Monday, September 12, 2016

Bozeman Marathon


I, of course, did not sleep very well the night before the marathon. I finally got out of bed just before my alarm went off at 4.  I made some coffee and started getting ready. I had set out everything I needed the night before, so I got ready fairly quick.  Sarah was picking me up in front of the hotel at 5 and I got downstairs just as she pulled up in her old ranch pick-up which we decided was the perfect thing for two Team Beef girls to be going to the marathon in.

The man at packet pickup kept emphasizing to me that the last bus was leaving at 5:45 so we wanted to make sure we didn't miss the bus.  We were there before any buses were.  No worries there!  The bus ride out seemed to take a long time, but it was nice and warm and fun to visit with Sarah.

Once we pulled up to the starting area we could see the grass on the side of the road whipping around. Eeek! It looked cold out there, and it was! We got in line at the porta potties right away and then got back on the bus to wait for awhile. We didn't have long to wait and before we knew it, it was time to drop our drop bags off and head to the start.

Once the gun went off and I started running I warmed up right away. The wind was behind us and it was in the low 40s so really it felt great for running.  I concentrated on keeping my pace around 8:30 to 9 min/mile pace and the first few miles went by easily.  My shoulder didn't start to bother me until about 2.5 miles in.  I played around with a few stretches while running and finally found one that seemed to really help around mile 4.  It didn't take away the shoulder pain, but kept it somewhat under control.  Although I am sure I looked funny clasping my hands together and running with them straight out in front of me every now and then.

Miles 9-13 seemed really hard mentally. This was the most uphill portion of the marathon and my shoulder was really bothering me. On top of that my Honeystinger chews and Tailwind that I have used with no problem during all my long runs while training were bothering my stomach. I hadn't stopped at any water stops until mile 12ish since I was carrying Tailwind, but by that point I was craving water and feeling very thirsty.

Mile 14.5ish  I was feeling super motivated to get here as I knew my husband and kids would be waiting for me here with a fresh bottle of Tailwind.  I took it and high fived my kids and kept running. The kids couldn't believe I would even stop for a high five "Keep running Mom, don't stop"!

At this point the course was mostly downhill. It seemed like at every water stop, and I stopped at nearly every water stop in the second half of the race, someone would say "It's all downhill from here"  and then there would be a hill. Not a big one, but a hill all the same.

Kiley drove by somewhere around mile 21, yelled some encouragement and took some pictures.  So nice having encouragement along the way!  I even managed to smile.

My pace was slowing quite a bit as I was now walking through water stops and my guts started protesting.  I had to use a porta potty around mile 24, but from there I finished feeling pretty strong.  For the most part my shoulder quit bothering me for the last 5 miles or so.  I feel like it really sucked a lot of the fun out the marathon. My quads were feeling a bit crampy for the last three miles, and I know I will be feeling that for a couple days!

The last 2 miles is a long straightaway and you can seem the turn to the finish for a long time, when I finally turned onto main street the finish line seemed soooo far away! It was great to see my kids and husband cheering me on and I finished pretty strong, passing a few people along the way.

Two more fellow Team Beef Montana runners, who had run the half, were waiting just across the finish line and after I had a couple minutes to catch my breath and drink some water we had fun catching up and the race. We also met some Team Beef runners from Texas.
We are all headed to Hawaii in a month to run Ragnar Hawaii
I ended up 3rd in my age group and scored a belt buckle for an age group award.  I am super happy with my time and completing my second marathon without hitting the wall as insanely as I did in my first one.

I got a 28 second PR even!

Randoms

  • It got really warm towards the end. 
  • By the time I got home and weighed myself I was down 6 lbs...better hydrate!
  • The water stops the first half of the marathon were about three miles apart and two miles apart the second half. 
  • I was very glad I carried my own hydration as well
  • Injuries: one big blood blister on my left foot and several small blisters. One of my toenails ate the toe next to it. Very sore quads. Chaffing in left armpit and chafe marks around waist from my hydration belt.  Nothing very major thankfully.  Now to hopefully get this shoulder thing figured out.
  • Marathons are hard
  • Bozeman marathon is a very scenic course. 
  • awesome medals and awards!
  • Loved having my family there for support.

linking up

18 comments:

  1. Great job! I bet the course was beautiful. Curious about the shoulder thing...

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  2. Awesome awesome job!!! I'm sure it helped to have your family there for support!! I hope you get some answers on your shoulder!

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  3. Well done! Glad your second marathon was a better experience.

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  4. Fantastic! Glad you had such a great race.

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  5. Awesome job!!! Congrats on the PR!!

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  6. It's great that your 2nd marathon went so much better than your first one! Congrats on being 3rd in your age group and getting a PR, too!

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  7. Congratulations on your marathon PR and age group win! I'm training for my first marathon right now so I love reading recaps of the real deal.

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  8. Congratulations on get third in u our age group. See u to hear that you were using shul see problems throughout the race but you still managed to place so good for you. I love seeing family and friends along the course. It is a great motivator.

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    1. The second sentence was suppose to say sorry to hear that you were having shoulder problems. Silly auto correct!

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  9. Isn't it awesome you won 3rd in your AG but also that you got a belt buckle too! Wow 6lbs is a lot yes!! Hydrate girly!! I think the best Random is having your family there to cheer you on, am I right?

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  10. Congrats Christy! Crazy how your shoulder flared up early then settled down. How nice to have your family there cheering. That always helps a ton. Yes, marathons are really hard. Especially when they get hot like that. Rest up!

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  11. Congrats, Christy! What a great job despite your shoulder issues.

    But I have to ask... seriously, low 40s?! It's still in the 80s and 90s here. Gah.

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  12. Congratulations ! You make it sound so easy but it is such a big accomplishment, especially the AG award, wow. Hope you get the shoulder thing figured out, I know it has been bothering you for a while.

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  13. Congratulations! You worked hard and deserve that age group award!

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  14. I just love ready race recaps and enjoyed this so much - I felt like I was right there beside you! Congrats on a great job, Christy!

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