Wow! For my first St. George marathon, what a day! Pouring rain at the start line, Michelle and I lost Angela and Julie (harder than you think to keep track of people in pitch black, pouring rain!). As the start approached, I got so nervous and felt the need to go to the bathroom AGAIN, after being through the porta-potty lines TWICE already. But, we got in line, found Michelle N., and got behind the 3:30 balloons. Too bad that the next time we saw them, a toddler was holding them at the finish line.
But hey, I really didn't even feel like we needed the pacer--Michelle Margetts is such a smart runner, and she successfully held us back on some of the downhills, so we could conserve our energy for that huge uphill (that the sun came up just in time to illuminate--I was hoping NOT to see it, just run it!). But she was such a cheerleader the whole time. Too bad we weren't wearing our skirts! During the last 3 miles I usually fall apart and do about 10 minute miles, but on Saturday I felt pretty good until the last mile. My whole body started getting tingly and shaky, but Michelle totally kept me going, even though she could have sprinted ahead and gotten in under 3:30. What an awesome friend! And our last mile was still at 7:30 pace, which I thought was a total triumph for us! Finishing strong!
I think the whole factor behind feeling strong, and being able to sustain an 8:00 minute pace average, despite the headwind and pouring rain, was our coach Steve Ashbaker. He convinced us to put in more miles, and who knew? It totally makes all the difference! Also the workouts he did with us gave us the confidence, and ability to feel our pace. Steve rocks!
Also Peggy and Cheryl have always helped us a ton with the speed group. I would probably still be stuck in a total rut if not for the ability to get together and run with such genuinely nice, decent people several times a week. Everyone in the BBK group is so fun to be around and talk to! I am so glad everyone got such amazing times. |