Steamtown Marathon

I spent the day walking down stairs BACKWARDS, as this is the ONLY way to do such a task after running 26.2 miles. I feel surprisingly well, but my quads are super sore. Thank God, they are the only body parts that are giving me any discomfort. The marathon was, just that, a LONG 26.2 miles. I had forgotten exactly what that felt like from last year's run...maybe I blocked out the memory of the pain. haha.
Steamtown,PA is MUCH different than NY...as mostly anywhere out of NY is. I found that I missed the energy of NY, but enjoyed the scenery as I ran through the different parts of the town. There were the mom & pop shops, the American Legion (that had a CLEAN bathroom!), the beautiful foliage, certain areas that reminded me of the Georgia race course, the QUIET I needed at certain times and the kids cheering on the sidelines when I needed an extra push...
I ran at a much faster pace than I'm used to for such a long run...for long runs, one has to pace themselves so you don't hit the dreaded 'wall' along the way...well, I hit mine @ mile 20. Figures! I attribute that to not drinking for 10 miles of running at a sub 8 minute mile pace. After mile 21-22, I hit a sugar LOW and just needed to drink all the water and Gatorade I could get. The best part was that the volunteers had things I NEEDED~cookies, gummy bears, and swedish fish! Yep, I had them all along miles 21-24, and those things got me through the last few miles w/ MUCH more energy than I'd had. At one point, a man yelled, "4 hours is still attainable!" Well, that was just what I needed to hear to jump start my adrenaline. A sub 4 hour marathon is unheard of for me, but I figured, what the heck, let me push and see what happens, and that's JUST what I did. I found every bit of energy I had an RACED til the end...because, after all, it IS always a race. ; ) End time: 3 hours, 59 minutes, and 32 seconds. WOW! I'm definitely pleased & surprised with that time and with the fact that I REALLY completed this without injury.
I have to say~when I hit mile 24 and my quads felt as though they couldn't go any longer, and they were so tight and uncomfortable, I remembered last year's marathon & how I struggled at the exact same mileage... except this time, I was racing against time & had to fight through it..which I did! Yay!! I was THRILLED to see Marisel and Justyn near the Finish Line! I almost cried at seeing them, but HAD to finish, so I kept it together! haha~Thanks, Mari & Just for being there~it meant the world to me!
Binu also did well, but he got injured on the course! ah! Somehow, the arch of his foot began to hurt him very much and he had walk, get a heating pad for it, alternate between running and walking, etc. Although he didn't finish in the time time he planned & hoped for, he still did VERY well! Great job, B!