 13.1 miles), but after my disaster of a marathon in Maine I decided to give the marathon another go. I wouldn’t be perfectly tapered, but at least I could get a decent run in. The plan was to double-bib, so I would run the first 13.1 miles, hand off to my friend, and then keep running the marathon.

It was definitely an experience… not so sure it was an experience that I want to repeat anytime soon, though. I kind of wish I had set my goal for this race to just finish, but I’m Laurel, and Laurel has issues taking things easy. Long story short – it didn’t go as smoothly as I was hoping. When I got to the relay exchange zone I don’t think the officials called out my bib since I was wearing two (one for the relay, one for the marathon). It was really crowded in the exchange zone. I ran up and down it two or three times trying to find my friend before handing my bib to an official who advised me to keep running.

The last half of the marathon was pretty rough. I was all frazzled that I couldn’t find my friend in the exchange zone and I had lost the pace group I had been staying with because of the relay exchange. The sun really started to come out and I was sweating like crazy. Around mile 17 I started getting calf cramps. It felt like the whole muscle was moving and seizing up on its own. I had never gotten calf cramps while running before, so at first I thought I had strained a muscle, but I was able to keep running after a few moments. I probably should have seen that coming – my right calf had been acting up a little the week before the race.

All in all, I made it to the finish line. I’m definitely not pleased with my time, but I guess I should be happy that I ran the 26.2 miles. Yes, I’m disappointed. More than anything, though, I’m hungry for more. At the moment, I’m still too upset to think about running another marathon, but there’s no way I’m not going to try it again… It just might take a little time. I’d like to race in a few shorter races to gain my confidence back before embarking on another.

pre-race faces

I also joined a new team – Olde Bones Track Club!

chilling out post race

my family was also part of a 5-person relay!

 

post race pics

Next on my Plate

1)    Taking some time to rest. Although I absolutely hate taking time off, I know it’s in my best interest. Luckily, I’m not really sore anymore, but my body was definitely hurting on Monday. My ankle that I injured a few months back is giving me some issues, so I need to figure that out. Most importantly, I need to get back in the mental state to be able to train and race hard again. This last month was emotionally draining and I need time to recharge and figure out what’s next for me.

2)    Figuring out how to hide my bruised toenails and awful tan lines. I’ll be in a wedding in a few weeks and need to not look ridiculous. I’m thinking I’ll either wear closed-toed shoes or some really dark toenail polish to hide my nasty toenails… as long as they don’t fall off before that. Then I’ll be sticking with the closed-toed shoes for sure. For my tan lines, I think I might get some spray tan to use on my feet and shoulders. I’ve got a lovely sock and racer back tan that I’m rocking at the moment. #runnerproblems

What’s next for you? Any races coming up or are you in rest mode?