Well friends, the day has FINALLY arrived! Sunday February 10, 2019 the day of the Birmingham Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend!
I believe, over the last few posts, I mentioned (somewhere) that it was crazy to think of how close we were to this day or that we only had a few weeks left. Now the actual event has come and gone and it’s still so hard to believe.
6 months of hard work and training for this one big event? Wow. This is exactly how I felt on my wedding day!
I wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to accomplish this post, although this is the post I’ve been leading up to for over the past 6 months of training blogging. I tend to get very wordy when I start telling stories so I thought it’d be best to do a high-light reel version.
HALF MARATHON MUSINGS:
THE WEATHER PEOPLE LIED, NO SURPRISE.
The minute that the 7 day forecast was posted, I was keeping my eyes on what the weather was going to be like for this race. This race is known for its unseasonably cold and awful weather and I was DETERMINED that it would not be like that this year (like I have any control over that).
For months, I had said many prayers against freezing cold temps and rain. From the first projection, the race day looked to be pretty perfect. It was supposed to be overcast with highs in the upper 50s and lows in the lower 50s. I can handle that!
I should know better than to trust a 7 day outlook. I should know better than to trust the 1 day outlook. The actual race day was not quite what was predicted. It was chilly, around high 40s, with temps dropping into the mid 40s as the morning continued. It was also kind of drizzly and WINDY! The wind. Oh how I completely forgot to pray against wind. Wind, the culprit that makes moderately cold temps annoyingly cold. I hate the wind.
I knew that once I started running my body would warm up and it did, thankfully! However, it sure was a cold start and finish when I was NOT running. Overtime, I’ve begrudgingly come to “like” cooler temps when running but when it’s sunny and not windy and drizzling.
THE CORRAL WAS CRAZY
Okay, this was truly the most insane part of the race.
The marathon weekend featured a half-marathon, a marathon, and a marathon relay. 
Everyone who had signed up for these races had their courses mapped out, yet we all started at the same time and at the same place. Races always start with some congestion around the beginning with pockets of space opening up as people start falling into their places.
Through our calculations, there were maybe just under 3,000 runners in this race. By far, the biggest and most crowded race we’ve run.
I have heard stories about how long it takes for runners to get started in the Boston or New York Marathon but never expected there to be a hold up with this race (it definitely wasn’t as congested as those big marathons).
Justin and I usually try to get as close to the upper front portion of the group as we can. With this race, we just had to plop ourselves in the middle and hope for the best. Justin is a lot more assertive than I am and was able to push his way up once we got started. He was smart and actually hopped onto the sidewalk to bypass the crowded street. I, unfortunately, got stuck and remained stuck for a good 2 miles. I mean, my first mile time was 2 minutes slower than all of my other miles. Frustrating!
Next time I’m just gonna push people out of the way (probably not).
KT TAPE AND JUSTIN’S KNEE
Before the race, Justin had been feeling some leg pain. At first we suspected a shin splint but soo
n came to realize it was probably ITBS– inflammation of the IT band that runs down your thigh to your knee. As with every other running injury, the best form of recovery is to NOT run. In training for this race, both Justin and I were running, no matter what. So, not running the race was never an option. Justin did take it extremely easy and iced a lot the weeks leading up to the race. We even invested in KT tape.
We were a little skeptical of this tape and its magical helpful properties but we were desperate and wanted Justin to run.
I am happy to report that Justin was able to run the entire race! Something we didn’t even know would be a possibility. He said he had some discomfort and ended up slowing his pace down but felt that his compression sleeves and the KT tape helped tremendously.
RUN NOW TALK LATER
I kid you not, during some portion of the race I got stuck in a group of two annoying talking events. One girl was having a legit conversation with someone on speaker phone. Speaker phone is annoying and inappropriate in public anyway… BUT IN A RACE!? Come on! Then, not too long after that, I ran near two other girls who were having another legit conversation while running. Like, talking about boys type of a conversation. I have a hard enough time breathing correctly much less hold a conversation (just ask Justin, I don’t like to talk when I run) but if you’re gonna be there…. be there!
Also, if you’re able to hold a conversation (or take a selfie, lol Justin) while you run, you are not running hard enough, just saying.
PUPPY BUBBLES
My most favorite part of the race was around mile 3. At this point, I very much realized a mental struggle and found myself just trying to consciously relax and have fun. So much so that I forced myself to smile. Around this part of the race, we were coming up to a corner with spectators. Right before we turned, a saw this very happy golden retriever bolt across the road in front of our group. At first, I thought that the puppy was just happy and excited to see runners. It took a few seconds but I quickly came to realize that the pup was chasing bubbles from a bubble machine that was set up. Literally the absolute cutest thing I’ve ever seen! I could not help but start laughing (along with a few people who also noticed it around me.) This dog was SO happy and having the time of its life with these bubbles.
Thank you Jesus for making me smile because it definitely helped!
THE HARDEST PART OF THE RACE WAS THE FLATTEST AND STRAIGHTEST PART
Justin and I both agreed that the hardest part of the race was just past the halfway mark. The first half of the race had a few small hills and a lot of turns, as you can potentially see from the map (bottom portion of trail). After about mile 6, we made it to the part of the race that was very flat and very straight, the area next to Messer Airport Highway
You’d think this would be the easiest part but it turned out to be the most difficult. I remember feeling like it would never end. Thankfully, it did.
Also, anyone else thing the map looks like submarine?
THE PLACE I WANTED TO STOP THE MOST WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE FINISH LINE
I ran the last mile to the same song on repeat because the desire to stop was the greatest. Mentally, I knew I only had a few hundred yards until I reached the last stretch and I literally had to tell myself, out loud, to keep going!
The song I listened too was “Right Back At It Again” by A Day to Remember. The beat to this song is my favorite pace to run and I knew it would be the motivation I needed to finish strong. Thank goodness for that because once I made the final turn, I could see the finishing stretch and knew I was home free. I knew that the finish line was close and also knew that stopping RIGHT before would be devastating. I had pushed through all the previous miles and just needed one more push to the finish.
TEARS THROUGH THE FINISH
There is literally something about Justin that just brings me to tears. I cried the happiest of tears walking down the aisle and cried similar happy tears when I saw him and I crossed the finish line.
To be honest, I was barely able to hold myself together running down the finishing stretch much less the moment I crossed the finish line. 6 months of training and dreaming of this finish was actually here. It was kind of hard to believe that I had just done that.
I eventually was able to compose myself and then my parents called/texted and I cried again. Hah, y’all there were a lot of emotions.
TOENAILS ARE OVERRATED, PRs ARE FOREVER!
I lost two toenails.
I know, it’s kind of gross if you’re not used to that concept and no, it didn’t/doesn’t hurt.
Losing toenails can happen during marathons but funny enough, the two that I lost were not even because of this race. Dumb and completely my fault.
Toenails tend to fall off after repeated trauma or pressure is applied to the nail. A lot of times people will lose the toenail because their shoes are too tight. With the repetition of steps, rubbing against the shoe/sock, and moisture, it can happen. My toenails actually became doomed after I decided to row without socks a month or so prior to the race. I had forgotten my socks at home but still wanted to workout. The downward impact of each rowing motion on my toenails caused enough trauma to effect them. I was trying to let the new ones grow but the race this past weekend was just enough to do them in.
So, band-aid toes for an unknown amount of time it is!
POST RACE DONUTS ARE THE BEST DONUTS
POST RACE SLEEP IS THE BEST NIGHT SLEEP
I don’t really even have much to say except that I have never slept so good in my life! Work hard, rest hard. The level of sleep we got the night after the race was enough to make me want to race this race again!
POST RACE MUSCLE SORENESS WAS NOTHING COMPARED TO POST RACE EXHAUSTION
I expected the day after the race to be met with slow motion movements. Thanks to the awesome recovery tactics that Justin and I did post race, our muscles were nowhere near the level of soreness that I anticipated.
What shocked me, however, was how tired I was overall. These long duration races are definitely a full body effort and we felt that. It’s widely talked about how important it is to fuel before a race but it is just as important, if not more so, to ensure to continue to supply your body after the race!
Justin and I made it a point to go to bed early but felt like it took a day or so, afterward, to get our energy levels back up.
MENTAL STRENGTH VS. PHYSICAL STRENGTH
One of the biggest things I really took away after running this race was the incredible difference and power between mental strength and physical strength.
Physically, I was definitely in shape to run this race. I kind of wished I had run more longer miles but we had put in the work and we were ready. My breathing felt good and my legs felt pretty strong for the majority of the distance.
Mentally, I struggled, a lot.
I can distinctly remember only one small portion of the run where I felt myself relax into my run (aside from the cute puppy part). This was the best part of the 13.1 miles and I felt great. However, it was very short lived and I was in a strong cognitive battle for a good portion of 2 hours.
Exhausting.
The two biggest things I struggled against were my personal expectations and my competitiveness. Apparently, I set really big goals for myself and am really, really competitive about it.
Ultimately, the challenge came down to the negative power of comparison.
Real talk here: I have a newfound insecurity about my running that I believe has stemmed from social media. I love to run, I’ve been doing this sport for many years and have run a lot of different types of races. Before this year, I never posted about my running. It was just something I did and I never felt the need or had the means to document or “prove” what I was doing. With social media, I decided to document this training cycle on Instagram as a way to track our progress and give insight to this season. With this, I quickly discovered there are a lot of runners who post about their day-to-day runs and races. As I find these individuals and community to be incredibly inspirational and motivating, I also found that a light started growing brighter on where I potentially stood within the masses.
There are a lot of really good runners out there (good being defined as fast paced and able to run long distances). In fact, for the first time, I actually started defining myself as a “good” or “bad” runner and not just a runner. It was no longer good enough that I was a runner, I needed to be a good or great runner. From what I was seeing from others, I ended up setting almost ridiculous standards of worth as a runner on my ability to perform. It was this pre-set pressure that truly got to me during this race.
Before training for this race, I had the ultimate goal of running without stopping. When I ran the half marathon in 2013, I stopped a lot. I knew I was in better shape and wanted to run this race all the way through. Once Justin and I got further and further into training, I decided I not only wanted to run non-stop but to complete the race in under 2 hours. This goal wasn’t completely far-fetched as my half marathon pace was just around the 2 hour finishing mark. I knew that if I had kept a good solid pace during the race, I would be able to break this time barrier. In my mind, breaking 2 hours was the necessary proof that I was a “good” and serious runner.
Somewhere along the training weeks the concept of just running the 13.1 miles lost its sparkle and gained a much more competitive frame.
Throughout the entire race (except for that one small portion I mentioned earlier) I found myself constantly looking around and becoming more and more concerned about who was passing me, who I needed to pass, or what pace I felt like I was running. The one small portion of the race that was the most relaxing was the only part where I completely forgot who was around me and just ran ( I wish the whole race could have been like this). I became very self conscious of how I looked or how I was running compared to the people around me.
On top of the battle with this comparison insecurities I also found myself having to just mentally battle the distances. I usually talk to and encourage myself during difficult portions of runs, but it became more taxing as the pressure to keep going became greater.
My mind was working overtime and I felt it. I wanted to “just have fun” but I had a hard time getting to that place, if I even got there.
Overall, I am very proud of both myself and of Justin. We were both able to accomplish a few big goals and run the race. I was able to run without stopping and actually set a big PR for myself (even if I missed the 2 hour mark by a few minutes). However, to be completely honest, I also have been battling with a level of frustration and disappointment leaving this race. I know, I know… running a race of this caliber is an accomplishment in itself, how could I be frustrated or disappointed? I believe its a bit of humility along with the nature of doing a sport or competition you truly love and have your heart in.
I told myself I wouldn’t run another half marathon after finishing my first. Yet, here we are. I also have told myself I’d never run a full marathon… who knows where will be with that statement in the coming future.
Since the race I have had the running bug. I have wanted to just skip work and go out for a long jog. Motivations and passions have been ignited, even among the frustrations and insecurities. I am definitely giving myself time to allow my muscles and body to fully recover before jumping back into anything but I am excited to get back out there.
I have a lot of post race posts that I’ve been thinking about- Our training and what I’d change, my must haves on my run, recovery. I am excited to get those in the works.
This is definitely not the end but a strong start to a long term hobby, especially since we have another race in 3 weeks. Surprise! 😀
Thank you all who have followed us along with crazy training journey and who have encouraged and supported us with this race. I love that this is something that Justin and I can do together, in all aspects. I’m excited to see what other crazy races we try to accomplish.
Run Box Run 