Every marathon has a story. Some might be more inspirational and exciting than others. I know the vast majority of the people in my life do not like to run and may not understand running. That is OK. I don't really get football. I played basketball in fifth grade and hated it. I will probably never play golf beyond the 18 hole Putt Putt course. We all have our own passions and that is the way it should be!
Why Arizona? Well I have this
I fell in love with the desert landscape in 1994 when I went on a mission trip to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. We drove...yes all 52 hours...from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Ensenada. I could not get enough of the cacti, rocks, desert vegetation and the mountains when we drove across Arizona. I grew up in Indiana where the land is flat and the vegetation of choice is corn. I moved to Michigan which is a little more scenic but there are no mountains, no cacti, no red rocks. Since then I have been to Arizona a few other times and appreciate the different places I have explored.
Rob and I went on a marriage retreat to Prescott eighteen months ago. I fell in love with this mountainous town. My dear friends run their ministry to pastors and pastor wives out of their home. Staying at their retreat suite and visiting with them sounded perfect after conquering 26.2 miles. Time in both Phoenix and Prescott would be the best of both worlds. If I had extra time I would have also visited friends in Tucson but I only had three full days. Maybe someday I can do a road trip from the Grand Canyon to the Mexican border.
Why did I wait 3 1/2 years to run another marathon? Well it was not due to pregnancy nor will I say I was too busy. It was this annoying tendon called an IT band that connects your knee to your hip. Runners with IT band syndrome feel pain a few miles into their run on the lateral side of the knee. The only reason I knew about it was because my sister had it right before our marathon. We share the same genetic make up so it is only natural we would share sports injuries too.
I did what Runners World and random people on Facebook told me to: foam rolling, rest, heat. Whenever I would start upping my mileage and would hit 9 miles, the pain returned. This went on for two and a half years. I dabbled back into triathlon a bit. I questioned whether my over 40 body could run beyond 9 miles. I asked my doctor if I was too old to run a marathon. I was seeing him for something unrelated. He said my age should not matter and it should be a PT who determines if my body can run that distance. He gave me a referral to a PT.
A year ago I saw a PT for the first time in my life. The PT told me that yes my IT band was giving out once I hit 9 miles. While the foam rolling alleviated the pain, it was not solving the problem. It was due to weak gluteal muscles. Strengthen the glutes, very slowly add miles over a few months, and go train for that marathon. I was skeptical. Skeptical but hopeful. I loved the time her assistant was working with me and said, "So you feel pain when you hit 9 miles?" I said, "Yes every time." He said, "Isn't nine miles enough?" I said, "No it's not." To which he did not know how to respond. See not everyone gets running.
Last May I had considered training for a triathlon. Typically I am motivated in May. I put together a training plan, dust off my bike, and work on my swimming. Then I lose momentum in August. This time I lost it in June. So I considered a winter marathon instead because I could start training in the late summer. This is exactly what I did with California International. I loved running in the fall and escaping to warmer climate in the winter.
I had no idea the day I marked on the calendar as my first training run would be a day that altered the course of our late summer and early fall. We traveled a lot in June and July. I looked forward to August being a slower month of sitting by the pool and enjoying the last weeks of summer. Instead God led us into a very challenging time period. Sifting through the issues was more trying and longer than the initial crisis itself. I actually looked forward to going back to work because I was sick of being at home trapped in my own negative thoughts. My go to mode was losing myself in social media or sitting in a chair in the backyard. I knew I had to do something. Keep running. Honestly there were days I felt like it was the only thing I could accomplish.
I increased my mileage. On those long runs, it was anger the propelled me up those hills. Sometimes I would cry in sorrow while I ran. I tried to do so in quieter neighborhoods where people were not present. Who is this crazy lady crying while she is running nine minute miles? Who is she running from? I prayed for the people struggling through this crisis. I prayed for others God put on my heart. When I surpassed the nine mile mark again and again, I thanked the Lord that I had no pain in my IT band.
I signed up for the marathon in late September. The very next day I injured my ankle. After surfing through Web MD and various other websites (which are not good for me to do because I am a little bit of a hypochondriac) I thought I either had shin splints in one ankle or an overuse injury. I am fortunate my triathlon friends are PTs, and one of them said it sounded like an overuse injury. She said I could still probably run. She said to reduce my mileage and ice it afterwards. I followed her advice. It was good for two weeks until it started to hurt more. When I went to pumpkin patch with my family and to the mall afterwards, it was throbbing to the point I wished we parked in a handicap spot. I dreaded walking back to the van. I tried to run the next day, but I felt like I had peg legs and my form was terrible. Who is that crazy lady who is running sideways?
I took a week off and cross trained. Swim and biking only. I would try running again and I would make a decision as to whether I could do the whole marathon or I would need settle for the half or maybe even the 10K. After a week off, the ankle pain nearly went away. It never came back. Sometimes very slightly, but nothing to the degree it was in October. Again I thanked the Lord for giving me a second chance. I never realized how much this marathon training would be a spiritual experience for me.
I intentionally did my long runs close to home sometimes winding up and down streets. My fear was my ankle giving out and having to call Rob to come rescue me from the other side of town. When I completed my 20 mile run on Christmas morning, I knew I was marathon bound.
The struggles we went through at the end of the summer subsided. I felt like we were beginning to live a somewhat normal life again. I needed my marathon to be the place where I would leave it all at the finish line and move forward into 2019 with newness and peace. The weeks leading up to it I had all kinds of fears--some rational and some irrational. What if I get lost in Phoenix? Can I really navigate a city without Rob? What if my airbnb is in a scary neighborhood and I get mugged? What if my flight gets cancelled? What if I forget my running shoes? What if I get sick? What if I get food poisoning the night before the race?
I got a flu shot a week and two days before the race (even though I know it takes two weeks for the immunity to kick in). Rob got one too. I got a cold soon afterwards as did Rob. I told him we got colds from the flu shots but he did not think that was the cause. Maybe he's had too much of my hypochondriac ways over the years. Anyway, strangely I was happy I got a cold on that Friday because I knew it would be better by the time I ran. I also knew if I was sick with a cold, I more than likely would not get sick with anything else. Which does not make a lot of sense, but it helped me not worry about other sicknesses.
I arrived in Phoenix Friday night (the 18th) and I navigated my way from the airport, to the light rail, and to my airbnb which was a quaint little place in the cultural district. I became familiar with the area and explored Phoenix and Tempe on Saturday. I walked to a bagel restaurant, visited the expo, and took the light rail to Tempe where I rented a kayak for an hour. The nice thing about traveling by yourself is you get to do the things you want to do. Like kayaking! You don't have to compromise, argue your reasoning, or settle for less. There is no way my family would have lunch at a vegan restaurant in downtown Tempe. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
By Saturday night the nerves were starting to hit. What if I get food poisoning from the lasagna I ate at the local restaurant for supper? I did fall asleep and thankfully I slept pretty decent...unlike my first marathon. I slept in a hotel room with four other people--one being an infant--and slept maybe two hours. Every single time it is that crazy feeling when you wake up: I am running a freaking marathon today!
I made it to the starting line with much time to spare. It was cold and I was not ready to shed my sweats at that point. The scene is similar to every marathon. People stretching, eating bananas, chatting about previous races they have run, and a never ending wall of port-a-potties. I lined up with the four hour pacing group. I wanted to try and break four hours. My PR is 4:04 from 2015. Because I did not get in as many long runs as I would have liked (especially when my ankle was injured), I was not sure if I would be able to pull it off. I still wanted to try.
I have run with a pacing group most marathons at least three quarters of the race. This was the quietest pacing group I have ever run with. They were focused and determined. Our pacing leader was not the most encouraging one I have run with...a more "tell it like it is" kind of guy. He kept saying, "We have a long ways to go" or "I hope you don't get too hot because there is no shade." I was able to keep up with them the first half of the race without any issues. By Mile #13 I was starting to feel it. I was determined but I began to think that realistically I was not going to be able to maintain this pace. As we were coming out of Phoenix and made our way into Scottsale, the pacing team was getting further and further. I loved running through Scottsdale because there was much crowd support. Old Town was a fun little area to run through. But I will also remember it as the pace I lost my pacing group.
With the group far ahead, there was less pressure. Now I can run my own pace. The heat was starting to get to me. It was probably only in the 70's but it felt like the 90's. I also missed a nutrition aid station along the way and did not get my energy boost gel. I got one at Mile #6 but did not get another one until Mile #19. I honestly don't know if that would have changed anything, but I was craving another one a few miles before #19.
Around Mile #20 I was thinking, "Why do I run these races? I want to be done!" There was this fun cheering section who were yelling our names (our names are on our bibs) and going all out to encourage us. A man with a giant golden retriever reached out to high five me. I said, "Sir is it OK if I pet your dog?" He said, "Of course." Which was a little therapeutic.
Around Mile #23 I met some dental students who were struggling like I was. We kept saying, "It's only three miles!" I said, "My children can run 3 miles! It's not that far but it is." We pushed one another. I was so thrilled to see Lake Tempe...not so thrilled to run up the bridge at Mile #24 over the lake...but the finish line was so close!
When I crossed it, I cried. Marathon emotions are weird. When I crossed the finish line in my first marathon I was ticked off. With my second I laughed in amazement. With my third I was confused because I thought my family was going to be at Mile #24 and I did not know how I missed them (turned out they were at the finish line and I missed them there too). The last two marathons it has been tears. It was symbolic for me to leave the pain from the previous months at the finish line and push forward into peace and a new season.
After the race I had to walk to the light rail station in Tempe, walk 3/4 miles to my airbnb, walk 3/4 miles back to the station, get on the light rail to the airport, and get on a shuttle bus to Prescott. It sounds exhausting after having run 26.2 miles, but actually it wasn't. I felt like I could not go from running for 4 hours, 13 minutes and 56 seconds to being stationary. I had to walk and it felt good on my legs. My appetite was all out of whack. I was not hungry but I felt depleted. I felt significantly better after I ate dinner at the airport even though I did not have much of an appetite.
I got on a shuttle bus to Prescott and dozed and replayed portions of the day in my mind. When I
I spent my time in Prescott reading, journaling, watching TV, sitting in the hot tub, and having some good conversations with my friends. I was able to take a reflective hike around Goldwater lake. Which helped loosen up my stiff muscles. I cannot imagine a better way to end my time in Arizona. I hate to call things perfect because nothing in this world is perfect, but this was pretty close to it.
Some have asked me what is next? Another marathon? Triathlon? Ironman...um probably not. I don't know right now. All I do know is I am taking a few weeks off so I can get caught up on my early childhood education classes and other projects...and have a little more time for leisure on the weekends. Those long runs take up a lot of time. After that I might swim and bike a little more with some light running. I want to do an obstacle course 5K with my son this spring and maybe a 5K with my younger daughter. If I do run another marathon, I think my state of choice would have to be somewhere in the Midwest such as Michigan, Indiana or Illinois. I am thankful to God for giving me this opportunity to cross another finish line in another state.
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