Adventures in Clean Eating

I spent all of last week stressing about the marathon.  Seriously, I was even dreaming about it.  I had one dream where I was running the race, but kept getting distracted.  Like, I’d suddenly remember Gap was having a sale and go to the mall to shop… and suddenly as I was at the check-out counter I’d remember I was running the race and hurry up to get back out there.  Ridiculous, I know, but that’s how I tend to get before big events.  So, with all that build up, it’s strange to realize that, after my many months of training and hard work, it’s all over.

I told everyone I had no goal for this race because 1. I wanted to enjoy my first marathon, and 2. I knew I hadn’t trained as well as I should have.  I was really good during the summer, even waking up at 4:30 to run, but once school started things started falling apart a bit.  I knew I could finish the race, but I knew it wasn’t going to be my best.  I accepted that in my head… but in my heart I knew I had a sub-4:30 marathon in me.  Come on, if Oprah can do it, I can, too!

I bounced out of bed as soon as my alarm went off at 6:00.  Luckily, the start was just a few blocks from our apartment so I didn’t have to get up too early.  I ate a quick breakfast of Heart to Heart with a chopped banana and skim milk, plus a big glass of water.  I know I probably should have eaten some more, but I was so antsy I was having trouble finishing even that small serving.  I also got a quick shower to wake up and warm-up my muscles, and I was off!

Ignore the black eyes… pretty poor lighting under my hat at 6:00 am.

Running a marathon makes me feel like Macaulay Culkin using aftershave for the first time.

Right when I got to the Pentagon, I was so impressed by how well this race was managed.  There was never a lack of marines to give me directions or answer questions.  The bag drop was super simple.  The porta-potty line was pretty long, but I was able to get to the start and line up with the 4:30 group just in time… to stand in place for 20 minutes.  I guess that’s what happens when there are 30,000 runners.

Smart move #1 of the day: wearing a throw-away long sleeve t-shirt at the start.  Pete had an old one he didn’t want anymore.  I hate the long waits for races to start because I get so cold.  I tossed my shirt right as we were about to cross the start line and was really comfortable the rest of the way.

I maintained a pretty slow pace for the first couple miles, about 10:30/mile.  There were so many people around that even if I wanted to, I couldn’t really go any faster.  I somehow found Pete’s brother Mike in the crowd around mile 3, which was great.  It was nice to have someone to talk to during the parts of the route without many spectators and to keep my morale up.  We ran together for about 15 miles, and he encouraged me to push my pace a bit.  At around mile 18, Mike stopped to stretch and I moved on.  Up until that point, everything was feeling pretty good.  I was a bit fatigued, but I wasn’t discouraged.  When I headed out to finish alone, things started to fall apart a bit.

I know I wasn’t fueling as well as I should have for this race.  My plan was to bring my own Gu and alternate between water and Powerade at each aid station.  I didn’t anticipate losing all my appetite early on.  Gu started to taste way more disgusting than usual.  I would force myself to start eating a packet, but then toss it halfway through.  I started taking both Powerade and water at every aid station to make up for this.  I know this was a mistake, and I felt it later in the race.  I’m usually really good about fueling every 45 minutes during my long runs, and I know I didn’t take in as many calories as I should have.

I did take a packet of Sports Beans from one of the volunteers and discovered that they are delicious.  I definitely need to stock up on these in the future.  Gu might be the best fuel for me, but these things taste straight up like candy (and not like poor man’s frosting…blech).

I saw a friend of mine on the sidelines at mile 19 which lifted my spirits, and I loved the drumline at mile 20… but I was feeling pretty rough for the end of the race.  The worst was the bridge back into Virginia.  That thing was brutal.  The sun was super hot, there were no spectators… it was awful.  The one thing getting me through was knowing that I would see Pete in Crystal City.  At first I couldn’t find him… and actually started getting really emotional.  I was so drained at that point and really needed a hug.  Thankfully I saw him shortly after the turnaround to go back towards Rosslyn, with a video camera nonetheless!  Maybe I’ll have a fun video for you guys soon!  Hopefully I didn’t look too much like death at that point…

After that, it was a real push to get myself to the finish.  I almost never walk during races, with the exception of water stops, but I walked a fair amount during miles 23 on.  I felt so done.  I made a deal with myself that if I could run for .5 miles, I could walk for .1 miles, and that basically got me to the end.  Seeing the finish line in sight, even with that damn hill up Iwo Jima, was like a ray of light from heaven.  I miraculously found the energy to sprint to the end… and I was done!

Official race time: 4:41:16. A little slower than I had hoped, but I can’t be too disappointed.  This was potentially the most strenuous thing I’ve ever done, physically and emotionally.  Running this race, I dug deep inside myself and found a strength that I didn’t know I had.  When I got to the point where every muscles ached and burned, and I was so exhausted I was almost in tears, I found the strength to continue.

If you’re considering running a marathon, I say go for it.  The feeling of accomplishment is amazing.  Two years ago, I was in the middle of the couch to 5k program.  Now look what I’ve done.  Aim high, you are capable of whatever you put your mind to!