The wrap-up …

Enjoying a post-race beer from Harpoon Brewery.

… The Amica Newport Marathon happened Sunday.  Today is Wednesday and it’s the first day that I’ve woken up in less pain than the day before.  Woohoo!  I’ve turned a corner!

I felt pretty good after the race.  Obviously, there was some discomfort in my legs, although not too much.  I quickly recalled however, that the pain is always greater the second day.  Oh good, something to look forward to!  The worst part was my left foot, which was in a lot of pain.  I couldn’t curl the toes, which made me wonder if I sustained a stress fracture from the impact, but after some good ‘ole “PIE” … Pressure, Ice, Elevation … my foot felt much better on Monday.  Thanks to Janet and Lisa for the ice pack and Ace Bandage!

The race went well.  Not as well as I had hoped, but ok.  I asked Janet, who has run four marathons, if you’re ever satisfied with your performance after a marathon and she said in no uncertain terms, “No.”  She said you are after your first, which I was two years ago, because it’s your first, but after that, you always think you could do better.  Spectacular.  I think I would be satisfied if I broke four hours.  I know I would be satisfied if I qualified for Boston.  I wasn’t satisfied with my performance on Sunday.  I was happy I did it.  I was happy that I finished.  I was ok with my time, but I know I could have done better.  Damn.

While I was running, and questioning my sanity, I was telling myself, “finish this and you NEVER have to do this again.”  But then as soon as you’re done, you start thinking, “If I only got a couple more long runs in.  If I only started training a little earlier.  If I was a little more prepared.”  And then you wake up on day three in less pain than day two and so it begins again.  It’s kind of like childbirth … you say NEVER again, and then you look at that little miracle and the realization of the pain just slips away. 

The course was beautiful!  I mean, awe-inspiring, breathtakingly gorgeous!  If you’ve never been to Newport, it’s worth a drive.  Every bit of the course was along the beach and through spectacular nature preserves and although there were long stretches without spectators, the scenery more than made up for that.  Luckily, the wind had died down significantly since Saturday’s Nor’easter advisory –  although there were still two sections where the wind was formidable, which just isn’t fair if you ask me.

The worst part was really the half-way mark.  Running a loop through Newport and then a “loop” through Middletown, RI, the start and finish of both the half-marathon and the full-marathon were at Easton Beach.  Approaching the beach after 13 miles, there were 100′s of spectators routing the runners on, which was great, but taking that leap to go right, when the halfers were going left to their finish line was psychologically devastating.  To quote “The Matrix”, Why oh why did I take the blue pill?  I was soooo temped to just go left and end it.  But I persisted.  And in return, the crowd continued to cheer and frankly, looked at me like I was a little nuts.  Like, “ok, but seriously, can you do that again?!” 

That continued to be the question.  Can I do that again?  At eight miles, can I do that two more times?  At 11 miles, can I do that again?  And at the half, can I do that again?  I wasn’t really sure.  I felt good.  Almost too good, but the lack of training in the last couple weeks got into my head and messed with me more than the pain.  Maybe that’s where the training comes in.  Maybe as you’re building stamina and strength, you’re also building confidence. 

Oh well.  Unofficially, I came in at 4:29:13.  Seven minutes slower than my first but 30 minutes faster than my last.  huh?  I will probably do another one next year.  I have to thank everyone who supported me and asked about my training.  To Ashley for decorating my treadmill yesterday at the gym and to Janet and Lisa for the pretzel M&M’s to celebrate.  I was especially grateful to my husband, kids and parents for driving to Newport to cheer for me.  There’s nothing like seeing “Team Julie” on the course!  Seeing you and giving Owen a hug at mile 22 was fantastic.  Running is a solitary sport, but I couldn’t do with without everyone’s support and emails.

After the race, when we had gotten home, my oldest daughter asked me why I run marathons.  Drifting in a cloud of pain, I was at a loss for just a second, but then I responded, “Abigail, I run marathons because I want to show you that what ever your goal is, that you set for yourself … no matter how difficult … with a little preparation and training, you can accomplish anything.   That, and I want you to be proud of me.  Are you proud of me?”  To which she said with a hug, “Yes mom, Yes I am!”

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