Pretty much all of my entries, all of the runs and struggles, were leading up to this one big event in my life. My FIRST FULL marathon! There are not many events in my life that I could compare emotionally, physically, or mentally to this one.
I will start about two weeks before. My closest friend, Carolyn (Royal Runner), and I work together. At work a project came up and we were given thirty seconds to come up with a decision. One of us could run the race, the other one had to work. Without batting an eye, Carolyn said she would miss out on this big day. A day I knew she was looking forward to just as much as I was.
So this post is dedicated to you, Carolyn. I will forever be grateful.
October 11th, 2013. Friday I woke up with my left calf killing me. I, for some reason, decided to try Zumba for the first time ever on Wednesday, October 9th. It never occurred to me that I would be sore after Zumba. Due to the fact that I had less than 24 hours until the start of the race, and a calf that hurt while even walking, I began to psych myself out.
For anyone who has anxiety, you know how exhausting psyching yourself out can be. I spent Friday trying to prepare myself for the next morning. I questioned everything I did – Am I eating the right foods? Do I have enough Gu? Will 8 hours be enough sleep? Have I drank enough water?
Around noon on Friday I headed to Hartford to go to the Expo. I love Running Expos. I was given my bib (#875), picked up my Orange long sleeve marathon shirt, some Hawaiin rolls, and bought the 20th year black long sleeve tech shirt. These shirts are absolutely gorgeous! Great job ING and Hartford.
I will start about two weeks before. My closest friend, Carolyn (Royal Runner), and I work together. At work a project came up and we were given thirty seconds to come up with a decision. One of us could run the race, the other one had to work. Without batting an eye, Carolyn said she would miss out on this big day. A day I knew she was looking forward to just as much as I was.
So this post is dedicated to you, Carolyn. I will forever be grateful.
October 11th, 2013. Friday I woke up with my left calf killing me. I, for some reason, decided to try Zumba for the first time ever on Wednesday, October 9th. It never occurred to me that I would be sore after Zumba. Due to the fact that I had less than 24 hours until the start of the race, and a calf that hurt while even walking, I began to psych myself out.
For anyone who has anxiety, you know how exhausting psyching yourself out can be. I spent Friday trying to prepare myself for the next morning. I questioned everything I did – Am I eating the right foods? Do I have enough Gu? Will 8 hours be enough sleep? Have I drank enough water?
Around noon on Friday I headed to Hartford to go to the Expo. I love Running Expos. I was given my bib (#875), picked up my Orange long sleeve marathon shirt, some Hawaiin rolls, and bought the 20th year black long sleeve tech shirt. These shirts are absolutely gorgeous! Great job ING and Hartford.
I love how at Expo’s there are so many different vendors with so many different options for running apparel. For those who know me … I love one of everything. Just kidding, but I do love to have options. I did ending up buying two headbands from another vendor that have this gorgeous silver design. The best part? The silver design becomes a reflector when light hits it. PERFECT for when I run at night (and I do run at night fairly often.)
Friday night I packed my bags. Three different outfits –just in case I changed my mind – KT Tape, my asthma pump, the fanny pack my Mom let me borrow,
This had me prepared for the next morning and helped to ensure that I would not be scrambling around the next morning … or so I thought.
Saturday, 4:30am, rolled around way too soon. My parents were volunteering as a cheer squad with Team in Training and they were meeting at 7:00 am so we had to leave my house at 5:00am. I was tired, of course, but I was ready. I packed my bag the night before, so all I needed to do was decide which outfit I would wear and put it on. Sounds easy, right? Well it turned out to be a nightmare. I packed outfits, but I forgot to pack a SPORTSBRA! & I was having so much trouble finding one the morning of! Twenty minutes into the search, I found one, but the frantic searching hindered my mood. Note to self: ALWAYS include a sports bra in the “night before bag pack.” But I had spent months preparing for this. Nothing was going to ruin my day!
I slept the entire car ride, but again, we arrived at Hartford too soon. I put my KT Tape (3 pieces on each calf, and both my knees fully taped), stuffed my GU in my pockets, and put my asthma pump and license in my small fanny. I was ready!
Saturday morning was pretty chilly so I wore my sweatshirt until I absolutely had to take it off. One of my favorite parts of this race was that the half and the full started together. I knew a lot of people running this race. Leilannie (she is in most of my entries) and I decided long ago to set out on this journey together. Kelly is a good friend of Leilannie’s (and now a friend of mine!) The three of us were running the full. Esther and Michelle (Leilannie’s sisters), and Gil(Esther’s boyfriend), and Ryan (she is in previous posts too) were all running the half. The seven of us stood at the starting line together.
This had me prepared for the next morning and helped to ensure that I would not be scrambling around the next morning … or so I thought.
Saturday, 4:30am, rolled around way too soon. My parents were volunteering as a cheer squad with Team in Training and they were meeting at 7:00 am so we had to leave my house at 5:00am. I was tired, of course, but I was ready. I packed my bag the night before, so all I needed to do was decide which outfit I would wear and put it on. Sounds easy, right? Well it turned out to be a nightmare. I packed outfits, but I forgot to pack a SPORTSBRA! & I was having so much trouble finding one the morning of! Twenty minutes into the search, I found one, but the frantic searching hindered my mood. Note to self: ALWAYS include a sports bra in the “night before bag pack.” But I had spent months preparing for this. Nothing was going to ruin my day!
I slept the entire car ride, but again, we arrived at Hartford too soon. I put my KT Tape (3 pieces on each calf, and both my knees fully taped), stuffed my GU in my pockets, and put my asthma pump and license in my small fanny. I was ready!
Saturday morning was pretty chilly so I wore my sweatshirt until I absolutely had to take it off. One of my favorite parts of this race was that the half and the full started together. I knew a lot of people running this race. Leilannie (she is in most of my entries) and I decided long ago to set out on this journey together. Kelly is a good friend of Leilannie’s (and now a friend of mine!) The three of us were running the full. Esther and Michelle (Leilannie’s sisters), and Gil(Esther’s boyfriend), and Ryan (she is in previous posts too) were all running the half. The seven of us stood at the starting line together.
The race started, and to be honest, the only thing I was thinking in my head was “26.2. 26.2. 26.2. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.” Right before mile one the half and the full split up. We were on our own for real now.
The first five miles were rolling hills. Although hilly, surprisingly we kept a steady pace with the 4:45 pace group. I had spent a lot of energy the past few days psyching myself out for the big day, I think this had me feeling tired way too early on.
I saw my parents in between miles 5 & 6. Cheering with the bells they were given and their volunteer shirts. I love seeing my family while running, it helps energize me and keep me motivated. They believe in me. I cannot let them down.
We (Leilannie and I) lost Kelly around mile 8, she is a very strong runner, and was running at a pace I was not going to be able to keep the entire 26 miles. We lost her around the same time that I sprained my knee. Now, this may sound crazy, but the roads in Hartford are awful for running. A lot of holes, cracks, and uneven ground and I happened to step wrong on the uneven ground which caused my ankle to give out. For a few seconds I looked like a newborn calf, unsteady on my feet. Leilannie asked if I was okay, and I said yes, and we kept running.
Fast forward to around mile 10. At this point, we were just passing the candy station for the first time. At this point, we were also getting lapped by the first place runner! Elite runners are so amazing. I began to complain about my knee. I understand that running hurts, but I knew my knee felt different than normal. We continued to run. 13.1 miles came and went. 2:29 was our time, which is average for Leilannie and I. We were on track for a strong finish. But my knee pain never went away and right before mile 14 I began to panic. My knee was in a lot of pain which was causing me to limp run(there is such a thing). I began to overcompensate on my left leg, which caused my left calf to begin hurting again. I thought I was going to cry, but I held back the tears. At this point I was regretting not taking everyones advice to cross train. My breathe was strong, but my body was weak. I had no one to blame but myself. But I thought:
“Look at all of these runners! Some are a lot younger then you, some are a lot older then you, most are in pain, but no one is crying! You can do this!”
And on we ran.
The next six miles were a loop. We ran down three miles (14-17), than we ran the same three miles back (17-20). Right after mile 17, I caved. I could no longer hold in my tears. I cried and cried and cried. How was I going to run another nine miles with such pain in my knee? I was not sure. But I was sure that stopping was not an option.
And on we ran.
The next nine miles are a blur of tears and water stops. There were a few pieces of Starburst in the mist too (that were picked up once we hit the candy station for the second time).
The first five miles were rolling hills. Although hilly, surprisingly we kept a steady pace with the 4:45 pace group. I had spent a lot of energy the past few days psyching myself out for the big day, I think this had me feeling tired way too early on.
I saw my parents in between miles 5 & 6. Cheering with the bells they were given and their volunteer shirts. I love seeing my family while running, it helps energize me and keep me motivated. They believe in me. I cannot let them down.
We (Leilannie and I) lost Kelly around mile 8, she is a very strong runner, and was running at a pace I was not going to be able to keep the entire 26 miles. We lost her around the same time that I sprained my knee. Now, this may sound crazy, but the roads in Hartford are awful for running. A lot of holes, cracks, and uneven ground and I happened to step wrong on the uneven ground which caused my ankle to give out. For a few seconds I looked like a newborn calf, unsteady on my feet. Leilannie asked if I was okay, and I said yes, and we kept running.
Fast forward to around mile 10. At this point, we were just passing the candy station for the first time. At this point, we were also getting lapped by the first place runner! Elite runners are so amazing. I began to complain about my knee. I understand that running hurts, but I knew my knee felt different than normal. We continued to run. 13.1 miles came and went. 2:29 was our time, which is average for Leilannie and I. We were on track for a strong finish. But my knee pain never went away and right before mile 14 I began to panic. My knee was in a lot of pain which was causing me to limp run(there is such a thing). I began to overcompensate on my left leg, which caused my left calf to begin hurting again. I thought I was going to cry, but I held back the tears. At this point I was regretting not taking everyones advice to cross train. My breathe was strong, but my body was weak. I had no one to blame but myself. But I thought:
“Look at all of these runners! Some are a lot younger then you, some are a lot older then you, most are in pain, but no one is crying! You can do this!”
And on we ran.
The next six miles were a loop. We ran down three miles (14-17), than we ran the same three miles back (17-20). Right after mile 17, I caved. I could no longer hold in my tears. I cried and cried and cried. How was I going to run another nine miles with such pain in my knee? I was not sure. But I was sure that stopping was not an option.
And on we ran.
The next nine miles are a blur of tears and water stops. There were a few pieces of Starburst in the mist too (that were picked up once we hit the candy station for the second time).
Once we got back to the downtown area, with 4/10ths of a mile left, I went from half dead to motivated again. How I was still moving? I was not sure. But I was running faster than I had in miles. A few things helped my spirit:
1. The crowd
2. We saw the arch!!
3. We saw Leilannie’s family
4. Ten seconds later we saw my family
5. There was the finish line
I was convinced when I finished I would cry. But no tears came. I was in shock. I had just completed a 26.2 mile journey. The longest, shortest journey of my life.
1. The crowd
2. We saw the arch!!
3. We saw Leilannie’s family
4. Ten seconds later we saw my family
5. There was the finish line
I was convinced when I finished I would cry. But no tears came. I was in shock. I had just completed a 26.2 mile journey. The longest, shortest journey of my life.
After the hugs, and congratulations, and the pictures off to the hospital I went. After an x-ray we concluded nothing is broken, but a follow up MRI is needed.
While my knee injury was not ideal during the run, I was on cloud 9. I had completed a marathon. A MARATHON! One of my biggest goals this far and I had completed it!
None of my experience has deterred me from running another marathon. This experience has actually made me more excited for the next! What would my time be without an injury? Three months’ time and I will be doing it again for the Walt Disney World Full Marathon!
Through this experience I have learned (and not that I expected otherwise), but, I have learned that marathons can be very demanding on your body. Due to this I do not think I would ever do any one marathon twice. Okay, let me rephrase that – I will do Disney runs forever & ever, but any city marathon, I cannot guarantee I will do multiple times. I WILL continue to run marathons though. A few of my top marathons are the Rome Full Marathon, The Philadelphia Marathon, The New York City Marathon, The London Marathon. Rock n Roll Lisbon and France. The list goes on and on! I will be back for Hartford next year, but next year I think I will do the relay. Anyone want to be on my team?
Thank you for following me on this journey.
On I run.
-Daniella
None of my experience has deterred me from running another marathon. This experience has actually made me more excited for the next! What would my time be without an injury? Three months’ time and I will be doing it again for the Walt Disney World Full Marathon!
Through this experience I have learned (and not that I expected otherwise), but, I have learned that marathons can be very demanding on your body. Due to this I do not think I would ever do any one marathon twice. Okay, let me rephrase that – I will do Disney runs forever & ever, but any city marathon, I cannot guarantee I will do multiple times. I WILL continue to run marathons though. A few of my top marathons are the Rome Full Marathon, The Philadelphia Marathon, The New York City Marathon, The London Marathon. Rock n Roll Lisbon and France. The list goes on and on! I will be back for Hartford next year, but next year I think I will do the relay. Anyone want to be on my team?
Thank you for following me on this journey.
On I run.
-Daniella