My alarm went off at a way to soon 6:00 am Sunday morning. Of course no one really got out of bed until 6:30 but we were on the road at 6:50. I am not sure about anyone else, but I get extremely nervous before any race I run in. I have no idea why. It is not like I am actually competing in these races. I am just terrified that I am not going to be able to finish or come in last. We got to the park around 7:30ish to pick up our packets (packet pickup was Saturday night 6-7 and Sunday morning 6:00-7:45). When it was my turn to get my packet/number the woman handing out the packets asked for my last name. When she asked for my last name I first said “Brantley” then immediately corrected myself saying “Cornman.” The woman was sweet and said to me “It sounds like Congratulations are in order because it seems like you are a newlywed.” I sign Cornman at work all of the time but really haven’t had the chance to introduce myself as a Cornman yet. I thought the hardest part would be getting into the habit of writing it not saying it (still find it hard to call Chris my husband. I think I even referred to him as my boyfriend recently. Haha!).
While we were waiting for the race to begin I asked Chris if he would run with me. He kinda laughed and said he would for a little. But as the race started he and Martin took off close to the front of the pack while I hung back and just took my time. As I was running (maybe within in the first mile) I spotted a woman (Phoebe) wearing five fingers. I asked her how they were treating her and we got to talking. We ended up sticking together the entire race. A huge help! I am not sure if she realizes it though (Thank You Phoebe). It is nice to have someone to talk with who turns out having a lot in common with you. I have been on the fence about purchasing a pair of five fingers but I think may have to now. Phoebe told me her husband (who also wore his for the full marathon) got her into them because she was having a lot of Achilles pain. Her husband did some research for her to find out what the cause for the pain she was experiencing and discovered the five fingers. Phoebe said that since she began wearing the five fingers in April, she has not had any more problems with her achilles. She pretty much sold me! However, I think she wished (and I think she would agree) she had a shoe with a little bit more cushion (she mentioned looking into getting herself a pair of Nike Frees when she runs trails) for the terrain we were running on. I found it humorous all of the questions people asked her about them as they ran past (or we passed). Always the same, “how do those feel on the trail?” Quite an obvious answer I would think. But she was very nice when answering the questions people asked.
I ran most of the race which I was impressed with myself for doing. I really only walked when I got to the three hills we had to climb and when the path became too rocky to run comfortably (and safely) on. Now it is time to talk about these hills. I really do not think anyone would be able to run up them. They are almost vertical and keep going and going and going and going and going. The first two were the hardest for me. Not sure why but the last one (and by far the hardest/longest/steepest) was a little easier for me. Maybe because I knew the end was near or because there was an aid station right before where I was able to hydrate with water. At the bottom of the hill there was a banner hanging in between two trees at the beginning of the trail that said “Stairway to Heaven” and there were little fake grave sites with skulls and cross bones (really wish I had my camera with me). Just as the hill crested there were rocks you had to climb up and down. Of course the downhill on the rocks was much harder than climbing up because you really had to keep your balance or you could fall.
After that last hill, there was about a mile of downhill until the finish. Most of it was spent walking because it was still relatively rocky. Plus, the outside of my left knee started to hurt again. But I finished in 3:45:54.70. My goal was to finish under 4 hours (MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!). Even Chris was surprised when I came around the bend. I guess he didn’t feel too good (he finished 2:28 and Martin 2:24) throughout the race (especially at the last hill) so he wasn’t expecting me for another hour. It was nice to see the surprise on his face which made me feel a little better about my finish.
After we finished I got a plate of chicken, noodles, and veggies for the road as there was a Steelers game on we absolutely had to watch. We stopped in State College on the way back to watch the game. We watched the game at Damon’s because it was the first/closest bar off the exit. I was too full from eating my to-go plate of goodies that I didn’t eat anything BUT I had a Bloody Mary (delicious) and a blue Margarita. After burning around 1200 calories (probably more because of the hills) I thought it was only fair to have two alcoholic beverages. I also made Chris promise me I could get an ice cream. So I made Martin drive us back to campus to go to The Creamery (where I haven’t been) to get an ice cream cone. Unfortunately, the line was too long so we stopped at a Sheetz on the way home where I got a Snickers ice cream bar. It wasn’t what I imagined but at least I got ice cream.
We got home around 7:30 Sunday. I was limping pretty badly because of my left knee pain but I rolled my IT band out immediately. I didn’t sleep too well on Sunday night and did not feel well on Monday (still limping). But by Tuesday I felt %100 better. The only things bothering me on Tuesday were my calves. So overall not too bad.
13.1 #1 is now behind me. I had a lot of fun running the race and I am excited for number 2. I hope to get out for a run today (supposed to be 89 today – first day of fall? Hmm).
Alyson
You go girl! You must try to take some pictures on your next marathon! Oh, and I still refer to Jon as my boyfriend sometimes and we've been married 2.5 years so don't feel bad! LOL.
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