Marshall University Marathon

West Virginia was State #16 in my 50 states marathon quest. Slowly but surely, we're checking them off!

#16 was a good one. Not only did I set a new PR, but I took second place in the whole dang thing. This will probably never happen again in the next 34 states, so I'm going to take a moment and let it soak in. 

We road tripped to West Virginia, which turned out to be a much longer drive than we anticipated. But never fear, we made it fun. After school on Friday we drove to St. Louis and stayed in an Air B&B... which happened to be double-booked. We enjoyed a tiny bit of time in St. Louis and then headed out the next morning for Huntington WV. 

Our travels took us through Louisville Kentucky where we stopped for lunch. While eating at the bar, we learned from a fellow one seat over that we were on the "meth trail" and it probably wasn't a good idea to stop at any rest areas. Good information. #dangerahead

We barely made it to Huntington before the expo & packet pick-up was over. Thank goodness we did! The Marshall University Marathon gives the best SWAG! Seriously, I have never received so many useful goodies from a race.

I look like I actually went to Marshall!

Race morning was cold, but the day promised perfect racing conditions. I'd worked my ass off during training and I was ready to run. The course was a loop, so the half marathoners ran the loop once, and the full marathoners ran it twice. My goal was a 3:20, so I found the 1:40 half-marathon pacer and stuck with him for the first loop. He was an awesome pacer. I felt comfortable and strong throughout the first half of the race. I was so sad to say goodbye and worried about holding the pace on my own.

Once I was on to the second loop, I was pretty alone for a bit. It was a mental struggle trying to keep up the pace without anyone around. However, once I reached more populated areas where there were spectators, I heard people start yelling to me, "Your the second female!" Holy cow, I cannot tell you how energizing that was! My pace and motivation were instantly back on track!

I kept hoping/wishing/praying that I could catch the girl in front of me... thinking I could win this thing! However... I also needed a porta-potty. I didn't want to stop, fearing I'd lose my chance to win, or be passed by the girl in third. Finally, around mile 18 when a lady shouted that I was the second female, I shouted back, "How far ahead is she?!?!" When the response was, "about 10 minutes", I decided it was okay to take a bathroom break.

Once I was back on the road, I again wavered with my motivation. I was tired. But I think this is the most mentally strong I've ever been in a race. I kept telling myself that it was okay to be tired, but that didn't mean I had to slow down. Around mile 22 I was passed by two guys who made a comment about how they'd been chasing me for miles. I decided to latch on to them and try to keep up with the quicker pace. I followed them and stayed right behind for another 3 miles. I was tired and hurting and couldn't keep up the pace. Again, I wasn't feeling defeated. I just kept up the positive self-talk and pushed the pace as hard as I could.

The final mile of the race runs through Marshall University. Students lined the course and handed out green and white carnations to runners to drop on the memorial of the plane crash that killed their entire football team. It was an extremely emotional and unique aspect of the race. This is why I love small races, they always have a way of putting a stamp on the course.

As I neared the football stadium, I looked down at my watch and realized I was so close to my goal. I hit the accelerator and gave everything I had in those last yards. We entered the stadium and I was handed a football to carry across the finish line. Again, such a unique experience.

I heard my name called, and looked down at my watch. 3:20:35. I damn near cried.

I accepted my medal, grabbed a water, and made my way for the finish line shoot to wait for Britt to come in. It isn't very often that I get to be the one cheering her on at the finish. All it took was two bowel obstruction surgeries in the last 6 months to slow her down enough so I could come in ahead. Have I mentioned how tough Britt is? :)

Watching her finish that marathon was one of the greatest moments! Her smile and joy as she ran toward the finish-line was amazing. The girl's love for running is infectious!

When I told Britt that I took second place, she immediately suggested we go find my prize. I hadn't even thought about a prize! We found the race director who gave me this vase! I was so excited. Then he suggested I go to the beer tent and have them fill it with beer. OMG. That would be amazing. It never actually happened, but I like the thought of it still.

Holy crap I won a vase!

Since I've never won anything at a race before, I was pretty jazzed about this vase that I assumed came from the dollar store. It turns out though, the vases are hand-blown glass made in West Virginia. Even cooler, I guess.

Race bling.

Can you tell I'm excited???

I just love this lady.:)

The rest of the day was spent doing what we do... eating, drinking, and making friends. The following day we drove all the way back to Kansas City. I am insanely grateful for this sport, for my friend, and for the many memories we make along the way.

In thinking about my race preparation, I credit the mental prep just as much as I do the physical part. I continuously coached myself on the fact that to reach my goal, I was going to have to suffer a bit. At some point I found this quote from the ever-inspiring Kara Goucher. Every time I look at this picture, I get goosebumps. 

I actually made it the wallpaper on my phone. In the weeks leading up to the race, every time I would turn on my phone, I'd give myself a tiny pep talk. I printed the photo, not intending to do anything with it. But I ended up carrying it with me throughout the entire race. The words "you will not fail" rang so strong in my head. I am so grateful for the spirit of Kara Goucher guiding me through what was my greatest race.