Episode 28: My First Marathon

Episode 28 on my last day of being 28! What are the odds?!

Highlights since my last blog (basically my instagram /  just follow me on instagram):
Christmas
Christmas again
New Years
Protests Attend First Broadway Musical
The start of the greatest improv team of ALL time!

March 5th 7AM was the start of my first marathon in Napa Valley, CA. Let's take a look:

*Every 2 miles was a water stop and I drank at each one but only took one gulp at each station until the last 6 miles when I was trying to keep my legs from cramping up.

MILE	TIME	SUMMARY
1	00:09:33	We wanted to stay with the main group for the first 2 miles to warm up.
2	00:18:25 (8:52)	Then Chris, Nate, Fish, and I are like, "nevermind"
3	00:27:00 (8:35)	We start easing into our own pace and I find a glove.
4	00:35:02 (8:01)	I personally wanted to stay at 8 minute mile pace until the half and then reevaluate every few miles
5	00:42:53 (7:51)	We hit our first real hill here and we cruise through it. (eat an energy gummy)
6	00:50:51 (7:58)	I notice that we negative split the last mile and I try to ease it back more in preparation for the the next  20 MILES!
7	00:58:34 (7:42)	Fish starts surging so we decide to hang back.
8	01:06:25 (7:51)	Nate unfortunately has to drop back so it's Chris and I
9	01:14:11 (7:45)	We are cruising and I'm feeling good
10	01:22:00 (7:49)	I'm talking way too much during this first ten miles trying to find the owner of this Saucony glove. Spoiler alert: we never do (eat 2 energy gummies)
11	01:30:08 (8:08)	Cruise control.
12	01:38:09 (8:00)	Cruise control.
13	01:46:02 (7:53)	I get a Palatine Illinois Cheer (eat energy gummy)
14	01:54:32 (8:29)	Chris has to stop and tie his shoes.  When stopping I could tell how gooey my legs already felt which was a good warning sign for miles to come.
15	02:02:25 (7:53)	Start noticing a little chaffing in my armpits
16	02:10:40 (8:15)	Cruise control. (eat energy gummy)
17	02:20:29 (9:48)	The vasoline that saved lives. Chaffing Problems resolved for rest of the race.
18	02:28:24 (7:55)	I get a "Go Pirates" Cheer. (Palatine Pirates)
19	02:36:58 (8:34)	Starting to feel a little cramping in the right calf
20	02:46:02 (9:03)	We are hit with the biggest hill of the course, hail, and a drastic temperature  drop. I have to stop because of cramping in my right calf.  Man on bike tells me, "Hey don't give up now" and that PISSED me off. It felt like a backhanded cheer and I wasn't having it. (eat 2 energy gummies)
21	02:54:50 (8:48)	We catch Fish (eat 2 energy gummies and an energy bar)
22
23	03:17:23 (22:33)	I miss the 22 mile marker and start cramping up really bad causing me to stop so Chris starts pulling away. (I cover my legs in icy hot in hopes that'll do something to help and I start accepting fruits at water stations)
24	03:28:17 (10:53)	My right calf and quad are cramping up so I can't make it more than a mile without cramping
25	03:38:25 (9:58)	I'm pissed that my breathing is perfectly fine but my legs just won't stay together
26	3:49:00 (10:43)	At the 26 mile marker I cramp up in both calves and I have to stop and stretch out.

FINISH 26.2: 3:51:36

I am extremely happy that I finished my first marathon and I hope that I learn from my mistakes. I assume my main problem was that I didn't take time to drink more water during water stations and eat much earlier during the race.  It also didn't help how much I trained for it either.  I could give you a bunch of excuses but I just didn't get in the miles that I needed to.




The feeling of running a race is something I didn't know I missed and running past all the volunteers and random people cheering was amazing.  Getting that constant, "you can do it!" or "You're looking strong" really pumps you up to give you that extra bit of energy that you could use.

On another happy note:  Lili Gu played odds bet with me on wearing my medal for a month.  I said "1" so we both win!  EVERYONE will know that we're participants!