After living in Atlanta for over a year and a half, I've started to get used to hot and humid summers, and so when we took the 4:00am shuttle to the start and it was 40 or so degrees, I was a little bit chilly! Thankfully they let us wait on the buses until we were ready to start, and I got to know some fellow runners I had met at the airport the day before while we were waiting on the bus. When I travel alone, it's always awesome to meet new running friends. Soon we were lining up at the start line, and then we were off! I learned pretty quickly that the day was going to be filled with some amazing views.
Now here I will say that I've learned a few things in 2016, since this seems to be a year of high altitude marathons for me, which is that my body does not adjust well or quickly to higher altitudes, and I had less than 24 hours from landing in SD to running this marathon. The other thing I've learned is that I need to listen to my body and take it easier when I'm not feeling at my best. And so although I got off to a fairly good start, I soon knew that it was going to be a slow and steady day, and that was okay with me. I stopped worrying about PR's some time ago, and now focus on just enjoying the experience as much as possible because running a marathon is a pretty amazing experience, especially in many of the beautiful places I've had the opportunity to run in, and I'm lucky to be able to run for my cause. So a slow and steady day it was.
As I was taking in the scenery, I made note of many houses that I would like to live in. Growing up in a log house has always seemed to be kind of a rare thing, but not in Spearfish SD! Almost every house we ran by was a log house, and some were like mansions! And all with incredible views of the mountains and brooks passing by. Awesome.
The amazing views continued, and at about mile 11-12, we started on the '76 Trail, which was a short trail, but incredible! Sadly my running watch battery died on that trail, and so I was without half of my technology (I still had my tunes) for the rest of the day.
Around this time, the temperature felt like it went from 40s to 80s and sunny in about 10 minutes. I had worn some extra layers that I knew I would have to wrap around my waist when it warmed up (I wasn't willing to part with them by tossing them to the side of the road), and as I came upon the half marathon mark, one of the race staff offered to take it to the end for me with some other runners' things when he saw me struggling to wrap everything around my waist. I've never run in a race where this has been offered half way through, and I was so thankful for not having to carry it all with me for the rest of the way! Things like this are what I love about smaller marathons :). And indeed everything was waiting at the end when I finished.
Although I had been managing the altitude issues, I did start to feel a little worse with the heat as the miles increased. But I just kept moving forward for my cause. At one point around mile 21, I felt so dizzy and nauseaus that I had to lay down in the grass on the side of the road for a few minutes. While I was lying there, I looked up into the sky and thought about all those that I run for, which helped me find the strength to get back on my feet. Another runner checked in on me and went ahead to find someone to bring me water, and medical vehicle stopped me a few minutes after that because they had seen me laying down and wanted to be sure I was okay. They gave me a bottle of water (it seemed like the most wonderful bottle of water in the world in that moment), and after sitting with them in the shade of the truck for a few minutes, I felt rejuvenated. From then on I knew I would cross the finish line.
I continued on slow and steady, and in the last mile I met a runner that I had met during my triple marathon weekend in June. We had both missed the same turn in UT and ran together to the end, and then we ran together to the finish line again in SD. Upon crossing the finish line, everyone received a rose, which was so nice. It was a great ending to an awesome marathon.
Now some might wonder why I would make myself go through these altitude issues for 4 marathons in a row in 2016 (which was not on purpose :). But my answer is simple. I do it for my cause. My goal is to run all 50 states, and that includes all different altitudes, temperatures, and terrain. Even though this year has been a year of slow and steady marathons for me, I've made it to the end and have continued checking off states for my goal. And even if I don't feel at my best, it doesn't take away from the awesomeness of the experience. The places I have seen, the friends that I have made, and the feeling of accomplishment after I cross every finish are all incredible things. And most importantly, my journey in running a marathon in all 50 states while raising important funds for Tedy's Team and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and for all those that have been affected by heart disease and stroke makes it all even more incredible.
With that said... I am looking forward to running my next marathon (State #27) at the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis, MN, which is at about the same altitude as Atlanta :).
And here is my finish line photo!
Marathon Highlights
Awesome RD, race staff, and volunteers
Gorgeous views of Spearfish Canyon
Very easy to get to packet pickup (right at the hotel) and start (shuttle from hotel)
Very cool race shirt and medal
Everyone gets a rose!
A great marathon all around
#1 Song that got me through a tough spot:
Lost Boy -Ruth B.
Also - thank you to the awesome medical staff that stopped to make sure I was okay, gave me water, and let me sit in the shade of their truck when I really needed it.
