BarbQue... OH and a run

Thanks Mira for the photo! You can tell I don't fit in:)

Brian and my Dad post marathon BBQ meal.

The best ribs in Memphis post race. Take note my Dad's ribs are on the left. He really cleans them off. I am on the right. I guess I am not good at eating ribs.

This is at the halfway point or so. I wasn't that miserable yet:)

Next time I decide to do a marathon someone slap me. OR better yet someone slap me if I decide to do a HILLY marathon with 13mph winds and freezing weather. I would NEVER call a marathon fun. I am a 10k runner at heart and always will be I think. We left Friday morning for the 8 hr drive to Memphis, TN. It was me, my Dad, and my brother. We have never gone anywhere alone. I was really nervous about the quiet moments in the car. I cannot stop talking if there is silence it makes me nervous. My brother, Brian, can totally just space out and focus on a spot of dust for h0urs on end. Which is why he is a good endurance runner. Not only was it a long car ride but my the two of them have to eat meals. NO snacking on clif bars and fruit and calling that lunch like I do. They have to eat a meal at a restaurant that you order from a menu and get served! What a waste of time. It was a little funny. WE talked about everything. Car trips are a great way for families to talk and really communicate. We spend so much time plugged into life literally with cell phones, computers, television that we don't accually communicate anymore.

We got to Memphis in time for dinner. I think they were relieved that a meal was coming. I was just glad to walk around. Brian and I got our race packets. This whole running only thing is so foreign to me. NO packing a transition bag, traveling with a bike, wetsuit, and every other odd and end that you might need. IT was just a small bag of running shoes and some clothes. That's it. So simple. I get why people do this, for the pure simplicity of running. I didn't even have to spend time at night getting my race stuff ready. Just made sure I remembered my shoes.

The morning of the race we got up and it was FREEZING. Memphis was suppose to be in the 50s this time of year! What happened. It was in the 20s with the wind chill and VERY windy. I felt like I never left Chicago.

I got the in Elite start Corral, shouldn't have. I looked around and I was the slowest looking person. At least I thought so. All of the "runners" are sooo tiny and they wear these itty bitty running outfits even though it was freezing. There were even Kenyans! I did not fit in. Oh well first marathon really so it was all for the experience. Before the gun went off and looked back to see if I could see Brian. There he was just laughing at me, he knew I looked ridiculous too. Just as I didn't want to do I went out WAY too fast. I got caught up in the excitement of the moment and ran the first mile at 6:30. Oops. I tried to slow down for 6 hilly miles but had a hard time doing it. I knew I would pay for it later. I think I averaged 6:45 or so for the first 10k. Not my plan. But really up to the halfway point I felt good holding 6:45-6:55. Even though the wind seemed to get worse and the hills never went away. I held 6:55 or so until mile 19 when my calfs were screaming at me to stop and lay down. I didn't really bonk it was more leg pain. Lack of endurance training I think. I stopped at mile 19 to pee! I would never do that but it was way too cold to pee in my pants and then run wet. So I crouched down in front of someones house, not pretty. I think a few people got a very white butt shot. I felt better. At least I was hydrated. Pretty much from then on I was on survival mode. I was just trying to finish. I actually slowed down for the water stations and drank thinking that would be a magic pill to my legs hurting. Not so much. I ended up finishing the race in 3:05:04. Not too bad for my first real marathon. Next time I will actually pace myself better AND run a flat course. If there is a next time.