Yup, it was that good ;)
So, other than going on and on about how hard it was...which can be a little bit of a downer, I thought I'd throw some sarcasm in a la David Lettermanish type. So here we go...
The Top Ten Signs You Know You've Run
The Park City Marathon...
10. The scenery and surroundings are amazing - I can't even knock that. So beautiful and great weather other than the head wind for 3/4 of the race.
9. Your swag bag has a box of Wheaties in it. I mean, come on Park City. Jen Aniston shows up and she gets a Fendi bag, Dolce & Gabana sunglasses and True Religion jeans in it. Now, I know I am not Jen Aniston but throw me a little some 'em some 'em. This is the city of celeb during the winter months and one step away from Aspen and the only freebie I get is a box of Wheaties? Really?
8. You get to 8th Street, which is mile 18, and you need a repelling rope to help pull you up the hill - it's that steep.
7. At mile 20 you've finally stopped running uphill. Remember that elevation chart I showed you? It said 16 miles up, right? It lied. 20 miles up, then gradual down. Huh.
6. A grown man puking at mile 23. Guess that could happen at any marathon but seemed poeticly perfect in this race.
5. Instead of hopping on the ski tram for a nice scenic ride up Deer Valley ski resort, you find yourself running right by it trying to stretch and jab the sides of your abs to get the stitches to release. The air is thinner than thin up there. Stitches finally worked themselves out over the next couple of miles...
4. Hamstrings crying "Why Me?" the whole second half of the race.
3. Running so slow that I could take phone calls on my iPhone. No...really.
2. Your family is tired of circling the booths at the finish line waiting the extra half hour wondering where the heck you are. Sorry guys.
1. You're crying at the finish line. I know, I thought I had the mental part of of this in control but apparently not. This race got the best of me.
After I got my cries out, we celebrated at Red Banjo Pizza...one of our favorite places to go as a family. You gotta go there if ever in Park City. Best pizza ever! I enjoyed my Cherry Coke too!
So there you have it. My Park City recap. I'm putting it behind me, the whole 5 hours and 7 minutes of it. Let me just say I started really strong. I got to the half-way mark at 2:10. I was ecstatic about that. Those uphills just didn't quit! After the hill at mile 18, that's when my hamstrings started cramping...bad. I'm just glad I finished. I'm pretty sure this will be the hardest course of my 12 marathons this year. At least I'm praying it is. : )
Gotta go back to the drawing board on a few things though. What should I have done to keep my hamstrings from cramping so bad? I shot blocked every hour, water & gatorade every 15-20 minutes. Took some endurance pills to help oxygen flow to my muscles and brain (I'll tell you about these soon!). Ate my regular pb sand and banana pre-race. I think I needed more carbs and sodium during the race. Maybe some pretzels, trail mix - I don't know. I also think I should have done more long runs with serious uphill miles at the end. But who wants to do those? :)
I'm going to do some yoga and tai chi this week to try to release all the negative energy and push forward to brighter days of running. (Sarcasm) I'm really okay today, just a little disappointed in myself. Which brings me to my final point of the day....
To all of you out there running, training, pondering marathons - You have to run more than one! You train so hard and do so many things to prepare and sometimes one miscalculation can throw off the entire experience. Don't let the "1" be the end. I tell everyone to run at least 2! You've trained for weeks and weeks and for it to be all over and done within one morning, good or bad, just doesn't seem like enough! Throw another one on that calendar. Whether it's a half-marathon 6 or 8 weeks before your marathon or a couple of marathons a month or two apart. You'll be glad you did. I'm so glad that I have Top of Utah Marathon to look forward to. I know it's going to be great! My redemption from Park City. No pressure. ;)
Happy Monday y'all!
