A Birthday Like No Other

Another running adventure ahead for stick man...

When you're a kid, your birthday is so exciting.  The anticipation, the hope for maybe that special toy, fun times with family and friends.  I even remember having a birthday party at McDonald's years ago, maybe 1978 or so.  It was the coolest thing ever, all of my friends were excited and my memory is that is was a great time.  I have pictures of that somewhere, but can't seem to locate them right now. As we get older, birthday's are not always as enjoyable. We start to feel old, a party either seems like too much hassle or not interesting.  After graduating from college I'd never been one to make any sort of big deal out of my birthday.  I may go out to dinner or something casual like that.  I guess I always thought that birthdays were for kids and not having any kids myself, it sort of lost its luster.  Not to mention that once you turn 40, I mean, really who wants to keep track anyways.  Last year in what I thought would be the first year in my life that I would spend my birthday alone, it ended up as one of my best as I ran a 1/2 marathon in the morning and spent that night with new friends.  So this year being in Seattle and truly being alone, I thought I should do something unique, memorable.

The idea sprouted on SuperBowl Sunday.  With the Seahawks being in the SuperBowl this town was on fire with excitement as every member of the State of Washington jumped firmly on the bandwagon.  Sure they wouldn't know Pete Carroll from Carroll O'Conner, but all of a sudden everyone was a fan.  Reminded me of scUM fans, if not worse.  At any rate, being in training mode for the Phoenix Marathon, that morning I was set to do my last long training run of 22 miles.  Usually the day before a long run, I don't run at all, but having missed a few days during the week due to traveling for work, I ran 9 miles on Saturday.  After I finished a hard 22 Sunday morning, by the way I was wearing Bronco Orange and Blue that day and got many dirty looks and I loved all of them, I realized that since I ran a little bit later Saturday morning, that I had just run 31 miles during the last 24 hours.  Intrigued, a thought was born that maybe if the Phoenix Marathon went well on March 1, that on my birthday, March 24, I should try to run 43 miles, a mile for each year of my life. But I truly put that thought aside for the moment and focused on the marathon.

After the Phoenix Marathon went as well as I had hoped, the thought of 43 miles came back into play.  I scheduled the day off of work and started to make plans.  I only told a handful of people about it because I didn't want to be talked out of it or continually told how crazy/insane/ridiculous it sounded.  I agree it's all of those things, I just didn't want to lose any focus.  So I planned to do it and kept up my regular running in anticipation of the big day.

My initial plan was that I would have to run all 43 miles, no walking, not even an inch.  I wouldn't do it as a race, but rather over the course of the day, utilizing all 24 hours to try to accomplish it. I  am very fortunate that my recovery from any run, including the marathon, is usually really good.  I rarely have any soreness and only light fatigue after an hour or two of rest.  Knowing that, I thought starting at Midnight on March 24, I would set out to do a long run, a run I know that I can do, and then go from there.

Running along Lake Sammamish with Mt. Rainier looming, always makes for great scenery.

12:01 a.m. March 24, Phase I
My birthday had officially arrived, although I wasn't born until about 6:30 a.m.  I've always been an early riser, so maybe that has something to do with it.  To prepare, I bought a running headlight and an enormous amount of protein bars and running fuel that I was sure I would need throughout the day.  The plan for Phase I was to do a 16 mile run from my home, along the Lake Sammamish Trail, because it's flat, and back home.  This would cut out most of the hills as I needed to save as much energy as I could.  The weather was decent, 40's, dry, so with my water bottle full and headlight on, I set out in the darkness of the night.  Running in the middle of the night is a little strange, it's so quiet where I live and on the trail, it's pitch black, there would be no chance at doing this without a headlight.  I was getting about halfway down the trail, mile 5-6, when I thought to myself, instead of turning around at mile 8 and heading back, why not just do my regular 20 mile loop and get more miles out of the way.  I was feeling great, doing 20 wouldn't be an issue, although the second half of the loop was quite hilly.  But I figured, it's early in the day, I can handle the hills.  So at Mile 8 instead of turning around I ran up Issaquah Highlands hill and ventured on to do 20 miles.  Having been running slower on purpose(maybe 9 minute miles vs. my usual 7 or so), I was feeling very good and the hills were much less draining at this pace.  No traffic, no signs of life, even as I ran through the neighborhood section.  It was getting colder, I could feel it, but I was doing fine.  About Mile 17 I really started to have some stomach issues, felt nauseous, but kept going.  Around Mile 19, I made the final turn and was heading home and I was really feeling terrible.  It's hard to know if it was just from running 20 miles, the cold, fatigue, but really I was feeling like I needed to purge and that's not good, but I kept going.  As I get to my place and was heading up the final hill, right at the end, I proceed to indeed purge everything that was within me.  It was awful. I threw up all over my shoes, my clothes, my key chain and the grass.  Ugly, ugly scene.  When I was done, I went inside, and got right in the shower, as I was freezing cold.  What made  me sick, I'm not sure, but I had taken some gummy supplements before the run, a type I had taken before, but a different flavor.  I definitely expunged that, if you will, but who knows. I think I may have been a bit hypothermic as the temperature had dropped, I was sweating beyond belief and I wasn't dressed super warm to start because I thought the temperature would hold.  At any rate, it was now 3:00 a.m. on the nose, I took a very long, hot shower, then went right to bed with at least 3 extra blankets, seriously.
Phase I Complete: 20 Miles.

Nothing was going to stand in my way,  at least I hoped.

10:30 a.m., March 24, Phase II
I had woken up about 6:30 a.m. and felt okay, not great, but I think I had rid myself of whatever was causing me problems.  However, I was then very cautious about what to eat knowing I would be running again soon.  I watched TV and laid around, relaxing, ate a protein bar and drank lots of water.  I honestly questioned going back out, but I figured I have to at least try and if I'm too sick or can't continue, I'll stop.  So with that, I loaded up my fuel belt and drove down to Lake Sammamish to run the trail again, up and down, all flat land with the hope of doing 13 miles.  I would run 6.5 down the trail then turn around and run back to my Jeep.  I planned it this way so that I couldn't cut it short at any point, once I went the 6.5 there would only be one way back.  I headed out and the first mile or two were a little stiff, not great, but not bad.  Around Mile 3 I started to feel pretty good.  The weather was perfect, 50's, sunny, the views along the lake are incredible, the trail is always perfectly groomed.  I proceed down to Mile 6.5, turned around and at Mile 7 I stopped to rest.  Again, there would be no walking, I planned to run every mile.  Stop and rest, sure, but no walking of the 43.  I ate another protein bar and started back out.  The next mile was brutal.  The sun was beating pretty good and I was sweating like mad.  After a mile or so I stopped to rest again.  I was starting to wonder how this might play out.  But after a few minutes of rest, I got back on the trail and headed back towards my Jeep.  At some point I just felt pretty good and kept going without stopping to rest again.  I was tired, for sure, but I just kept plugging away.  As I was getting closer, I was really feeling hungry.  At this point I had run 30+ miles and had only eaten a few protein bars.  After the episode that morning, I didn't feel like eating anything, but all of a sudden my appetite kicked in and thoughts of a good lunch certainly fueled me to finish.  I got back to my Jeep about 12:30.  I was feeling decent, definitely sweaty and drained, but I drove the few miles back home.  I took another shower, then proceed to eat 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, 2 oranges and 2 pieces of cheese along with a protein drink(similar to chocolate milk).  It all tasted fantastic!  I then tried to take a nap with plans to head back out around 4 p.m. or so.
Phase II Complete: 13 Miles, 33 Total.

Although there have been no sightings of Nessie in Lake Sammamish, at times it felt like I was trying to slay a dragon.

5:15 p.m., March 24, Phase III
Around 4:30 p.m. I woke up. I didn't realize I was asleep.  I had been watching tv, resting and must have dozed off.  I have to say I was really groggy at this point and thought the last 10 was going to be tough.  But I shook it off and got ready to go.  For the last part I planned to go to the local high school track, about 1/2 mile away and run the final 10 miles, 40 laps, in a controlled area. I  would have a bunch of stuff with me in the infield of the track and thus anytime I needed to take a break I would have water, food, more clothing, whatever, right there with me. Plus the track is flat and would be easier to run. I drove down to Eastlake High School and they were having a soccer match, so I couldn't run there.  So I went literally 1/4 mile down the road to Skyline High School(There really are 2 high schools virtually next to each other, different districts though.  Don't ask.)  Well  Skyline was having a soccer match too.  Did I mention that I hate soccer?  This wasn't helping.  So for Plan C, I drove a mile down the road to Pine Lake Middle School where they had just redone their whole track/football field and thankfully there was no soccer going on.  I jumped on the track, laid out my stuff, and proceed to start doing laps.  My plan was to do as many laps as I could before taking a break, figuring once I get really tired and hit the wall, every lap would be brutal, so try to do as much as I could right away.  The first few laps weren't too bad and eventually I was at lap 12, 3 miles, and kept going.  Then lap 16, mile 4, and then lap 20, mile 5.  I really wanted to do 6 miles at least, but after 5, I stopped and took a break.  20 laps down, 20 to go.  38 Miles total.  I rested for maybe 10 minutes, then got up and started back out.  Again the first few laps weren't too bad, but then fatigue was really starting to set in.  I did 8 laps, 2 miles, and took another break.  I had now done 40 Miles. Only 3 to go, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy.  After a few minutes rest, I got back out there and thank goodness for my iPod because it had been a godsend during this adventure and certainly helps when you are going round and round a track.  I had 12 laps left and burned off the first mile then proceeded to keep going.  After lap 6, 1.5 miles, I took another break.  I was really starting to fade.  41.5 Miles down.  But I knew I could make it, even if it took me all night.  After a few more minutes of rest, I started out for the last 6 laps.  I cruised the first two laps and was now within one mile of my goal.  I felt okay, better than I had anticipated, but far from finished.  The last mile, 4 laps, only person on the track, nobody around, no fanfare, no witnesses, no celebration, but also very fitting.  As a runner, you end up doing most of your running and/or training by yourself.  You have to motivate yourself, make yourself go out in bad weather, push yourself, dig deep, so I guess it only made sense that I would finish this journey all alone.  After running 3 laps with only one to go, I knew I was going to make it.  It felt good.  My mind wasn't too shot.  My body was stressed for sure, my legs tired, but overall nothing severe.  As I hit the last straightaway with the end in sight, I raised my hands, holding up 4 fingers in one hand and 3 in the other.  43 Miles.  I did it.
Phase III Complete 7:00 p.m.: 10 Miles, 43 MILES TOTAL!!!!!!!

43 Miles is a lot of weight for sure!

I gathered up all my stuff.  I hadn't ended up using most of it, as I had another pair of shoes, more clothes, food.  All I did was drink the water I brought and used the towel to wipe down the sweat.  I wish I could say I was ecstatic when I was done, that something magical happened, but really I just got my stuff, got in my Jeep and headed home.  I felt really good about doing it, making it, but maybe I was just to tired to think beyond that right now.  I got back home and took another shower.  You would think by now I would be starving as I had run 43 miles, burned probably 10K calories or more, had eaten very little throughout the day, yet my stomach was still somewhat unsettled.  But knowing I needed some food in me, I went to the local pizza place a few blocks away, MOD, and got a pizza.  I ate a few slices, but really it didn't taste good at all, which isn't their fault.  Often times when I run long distances my appetite takes awhile to come back and it hadn't yet.  I took the rest home, tried to stay up  to watch the Following, but fell asleep(although I taped it, didn't want to miss it, great show).

In the end, it was definitely a unique way to spend a birthday. First and foremost I am very happy and blessed to even have the health to engage is such activity.  I guess I know I may not always be able to do something like this so I figured I should take advantage of the chance to push myself to limits I never thought possible.  I am glad I did it for sure, glad that I was able to achieve it and that I learned to continue to push myself even when it seemed impossible only hours before when I was puking all over the grass.  What does it prove?  Nothing, really.  It was just something I thought would be unique and in a weird way, fun, to do.  Maybe it also proves that I need more hobbies, hard to argue with that.  Or maybe it proves that I need to move back to Arizona or Michigan where I have more family and friends.  Hard to argue with that too.  But maybe, just maybe, it proves that no matter what any of us are going through in our lives that we all have something deep inside that can push us, can get us through things, even if we have our own doubts.  But then again, maybe it just proves that a birthday party at McDonald's is always a more fun way and easier way to celebrate. Maybe next year Ronald. 

Forever Fired Up and now 43 years old!

Looking a little haggard, but 43 miles will do that to a person.  Well at least to me, but still Fired Up!

***Special thanks to my stick figure artist for their great work once again!

Phoenix Marathon 2014: Made me cry, again.

Coming up on Mile 22, this year I was determined to LEAVE NO DOUBT!

I had an absolutely fantastic time in Arizona last week.  I got to see my Aunt and Uncle in Bullhead City and do some gambling, met up with any number of friends including my former colleague Rebecca(although next time bring your hot single friend Mandy.  I'm still single you know.), my former neighbors Everett and Wanda who just celebrated their 40th anniversary!, my dear friends Nancy and Pete, got to hang out with my brother Jeff, stayed with my good friends Doug and Kristin, and my old running mate, Gregg, got to see my parents, visited my old neighborhood, met with my Friday morning St. Pat's group, went to Mass by Fr. Eric, ran on the trails, climbed Camelback Mountain., saw some spring training baseball, enjoyed the warm weather and sun, and oh yeah, there was that marathon at the end of the trip....

Circling back to exactly a year ago last weekend, I ran my very first marathon, the Phoenix Marathon, and anyone that has read my blog or knows me, you know that didn't go exactly as planned.  I wish I could say that I wasn't obsessed with how it went down, but it had indeed affected me over the last year.  So I vowed to return to the Phoenix Marathon in 2014, to have a better experience and run like I had always hoped.  The 2014 Phoenix Marathon, as coined by my good friend Bacon, was to be StuDemption!

After the race last year.  I had Earned the Bird, but it hurt.  Close up reveals an actual tear in my right eye.  Not good times.

I got into to Phoenix on Saturday and stepping off that plane and seeing and feeling the sunshine was glorious!  I then drove the 3-4 hours to Bullhead City and stayed at my Uncle Al and Aunt Rae's for a few days.  I love to gamble and Al and I went right over to the Aquarius and planted ourselves in the Sports Book.  Although my bets were horrible, he had a great weekend, so I was pleased to have brought him some luck.  I got to do one of my favorite runs, a 6.5 miler up and down the hills by their place and Rae made me one of her famous burritos as well.  It was  great start to my trip and I then headed down to the Valley of the Sun.

I stayed with my friend Gregg, who I met running when I lived in Scottsdale.  He and I became regular running partners, every Wednesday night at Papago Park in Tempe.  As well as many other times.  Gregg is also a local, born and raised in Phoenix, so he has been a tremendous friend and asset for helping me to navigate my way while living there.  Knowing I was eating a controlled diet that week, he took me to a Vegan restaurant by his place.  I'd never been to one before and I had the Kung Pao Chicken bowl.  I have to admit the chicken tasted pretty legit, I was shocked.  But a big thanks to Gregg for his hospitality and continued friendship.

Gregg and I remembering our Papago Park runs.  Good times.

Part of my plan for the marathon was to have a great week of vacation ahead of time so that no matter what happened with the race, I knew that I had a great trip.  So far it was working out very nicely and with my brother Jeff flying into town for a work conference, coincidentally, I knew the week would only get better.  I met up with Jeff and we had a great dinner Wednesday night before meeting up with my friends Doug and Kristin, who had acquired a party suite for the Cubs-Diamondbacks spring training game on Thursday, the very first game at the new Cubs facility in Mesa.  It was fantastic!  Being a VIP is certainly the way to go.  Great seats, all the food and drink you can consume and great friends, the only negative being I couldn't really eat all that I wanted too, but it was still awesome.

Being a VIP is really the only way to go.

Studenka Brothers taking in some spring training!

Thursday my parents got into town from Las Vegas and we all met up and had a great dinner at Majerle's, because, well, I shouldn't have to explain it to anyone reading this by now(Hint: Fire Up).  Friday morning I joined Doug and the Men's Group I belonged to with him at the Wildflower Bakery in Scottsdale.  Everyone showed up; Sammy, Matt, Mike, Bill, Robin and Doug, and it was great seeing them all again.  This group had a tremendous influence on my life last year as I struggled through my divorce and life at that point.  It was quite meaningful at the end of our time when Doug said a prayer and they all prayed thanking me for being able to join them that day and for strength and health for the race on Saturday.  Doug lives by the mantra, Leave No Doubt.  He has even created red bracelets and I've been wearing one every day since and trying to live my life that way in all aspects.  Thanks to everyone in the group.  I still vow to be back permanently someday.

Leave No Doubt in all aspects of life!

Friday morning my parents and I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Butters, for breakfast.  Apparently Joe Biden came in just after us, seriously.  Then Jeff and I climbed Camelback Mountain and then Friday night, my parents, brother and Doug and Kristin all went to the All-American Sports Bar in Fountain Hills.  For my last meal, if you will, I ate some mac and cheese and grilled asparagus.  I then stayed with Doug and Kristin that night.  I really was thankful to their hospitality because I've stayed with them before and I thought the familiarity of their house beat a hotel any day and I wanted as much normalcy as I could leading up to the race.  I had to get up at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, so around 9:00 p.m. I tried to go to bed.  It was difficult but around 10:00 p.m. or so I fell asleep and was able to get a solid 4+ hours before the wake up call.  All week long the forecast for Saturday had been rain, but not just sprinkles, a downpour of an inch and a half.  There wasn't anything I could do, so I wasn't stressed about it.  Running in rain, no problem, but a torrential downpour, ugh.  When I woke up at 3:00 I could hear it raining.  I was about 20 miles away from the course, so I was hopeful it would either end before race time or maybe not be raining at all in Mesa.

A new pre-marathon ritual; Climbing the Camel. Shouldn't I be resting or something?!?!

With Doug the night before.  Thanks again to you and Kristin for letting me stay over!  After we took this photo we realized we were photobombed by Jesus.  I took that as a good sign.

Just like last year, I had to drive to the finish line and board a bus to be taken to the start in the Usery Mountains.  It wasn't raining at all so far and when I got to the drop off, I had an hour and a half to kill.  It wasn't as bad as I thought though, as the anticipation is usually a killer for me.  But I talked to some other runners, read my secret weapon book, and before you knew it, they were sounding the horn for us to walk out to the road.  As all 3K of us were lining up on the road, with about 10 minutes until the gun, that's when the rain decided to appear.  It came very quickly and pelted everyone as we all stood there shaking and cold and ready to just get started.  Not a fun way to start any run, but nothing you can do.  My goal was to go out with the 3:15 pace group for as long as I could and then hang on for dear life at the end.  I wasn't really sure I could run a 3:15, but I was desperate to break 3:30 and figured that was my best chance.  Turned out the pacer, Derek,  was the same guy that I tried to pace with last year.  He is an incredible pacer, so I knew I'd be in good shape sticking with him as long as I could.

My secret weapon.  My parents found this in an antique store.  Notice where the marathon takes place.  I read this ahead of time to keep me calm, relaxed and to try and have some fun.  I didn't get any weird looks from anyone either.

When they finally shot the gun at 6:30 a.m. and sent us off, the first mile or so was really just spent trying to not knock someone over or get knocked over.  But after we made the first road turn, people started to separate into groups.  And as an added bonus it stopped raining, but it still looked horribly threatening so who knew what was ahead.  I felt great the first few miles, as I imagined I would.  I fully expected the first half+ to go really well, then I'd see what would happen.  But this year as a real added bonus my parents, Jeff and Doug were all going to be at multiple spots along the course to cheer me on.  First spot, right at Mile 4.  I had told them ahead of time, that I was going to run with the pacer and that I would guarantee to be at Mile 4 right at 7:00 a.m.  As we were getting close I started looking for them and right at the corner, just like we planned, there they were.  It felt awesome!  This was my 20th road race and besides my parents coming to the marathon last year and only being able to be in one spot, I have never had anyone at any race I've run be there to cheer me on.  What made it even better is that they turned this race into a true spectator sport, at least for me.  They were cheering wildly, Jeff made a sign, and taking pictures and video, I ran by and slapped five with all of them, it really was a lift.

My Pit Crew Doug, Jeff, Dad (my mom took the photo), The sign Jeff made is an inside joke between he and I.  It definitely made me laugh when I ran by.

Right after Mile 4 you do the only uphill on the course, Thunder Mountain.  However, after living in Seattle this last year and running the disturbingly unfriendly hills there, this became a piece of cake.  I guess the struggling and cursing of the hills I ran everyday, finally paid off.  Thank goodness.  The next few miles went really well as I was right with the pace group.  There were maybe 6-8 people trying to stick with the 3:15 for now.  I talked to a number of them, amazing all you learn about someone in a really short time and then you never see them again.  But you have to do whatever you can out there to get yourself through.  After running by Mile 4 and my crew being so excited and voiceful, a number of the other runners made mention of how cool that was and how lucky I was and they were 100% right!  As we turned down McDowell and were heading towards the Boeing plant, the plan was I would see them again around Mile 11 or so.  When we got close, I ask Derek(Pace runner) if I could carry the 3:15 sign when we went by and he was fully on board.  So as we got close and I could see Doug's bright yellow jacket and hear him yelling, I took hold of the sign and ran by them all, feeling very strong and confident, slapped high fives and got yet another lift.  All of the runners around me were laughing and happy for me.  As marathoners, any lift you get feels incredible and those that didn't have anyone out there for them, we'll I've been there and the support was making a difference without question.  Although for the record I told all the people in our pack that if you can tell me that you hate scUM, I will be sure to have my group cheer for you as well.  They all laughed and goes to prove, once again, that hating scUm pays dividends.

I can now officially say that I have been a marathon pacer!

High fives all around!  Feeling great at 11.5!

Last year about this time is when the leg issues really kicked in for me.  However, today I was feeling really good so far but I thought of that as I passed the point in the race last year where my legs locked up, I just thought to myself, keep going you're already ahead of last year and every mile after that, I said the same thing. I was still with the 3:15 group and as we turned onto Brown Rd. I knew this was going to be a tough stretch.  At this point we'd run 15.5 miles, so you are already fatigued. You run 4 miles down Brown, a very straight road, with it being blocked for traffic, there is absolutely no one around so you have to dig deep as you try to work to the end of it and to Mile 20.  As part of my plan, knowing this would be tough, I had my crew scheduled to be at Mile 20 and so without question, the thought of them being at the end of the road helped spur me on.  I was starting to feel it, but still on pace, hopeful to see them up ahead and get that lift.  It had never rained again since the starting line, but it had stayed cloudy and kept the sun from beating, which was fantastic.  By this time I really didn't need my gloves or removable sleeves.  Knowing I'd see everyone up ahead, I took them off, wadded them in a ball and carried them with plans to drop it off as I ran by.  Since it had rained at the beginning and I had, obviously, sweated a great deal by this point, it was basically a giant, 5 pound ball of sweat I was running with in my hands.  Eager to unload it, I started looking for them as I neared the end of Brown Rd. and turned left onto Mesa.  They were nowhere around.  Did I miss them?  Impossible, but maybe they were up ahead.  Ran to Mile 21, still not there, so I proceed to throw my sleeves/gloves sweatball off to the side of the road.  Whoever found it, I hope you had some purel.  At this point  I was still feeling okay, but I had slipped off the 3:15 pace, not by much, but I could tell I was slowing down.  Figuring I wouldn't see my supporters until the end, I knew I was going to have to dig deep to finish this race.  Plus I always knew the last 10K would be the toughest.  As they say, anyone can run 20 miles, the last 6.2 is what makes you a marathoner.

Somewhere around 22-24, feeling slow, but still confident.

I was starting to feel fatigued and knowing I was falling off pace was somewhat discomforting.  Not terrible, but disappointing.  However, the night before my friend Jon Laing, aka Bacon, had texted me and wished me good luck and he also said to have fun out there, run your own race, don't worry about the results.  I cannot tell you how many people have told me that before, but for some reason Bacon telling me that, it resonated and as I was struggling the last few miles, I really kept thinking back to that.  Slipping off the pace last year, killed me mentally, but he was right, I needed to just do my own thing and be proud of it.  As I was getting closer and could see the Mile 22 flag up ahead,  I could hear someone screaming and it sounded like my name.  Keep in mind at this point of a marathon your mind is really shot, so you aren't exactly in tune with what's going on around you.  But as I got literally right up to the flag, there was Doug, Jeff and my parents, cheering wildly.  It honestly was almost like a mirage as I ran by.  But, wow, was it ever a great feeling!  It definitely kept me going and as I got near Mile 24 I heard it again but assumed there was no way, I had to be imagining things, but there they were at Mile 24 cheering wildly again!  I can't even begin to describe how that felt and how much that made a difference.  With only 2.2 miles to go there was no way I was going to crack this time.  As I got close to Mile 25, they drove by in Doug's car, purely by coincidence, but literally right up next to me.  Turns out they couldn't get near Mile 20 like we planned so they found some other spots to be.  Lucky me!  As I hit Mile 25 at the water/aid station, I took some water but they were also handing out red licorice sticks.  I'd never seen that before at a race, but figured it was for the instant sugar rush, as your body can really use it by then. I took one figuring the chewing, albeit difficult, would be a good distraction as I ran the last mile and it was.

As I turned onto Alma School Road, with less than a mile to go, I was tired for sure, but not beaten.  I made the final turn into the Mesa Riverview Mall complex with 1/2 mile left.  I knew I was going to make it, but what would my time be?  I knew I was way off pace from 3:15 but had I held on to break 3:30? I wasn't sure  but when I got to the final straightaway I could see the finish line and the giant digital clock and it said 3:27:10, I knew I was going to make it. I knew I was slow, but I felt like a million dollars and as I ran the last 1/10th of a mile and crossed the finish line, I raised my arms in victory because I truly felt like I had run the race the way I wanted and this time it worked out as well.  StuDemption had indeed happened as I officially crossed in 3:27:44 and in 199th place out of 3K.

Last year when I was finished, my legs were a wreck and I couldn't wait to sit down.  On this day, I certainly didn't want to run another few miles, but I was so hyped and although fatigued for sure, I just was too excited.  As I was going through the finish chutes, I saw my crew and ran over to them, gave them all a hug and told them how much they inspired me and how much of a difference they had made.  It was great.  They were all just as excited for me and I cannot tell you how great of a feeling that was and how I will never forget that moment.

Right after finishing with Doug, still in the runners chute.  I don't look too bad for having just run for 3 1/2 hours.

Afterwards I went back to my parents hotel and sat in the hot tub for about an hour, getting my core temperature back up and soaking my legs.  I had some soreness in my quads, but nothing major.  After a brief rest in the hotel, we all went out to one of my favorite places, the Blue 32 Sports Bar, near my old place in Scottsdale.  A few other friends joined us and it was a fantastic way to celebrate not only the race, but a great week, just like I had hoped.

My Dad at the Detroit Marathon in 1979.  He held the family record for 35 years.  I may have beat his time, but he'll always be #1!

As I look back on everything it really is no surprise to me that I ran my best race, the race of my life, when I had my family and friends there to support me.  Sure I had to do the training to even make it possible but as I had learned before, a marathon is just a long, long race and even if you are in physical shape to do it, there are a ton of variables.  So having support all week and especially that day, well there is No Doubt that made a huge difference.  I am truly blessed to have so many people in my life supporting me and there for me.  The last few years have been difficult to accept that I've needed extra help, more than I ever did before, but how lucky for me, that it's even an option.  Did I really need this race to turn out this way for StuDemption?  No, because I already have awesome parents, siblings and friends and that is far more important than any race and realizing that and having such a tremendous week with everyone really put that into focus for me.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who wished me good luck or even thought it, everything helps out there and I am truly blessed to have so many supportive people in my life. However, just between you and me, I sure am glad the race turned out like it did, tears again, but this time tears of joy.   

FOREVER FIRED UP!



With my parents at the after party at my favorite place!  StuDemption!