Sunday, October 5, 2008

St. George Marathon

Diary of An Everyday Housewife
Sunday, October 5, 2008

Hi, Everybody! I didn’t write all week because I spent most of my days and nights in the bathroom with an upset stomach. No, I did not eat bad chicken. No, I didn’t catch the flu bug. I was actually just SUPER nervous about running in the St. George Marathon. An old friend of mine from Taft, California, was running it as well and said he’d run with me to help me pace myself and hopefully qualify for the Boston Marathon. Talk about pressure!
Just to give you a little background, when I’m training, I usually run 10 minute miles while listening to books on my IPOD. It’s nice and relaxing. No pressure. Well, in order for me to qualify for Boston, I had to run 8:20 miles. I didn’t think it would be possible . . . thus the upset stomach.
We had the kids skip school on Friday, and Aaron took off work to head down to St. George. They were all so excited about their weekend of rest and relaxation. I was just a teensy bit annoyed that everyone else could be so relaxed. Aaron’s parents drove out from California and my dad also headed down to see me at the finish line. More pressure!!
We ate at the Olive Garden the night before so I could get plenty of carbs. Carson broke a wine glass as soon as we were seated and then spilled a full glass of Sprite all over the floor during the meal. Very stress free!!
I went to bed at 8:15 and dreamt about waking up late and missing the marathon. I think I also caught the Restless Legs Syndrome during the night. I kept shuffling around and felt like there were bugs and spiders in the bed! I woke up for the last time at 3:45 a.m., got my layers of clothes on, took some Tylenol, ate a bagel and banana, tried to go to the restroom (of course it was the first time all week I couldn’t go!), and headed down to the hotel lobby. My amazing Dad was waiting for me, at 4:30 a.m. to take me to meet the buses! Thanks, Dad!
The buses drove us up to the starting line. I think it was a 45 minute drive up the canyon. I noticed during the drive that it was raining! It doesn’t usually rain in St. George! My lucky day! I waited in line at the porta-potties for another 45 minutes. I think people were spending a lot of time in there to stay out of the rain. When it was finally my turn to use the bathroom, I only had about 4 minutes before the gun would go off. People in line to use the bathroom behind me were chanting, “Dump it Quick!” How gross is that?! Needless to say, with all that pressure, I couldn’t go!
The gun went off, and that is the last thing I remember! Ha! Ha! It was pitch black when we started. I think I ran into a few people. It was cold. It was wet. It was wet. Oh, did I already say that?! Some people ran the whole marathon in a garbage bag. I’ll remember that trick next time. Lots of people took potty breaks beside the side of the road. I don’t think I’ll try that trick!!
By mile #23 my legs felt like bricks. I kept going, but didn’t want to. I just kept thinking about Aaron standing at the finish line looking at his watch and clucking his tongue. Ha! Ha!
When I crossed the finish line, I had tears in my eyes (it might’ve just been raindrops!) and I was soaking wet. I was also unable to walk. My toes were a mess. My feet had been sitting in wet socks for more than 4 hours. Needless to say, I won’t be getting a pedicure anytime soon. No one would be able to stand the sight of these puppies.
The sad part about the marathon is that I spent another couple hours in the bathroom after I finished– sick to my stomach again! The happy part is – I qualified for Boston!

6 comments:

Memzy said...

WOW. I've always wanted to run a marathon. My stupid knee hasn't let me train for that length yet. That is so cool you qualified for Boston. My brother ran Boston and he loved it. Said it was one of the best marathon's he'd ever run. So, do you think your stomach will let you do Boston? Poor thing!

Our Family said...

Congratulations!!!! My stomach was getting upset while reading this waiting for the outcome! When is the Boston marathon?

The Everyday Housewife said...

It is in April. I don't know if I'm going to go (I think it would cost a lot of moola) but it would be fun. Did I just say fun?! I don't think the running part would be fun, but going to visit Boston would be!!

Heidi said...

Vanessa, you are adorable and most definitely my hero. :) I am so proud of you and happy that I found your blog through Laura's. Now we just need Kristin to get one, or let me guess.... she already has one, and I just don't know about it. You are great!

Stina said...

Hey Vanessa! I'm so excited I found your blog! I loved reading your whole experience! I loved the bathroom talk. Oh the joy. CONGRATS ON QUALIFYING!!! You are amazing! I hope you get to run Boston! From 5K to marathoner in no time at all. I am so impressed!!

Anyway, check mine out at www.worldofpearson.blogspot.com

Sara Pauga said...

Vanessa -

It's Sara (Thomas) Pauga from Bakersfield - I am training for the St. George Marathon right now and your blog just scared me! Ha Ha I am running about 30 miles a week right now and I am not sure I will be ready. I am also worried that I might not get in. Is the registration really difficult? Any tips you could give would be great. I want to increase my time but I am having trouble with that and the stomach thing for me has been an issue as well. Are you planning on running it again? I will not have a time anything like yours - I will be happy if I finish within 4 hours. Anyway I am glad I found your blog - keep in touch!