run a marathon....check.

yes, i have checked something off of that list you make in your head of all the things you want to accomplish in your life.
here's my short and simple recap of my first marathon experience...
julie, sara and i drove to minneapolis on friday. we took our time and stopped often to stretch our legs and to be certain we were staying hydrated.
we met up with kris and dustin that evening for a nice dinner.
saturday we woke up and did an easy 20 minute run and then headed over to the expo to pick up our packets. it was easy to get lost in there for a couple hours! i picked up a commemorative ss tech tee and a pint glass. plus a lot of free samples! then it was off to do a little relaxing in the hotel room. for dinner, we headed over to my friend dani's apartment. dani and i ran together at truman. she made us a lovely dinner of pasta (pretty standard), salad and even made an apple crisp for dessert! it was so nice to sit and relax at her place rather than fight the crowds at the local pasta joint.
we woke up early sunday morning to some light rain. by the time we headed over to the start though, it had temporarily stopped. we made our way over to baggage check, the port-a-potties and then the starting corral.
before i knew it, the gun went off and it was time to go. not more than a few miles in, it started to rain on us. just a light sprinkle. no big deal, right? then it started to downpour! it did this for a span of maybe 40 minutes. plenty of time to get completely drenched, have your shoes feel like they weigh a million pounds and for your arms/hands to feel completely numb. soon thereafter, my legs joined in on the numbness. the actual air temperature was probably 50 degrees, but when you're soaking wet, it feels much colder.
during the race i had two different bathroom emergencies. i mean emergencies that require you to have to stop and find a port-a-jon. i clicked my watch and the first cost me 59 seconds, the second 1:01. this also prompted me to stop trying to take any more energy gel or sport beans, as my bathroom breaks seemed to be directly related to this. i survived the rest of the way on water alone and the fear of having to stop again. my legs tightened up both times, making it difficult to get going again.
i really hit a downward pace around mile 17 and didn't really feel like i was rallying again until maybe mile 23. i was able to finish in a respectable 3:19. if you take my adjusted time for bathroom breaks, then 3:17. this time was my "i for sure want to hit this" time goal, but not necessarily the one that would make me overwhelmingly proud of myself. i feel like if i did another one, i could certainly run under 3:15, if not closer to 3:10. but that's just the competitive side of me coming out. maybe i'll never run another one, and that might just be fine too.
now, however, i can officially call myself a marathoner, for whatever that's worth!