I ran a marathon this weekend. Those are definitely six words I never thought I would say until about the last six months. It was truly an amazing experience on so many levels, and my experience was full of many blessings, such as the gorgeous, mild weather. (I have a co-worker who has horror stories of running it with icicles in her hair- yikes!)
The day started in the dark and the cold. Before the gun, there was an invocation, and as the prayer was said over the loudspeaker, I got tears in my eyes- I couldn’t believe this day was finally here! I prayed so fervently with the minister, ready for the day. We got started, and I got to see Cason and Bill (my father in law) as I crossed the starting line. (Look for my neon green bandanna below!)
As we ran north of downtown over the Elysian via duct, you could see the breath of 19,000+ runners as the sun came up. It was so hard to stay slow at the beginning, both from the adrenaline and the cold, but I really tried to be self-controlled. I needed my pace to be 11-minute miles. Much to my chagrin, my mile one pace was 8:25, and I told myself I had to slow down, even though it felt like everyone was passing me! I would pay later if I ran too quickly. People began to shed their jackets, gloves and hats and they littered the road. I slowed down eventually and had a pace of about 10:45 for the first few miles through the Heights/Montrose area. I have so much Houston pride during this race! Last year, I was just beside myself thinking of how lucky we were to live in such a great city. Thousands of people come out in support with signs, cowbells, high school drumlines, dancing cultural groups and 6-year-old boys handing out orange slices and pretzels in their front yards.
The first 8 miles was really crowded, before the half-marathon turnaround on Montrose and Richmond. I caught my first cheering squad sighting- there were Sarah Craig and Chris and Becky Kiser in front of Jack in the Box with a huge bunch of helium balloons, a sign for me, big smiles and the loudest cheers, snapping my picture and cheering me on. (photo credit below, Sarah Craig, unfortunately, there are no pictures of Sarah!)
About a half mile later, there were Cason and Bill again, ready with more gu, shot blocks, chap stick…anything I could need.
The best were the smiles, signs, hugs and high fives. At the half-marathon turnaround, this year I kept going straight…all the while thinking…”we are in new territory here!” I passed by a church on Main where the priests were literally flinging “holy water” from orange buckets over all the runners (haha.) As I went through the Rice U/Med Center/West U miles, the runners started to thin out considerably, and it was so nice. American flags lined the streets, people ran by with names and causes on the backs of their shirts; this experience meant so much to so many people. I loved the “Stop being tired and start being awesome.” sign. Saw Cason and Bill again at Buffalo Speedway and University (I was getting texts on my iphone so I knew where to look for them.)
I headed north, then west toward the Galleria. Mile 14 brought the wicked hill on Westpark…no thank you…I am spoiled to running on Houston’s flat streets! I saw my mom, sister Liz and mother in law Trish for the first time (with Cason and Bill) at mile 16.5 where we turned left on San Felipe from Post Oak.
I got so emotional (again!) when I saw their big smiles, cheers and signs. I gave quick hugs, kept going toward Tanglewood, and they scurried off to their next spot. Mom was worried that I was crying from pain or exhaustion, but it was neither of those!
Running through shaded Tanglewood was very nice as it was becoming late morning and was quite sunny. I still felt great at this point, Pandora was giving me good songs to run to! I turned right on Woodway at mile 18…from here on out I was basically running due east, straight back to downtown. At mile 19 I got the surprise of the race, and I almost missed it: in front of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, there was a large crowd, like many others we had seen. I waved at some folks and made eye contact, and one face stood out: President George H.W. Bush!! I shook his hand, and simply said “Thank you, sir!” and kept running. I couldn’t believe it. That gave me another shot of adrenaline and energy, and I called Cason, panting as I talked, as I entered Memorial Park. He could NOT understand what I was saying, and it took awhile, but he finally understood. (He was ecstatic, considering that he would follow 41 around 24/7 if it would provide a sustainable living- this guy sent Bill to Iraq and brought him back home in the early 90s, so he is a hero to the family.) Below is a picture from chron.com since I wasn't lucky enough to get one!
I saw a girl from Baylor running, and she said, “Allison if you can just make it through Memorial Park, you’ll be good. Those miles 20-21 are tough.” Well I made it through the park, and it wasn’t too bad. I got a text from Becky Kiser “we are just past mile marker 22 on your right!” at about 21.5 I started looking for those balloons they had – I spotted them, and I could see them for a long time before I got to see my friends, what great motivation! I got emotional again (broken record by this point) and thanked them for being there. Sarah took these pictures at mile 22:
Cason and Bill were not far ahead. Cason ran with me for a bit until we saw Trish, Mom and Liz again at Memorial and Shepherd.
I was feeling great, almost to mile 23! I got on Shepherd to Allen Parkway, and then it got really, really HARD. Hard because, hello! I was tired, but also hard because I was almost there but felt so far, and people around me started to walk…like we were all finished or something, plus the “reverse hills” (aka underpasses) on Allen Parkway were really tough. I kept praying “God please carry me! Please help me finish!”
I made it to downtown (but not to the finish line yet!) and crossed under a sign that said 1.5 miles to go! A mistake I made in the half marathon last year was feeling like I was done because I entered downtown…no sir, you have to run through downtown to get to the finish line. Right when I needed them again, I saw the Kisers and Sarah at mile 25 right by the library downtown. I was not expecting them there at all, but there were my friends and the balloons! They called Cason and said “tell us where to go!” That husband of mine was very smart in suggesting they go to mile 25 instead of joining our other friends and family at the finish line. They encouraged me on as I wove through the skyscrapers. I finally turned the corner onto Rusk and I could see it! The finish line!! As I got closer, I saw more and more friends! The Housers, Marlatts and Rabes were together with signs, alluding to our favorite youtube videos (“Scarlatt takes a Tumble” and “I Will Throw You On The Ground!”)
I cried when I saw them too. Then there was Cason, Bill and Trish…and I crossed the finish line, and Mom, Liz and Dad were there!! Dad had made a special effort to get back from Dallas in time to see me at the finish line. He started driving when I started running!! I was tearing up and so thrilled that I was finished. I went through the convention center and got my finisher’s shirt, my medal and my mug, saw my Baylor buddy Andrew Ginakis who had finished just a few minutes before me. 4:54:57 was my time, and “under 5 hours” was my goal. I made my way to the other side of the hall where my friends and family were waiting. The Folloders and Saxes joined us at that point with a bouquet of flowers. I was just so overwhelmed to have everyone there!
We chatted for awhile and then went back to the house. Mom and Dad picked up sandwiches for all the family and I got to take a shower, hallelujah! The Kisers and Craigs stopped by to visit some more, but by about 4:30, all of our guests had left. It was just Cason and myself, so I curled up for a nap with the kitties.
It was a great day- I was so blessed. Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. I’ve been asked if I want to do another one: if I am hooked. I don’t think I’m hooked, I’m satisfied with the accomplishment of my goal. It wasn’t a miserable experience at all, but the training took so much time. I think I am excited to do more half marathons and 10Ks, etc. with the satisfaction of knowing I did a marathon. While I probably won’t do another one, I highly recommend it, even for those of you who did anything possible to not take a PE in high school, like me. :) I also recommend doing a half marathon first, then running a marathon the next year.
