Deciding when the Marathon actually begins is the hard part-
Do you start the night before or at the start line? At the portipotty before the start?
I'll start at the start line.
Jamie and I stood there admist 20,000 other runners. We were surprisingly calm and ready for the mental battle to begin. There were people all around breathing on thier hands, setting up thier ipods, sipping water, and taking deep breaths.
Clothes were discarded all along the start fences, the countdown began....
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.... Go!
Fireworks began, cheers, and we still hadn't crossed the start line. Family members all along the course with posters saying things like Run, Pat, Run! or Go, Jill, Go! My heart skipped paces when I reached The Luxor because I knew that inside was my family. I called my husband and told him that I was passing by (I was a little upset that they didn't see me start) but it all changes when you have a baby.
Mile 1, water cups everywhere. Long lines at the portipotties. Elvi (Elvises pass us in sweaty polyester). Mainly Jamie and I are quiet, I'm quiet because I'm sure if Jamie wants to talk and I am not sure what to say. We see 2 strippers stagger into the IHOP and point at the crowds of runners. I look behind us and see a sea of people- "This is going to be a good race, look at how many people are behind us."
Mile 4, protestors greet us with signs about repenting. The last sign is particularly hilarious, REPENT BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THE ROAD TO HELL. One lady runs by and says, "I thought I was running a marathon not going to hell.
Do you start the night before or at the start line? At the portipotty before the start?
I'll start at the start line.
Jamie and I stood there admist 20,000 other runners. We were surprisingly calm and ready for the mental battle to begin. There were people all around breathing on thier hands, setting up thier ipods, sipping water, and taking deep breaths.
Clothes were discarded all along the start fences, the countdown began....
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.... Go!
Fireworks began, cheers, and we still hadn't crossed the start line. Family members all along the course with posters saying things like Run, Pat, Run! or Go, Jill, Go! My heart skipped paces when I reached The Luxor because I knew that inside was my family. I called my husband and told him that I was passing by (I was a little upset that they didn't see me start) but it all changes when you have a baby.
Mile 1, water cups everywhere. Long lines at the portipotties. Elvi (Elvises pass us in sweaty polyester). Mainly Jamie and I are quiet, I'm quiet because I'm sure if Jamie wants to talk and I am not sure what to say. We see 2 strippers stagger into the IHOP and point at the crowds of runners. I look behind us and see a sea of people- "This is going to be a good race, look at how many people are behind us."
Mile 4, protestors greet us with signs about repenting. The last sign is particularly hilarious, REPENT BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THE ROAD TO HELL. One lady runs by and says, "I thought I was running a marathon not going to hell.
(Post blog: Turns out the sign said, "Turn to Jesus, You are Headed for HELL". After some research for this sign, I found out that they also showed up at the P.F. Chang Half Marathon a year or two ago. Why would a person feel the need to show this sign at a marathon? Are we especially suceptable to HELL? Is it because I am not in church on Sunday morning and instead on a personal journey?)Mile 5, I finally decide to jam to some Ipod songs when the road splits. On the road, spraypainted it says HALF and FULL on sides of the road. More and more people are switching to the half and less are coming over to the full side... there are 2 people in front of Jamie and I, 4 people behind us. The crowd has thinned and we are pretty much alone. As we trot down the Fremont Street, I keep praying that they won't open the roads on us.
Mile 9- My ipod kicks the bucket. It's frozen, I restart so there is no record on my ipod of my 26.2 miler. There is an underpass with a large hill. I trot up it and Jamie begins to walk (little do I know that she's blistering). I feel like my pace is consistant. I begin to pull away from Jamie but I fear that if I leave her she will battle her mind on her own so I slow back down until we are at the same pace again.
Mile 10- We watch a group of girls run into a CVS for some band-aids. Let's call them Blondies. We take a pee break.
Mile 11- A lady is sitting on the curb and cheering for us, She yells, "You're almost there." I yell back, "Almost done!?! I'm not even half way done yet."
Mile 12- I am hungry and all I can think about is my Payday bar in my pack. Mmm.... peanuts. I'm gelled to death. I gag one back every mile, at this point I've eaten 7 of them.
Mile 13.1- YAY! Payday! It's so good and yummy. I begin to trot again, my second wind. My legs begin to feel the pain. I don't think that I can make it another 13.1 miles. That's quite far away.
Mile 14- Okay, I am over that half way point but I still have 3-4 hours ahead of me. This is starting to get old fast. (An after note- Earl calls this the dead zone which is quite fitting because there is nothing you can really do, you are out here, you aren't ready to quit but you are ready to be done.) Jamie is now walking as fast as I am jogging.
Mile 17- Since the Nike+ diabacle, I know that every step is longer than I have ever run before in my life. But there really are over 9 more miles to go! This is getting overwhelming.
Mile 19- I don't think I can make it. One guys asks if we are still running the marathon and is saying that this is unbelievable. We also pass by some guys who are telling us they are going to just stop at the McDonald's and going to eat a burger.
Mile 20- I can't believe it's actually here, they are now closing down the water stations. One guy on a truck says to me, "I can tell my your scarf that you have a goal." My headband reads, "RUN LIKE A MOTHER." (It's a double meaning) We are now running on the gravel since there is no sidewalk. I'm feeling every sharp rock in my shoes.
Mile 21- I am going to finish this race. It's doable. They say that after mile 20 it's just a mental game. We begin to get calls and texts from our teammates, I'm too engrossed in putting one step in front of the other to answer the questions. I call Jas and tell him that I'm okay but still out on the course. Water is not making my tongue wet any more and I feel like I'm full of water and gels. It's not nice out there. I'm cold and sweaty, I just want to be done.
Mile 22- I can hear my feet drag on the sidewalk. I see people start to pull away from us. I know my feet sounds are annoying to others. Jamie and I don't talk much. I finally get my bearings on where we are. I'm confused. It's like when I go into the Tucson Mall and start walking the wrong way back to my car, I swear I parked over there.
Mile 23- I am just going to get through this mile then I know I'm almost done. Now I have to pee. I can see the strip. People are starting to just run across the road when ever they feel like it, "Please use the crosswalks." I look at my arm, I see Izzie's name and I grit my teeth. Jamie sees me looking and she says, "She's there waiting for you." I get a little teary.
Mile 23.5- There is a guy who is spinning his arrow that tell us where to go. He's pointing the arrow up to the sky. That's real helpful. I am beginning to get cynical.
Mile 24- I'm on FRANK SINATRA DRIVE! I'm gonna make it. I try to tell Jamie to go ahead. "I'm going to finish, don't worry about me. Go ahead Jamie." She tells me no and that we are going to finish together. We are running behind the casinos. Jamie is super happy and I am super serious and not happy.
Mile 25- We are running in some garages by Ceasar's Palace. We run up the strip some more. We run inside the Belligio and out back onto the strip. We ride up the escalator across the walk way between New York, New York and Excalibur BUT... the down escalator is broken. I NOW HATE THE EXCALIBUR. Stupid escalator. Who breaks an escalator!?! Jamie tells me I'm almost there, I don't believe her. I tell her, "No- it's not. It's so far away." It's too far.
I tell the guy directing us around the Luxor that, "You better have good news for me." He tells me that you are less than 2 miles away. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?? 1.9 miles? 1.3 miles? Those are two very different distances to have to fight through. There is no one to point the way around the Luxor so we don't know if we are going the right way.
Mile 26- Jamie tells me again that we can do it and that we are almost there. I'm really hurting bad and I don't even want to talk anymore. I'm in a deep dark mad place. I can see the Mandalay Bay but it's not getting closer. I run, I walk, I limp, I run, I walk, I limp...I limp. My spirit is broken. I just want Jamie to leave me and go ahead.
.2 of a mile to go- Jamie begins to tell me that we are almost there. I say, "Shh.... no more." She says, "Okay." (yes, I feel bad for shhing my teammate but I'm not in my right mind. I'm in marathon mind which wants silence, Sorry!)
I see my baby at the finish line. I cry, I start to cry louder. I can't believe it's done. It is all over. I made it. I'm a marathoner!
Jamie and I run to the finish. She is crying and I am crying. I am hugging my mom and Jas and my grandma and Jamie.
Marathon Foto Finish
All my Raptors came home. They all made it.
(To be continued)
