Tales from St. George

     Caleb and I have tried to run 2 marathons together in the past:  Phoenix and Salt Lake.  Both marathons ended in tragedy for me.  I was deathly ill from my "yet to be diagnosed" celiac disease in Phoenix and spent 5 hours on the course (half of that time was spent going potty).  Salt Lake City was another nightmare; I ran 6, walked 8, and finally gave up without finishing because of a foot injury.  Caleb and I decided that the third time would be the charm!  We both trained for months to run in the St. George Marathon 2012.  Unfortunately, Caleb's knee started causing him problems a couple of weeks before the race.  We thought the gods may be speaking to us:  "You two are not supposed to run marathons together!"  Caleb decided to run on one good knee, and headed down to St. George on Friday night with me and Dad.

We hung out at the Expo on Friday night.  I bought myself a skin-tight pair of black calf sleeves to wear the next day.  I was hoping they would cut off the circulation in my legs so I wouldn't feel the pain during the race.  They didn't work. :)

I thought it would be a great idea to buy some of these "Nip Guards" for myself as well.  No girl likes to be "nipply" during a race.  When I picked them up for a closer look the salesman said,  "They work great to protect men from getting bloody nipples while racing."   He seemed surprised that I was interested in purchasing them for myself.  I held them up for size, and considered the purchase for a moment.  Unfortunately they were $8.  Too much money.  I decided that two pieces of  Scotch tape would work just as well.

I woke up the next morning to Dad's camera.  He got pictures of everything . . . even my success in the bathroom!  Wink.  Wink.

Caleb was thrilled to have a photo taken of himself getting the perfect racing hair style!

Next photo opportunity was down in the hotel lobby.  Dad got me practicing my stride.  He was such a champ waking up at 4:00 am to drive Caleb and me to the busses.

Dad also caught us practicing our victory stance.   The other people in the hotel lobby just smirked.

A couple of hours later, we were not looking quite so victorious.  I lost one of my water bottles at Mile 1.  That was a bummer.  We stopped for a potty break at Mile 3.  Boys are so lucky.  Caleb was able to relieve himself without anyone stopping to stare -- right out in the open.  The next 11 miles were pretty uneventful.  A couple of friendly runners tried to engage in conversation, but Caleb and I just focused on running.  Unfortunately, my stomach started to bother me at Mile 14.  Being a girl makes the potty process just a tad bit more difficult.  I have to admit, squatting by the side of the road with no bushes in sight, knowing that all the runners running up the road towards you can see your bare bum, is actually not as awkward as it sounds! :)

Jeff was waiting for us at Mile 18 with a fresh bottle of Zip Fizz and a Payday candy bar.  I tried to chew the peanuts and nougat, but my mouth was too dry.  I ended up chewing for a couple of minutes and then  spitting the peanuts out all over the road.  I'm sure it wasn't a pretty sight.  Chewing that nougat kept my mind off my tired legs though.

I hit a major wall at Mile 19.  I was exhausted.  I barely made it to Mile 20.  I just kept thinking, "I am going to eat a giant bacon cheeseburger and french fries as soon as I finish running.  All I have to do is run 6 more miles."  The cheeseburger and french fry fantasy wasn't super helpful.  I felt EVERY step.  Caleb and I separated for about 5 miles.  Just when I thought I couldn't make it one more step, with only .5 miles left to go, I saw Caleb back at my side.  We both had tears in our eyes as we ran the last part of the race together.  We crossed the finish line at the same moment.  We finally did it!!  We finished a marathon TOGETHER!!  I know it sounds sappy, but it was one of the coolest moments of my life.

Caleb, Marisa, Jill and I after the race.

In case you are wondering why I'm being so immodest . . . I hid some Blue Bunny Ice Cream bars in my top for later.  Bet you can't even tell!

Cheers!  Nothing like a Diet Coke after 26.2 miles.  Nothing could've tasted better (except for that bacon cheeseburger and fries).  The End!