This was my fourth year at the Donna race. There's only one other race I've repeated this many times, that's how much I love it. It has a great expo, a fantastic course with beautiful scenery, and the most supportive, encouraging crowd support you could imagine. The expo's pretty great also.
This year, as in year's past, we took a group of THL and co. up with us for the weekend. Michelle's mom came down from Myrtle Beach to walk the 1/2 (her first!) and brought her husband along. Michelle had a client come up for it to walk the 1/2 for company and also brought her husband. Danielle came over from Alabama, Jenny and Sylvan from NSB, Nicole and Beau from g'ville, and Tracy came up with a group of newbies to run their first 1/2 with them. It was a big, loud, fun group - as always.
Danielle and I decided to keep Nicole company and pace her for her first full marathon. My first full was a really long time ago and all I can seem to remember are the best parts. The stories my dad told me to keep me entertained, the 1/2 way point, those sneaky speedhumps at the very end of the course, holding my dad's hand as we crossed the finish line, and finally the tears that came flowing after said finish line. What I don't seem to remember too well is the pain in the knees, the ache in the hips, the fatigue in my low back, and the numbness in my feet. Since then I've paced a few friends through their first 5k, 15k, and even first 1/2, but its been about 7 years since I've had the privilege of pacing someone through their first full. I was excited for Nicole. She had trained hard, trained smart, and she has this determination unmatched by most. Six months ago she started training with us and quickly decided to run a full marathon. And run a marathon she did!
The day started out freeeeeeeezing. Well, actually, it was in the 20s, so WELL below freezing. And for these Florida girls, it was more than a little uncomfortable. We all dressed in layers - several layers - with gloves, hats, ear warmers, and throw-away clothes. Thankfully we found a spot (thanks to Beau) to wait inside a hotel lobby until 20 minutes before the race start. With heat. With chairs. AND with a bathroom!
After we braved the cold and found our corral, it was go time. National anthem, gun start, shuffle up to start line, and we were off. Dodging walkers for the first two miles helped warm us up and I soon took off two throw-away layers. The day was looking up! The first few miles of the course were on a huge highway with some significant banking. I think Nicole's ankle probably started to bother her here, but - in true Nicole fashion - she didn't let on.
Around the 5 mile mark, we hit the beach for about 2 miles. The tide is low, the sand hard packed, the ocean is beautiful, so its a nice change from pavement. This is also where the course spits off from the 1/2, so things get a bit more quiet after the beach. Nicole started getting a little quiet around this point so D and I started with the stories.
Danielle and I have only been running together just shy of two years, yet its amazing how many races we've done in that short time. We talked about the disaster of Appalachicola, the joys of the Jacks 50k(s), previous Donnas, the Back2Back weekend, and many others. Mainly to keep Nicole's mind off the impending pain that comes with a marathon, but also because that's what we do. We hash and re-hash experiences and are still trying to come up with the perfect scenario. One day we'll get it right. Maybe.
Miles 10-20 went fairly predictably. Somewhere in there we ran through the downtown portion which is a great area. One lone man with a microphone and a guitar happened to be singing "Bright Sunshiny Day" when we passed around mile 18 - one of my favorite memories of this year. Aches and pain start to kick in, we walked through some water stops, we just kept saying, "one mile at a time" and "relentless forward progress" (thanks, dad). It seems that when you reach the 20 mile marker of a marathon you realize that you will indeed finish. And you will indeed survive. This realization doesn't do much for the physical pains, but it does help a bit with the mental game.
The final 3 mile stretch is on the same highway we started on. Same banking - other direction. More aches = more stories. Then came the last mile, marked with the Lululemon girls on the final overpass. What a great aid station that was - loud music, funny signs, cheering girls (who somehow pretended not to notice the 35 degree temps), and lots of smiles. That's got to be one of the highlights of the race course.
Finally you exit the highway, turn right and you can see the finish line ahead. Pace stayed steady, we brought it in, and held our hands high as the three of us crossed the finish line. I looked over and saw that the tears in Nicole's eyes matched the tears in my own and I haven't ever been so proud.
The whole group did great as well. Jenny set a PR for the full, Sylvan for the 1/2, Michelle and Tracy both did great. Michelle's mom finished her first ever 1/2 (YAY!). And Nicole... Nicole did her first full marathon. First of many, I'm sure. And I can't wait for her next one!
No comments:
Post a Comment