A Change of Pace

Well, I officially completed my first marathon. My time was 4 hours 45 minutes, and I can't remember how many seconds. Much to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The people of St. George were incredible. Thousands of people came out just to cheer everyone on and provided much needed words of encouragement. Here is a break-down of the day:

3:45 am: Woke up and got ready

4:30 am: Lisa drove my friend Brad, his wife Cassie and I to the registration building.

4:45 am: I fell into some sort of manhole as we were heading to the bus and bruised the crap out of my shin (I thought I was done for)

5:00 am: We got on a bus that took us to the starting point. I sat next to a lady named Stacy who was also running her first marathon. We talked about a lot of concerns and how happy we would be when we got done.

5:30 am: We arrived at the starting point and joined the other 5,100 runners that were competing. It was an awesome site to see. We all huddled around about 20 bonfires to keep warm and stretch out.

6:45 am: Start time! 5,100 runners charged out of the starting gate whooping and hollering. It felt like a fight scene from Braveheart. It was really cool!

9:04 am: Hit the halfway point (13.1 miles).

11:30 am: Gave Vanessa a kiss on the sidelines and crossed the finish line (26.2 miles).

It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment and pain. I was able to run during the whole race, excluding about 3/4 of a mile where I had to walk. I was amazed at how hard-core and intense some of the runners were. Here are some interesting things I saw:

1) A man sticking his vaseline covered hand right up his butt before the race. To be honest, I wish I had done the same.

2) A 60 year-old lady's bare butt as she squatted next to a honey bucket (she didn't want to waste time waiting for an available toilet).

While I was training, I swore countless times that I would never run after this was over (needless to say, I would never do another marathon). Despite the rush of crossing the finish line, my feelings remained the same right after the race. But I have to admit, my feelings have now changed. It was by far one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. There's just something about being around so many people from so many places all sharing the same goal. It was truly a life-changing experience. As of right now, I hope to do it again next year. I would also like to compete in some smaller runs to be better prepared. Here are some pictures of the race. Sorry there are so few, but it was impossible for me to have the camera with me.

Before the race

Me about 100 yards from the finish line

Me, Brad, and Cassie after the race

Lisa putting up with my stench (she has a pregnant nose)

Vanessa got really tired watching people cross the finish line