26.2

I did it.  I ran 26.2 miles inexactly 4 hours & 50 minutes.  The goal in my head was 4:45, so only 5 minutes longer!  The weather ended up being perfect, and Margie was a lifesaver on the 2nd half.  Couldn't have done it without you!  I was going to post this once the race photos were posted, but that's just taking way too long.

Here's a recap of the race:

Dudley drops me off at the starting line at 7:40am.  I try to find Jesse and some other friends, but I am short and can't see anyone in this huge crowd, so I just make my way to the corral and take it all in.  People watching is one of my favorite things, so I look around at people getting ready and chatting and some Elvis tunes are playing on the loudspeaker.  They released each corral 2 minutes apart, so I crossed the starting line as the official clock said 19 something minutes.  Off I went.  I had some foot problems the last couple of weeks, so I was anxious to see how it would hold up with the biofreeze I put on it.  Doing/feeling great!  I had one headphone in so I could hear all the excitement, bands, yelling, etc.  I tried not to let my adrenaline allow me to run faster than a 10min pace so I could keep steady for more than 4 hours.

First people I saw cheering for me around mile 4-5 that I knew was T's dad, sister (Katy--St. Jude Survivor!), and brother, Austin.  Thanks guys, I was so happy to see your faces!  They were right at the entrance to the St. Jude Campus.  Running through the campus was the best part of the day.  Seeing the parents of those kids thanking you and cheering for you made it (pain) all worth it.  Saw Jesse's hubby Nick on his bike right outside the St. Jude campus.

Next we get on N. Pkway, and my next people should be around mile 7.  T, Margie, Audrey & Ross.  Still feeling great and excited!  I spotted them, so happy to see them and Audrey had made the best sign ever, which I actually didn't read until I saw them at mile 10ish.  Thanks for supporting me and cheering for me--I loved seeing all of you!  Along N. Pkway I saw some other familiar faces-- Leslie Poe and her cute family, and the Davis'! Thanks for being there guys!

best sign ever.

hey guys! I'm running a marathon!

The next turn was into Overton Park, which was my LEAST favorite part when I ran the half in '08.  This time, it wasn't so bad!  There were people cheering and I used Jesse's technique and sang all the words to ice ice baby (in my head).  Next thing I knew I was at the Brooks museum and stopped for some water and gu (mmmm).  It was now time to truck it up Poplar on the nice rolling hills that comes with that.  Saw Ross & Audrey & T's fam again along the stretch, and this point the inside of my ankle started aggravating me.  Of course this was not the part of my foot I was worried about that I had biofreezed.  Hmph. Awesome.  Kept up a steady pace and got to the UT Med School area and looked for my big bro Johnny--there he was!  He ran a little ways with me (then he went back to studying).

It was time for the split off--the half-marathoners run to finish, and the marathoners keep straight.  I kept straight and was ready to see Margie!  There was T and Margie (she was stretching) waiting and off we went.  

I need biofreeze.

off we went!

Margie had another pack of biofreeze to put on the aggravating ankle, but it never really kicked in... oh well.  She was loving the sights and got to see Beale, pretty midtown houses, cooper young area, Rhodes, St. Jude & AutoZone.  I was so glad to have a buddy at this point, I got to see T again at mile 15, and I was still on the look-out for Mom, Dad & Leslie.  I'm telling you, the support from family & friends was AMAZING!

hi hubby.

I finally saw the three stooges on their bikes, and Uncle Gary was along with them!  They came running towards us yelling and screaming and so excited! "The green vest, the green vest!!!!"  Leslie ran a little bit and said, "see you down at Grace St. Lukes.  After that point, not as many hills."  Still feeling great (not loving the hills), but still feeling great!  It was amazing that there was water/powerade at every mile. (wish I had a pic of the 3 stooges with their bikes & helmets on!)

We kept on trucking up Peabody (away from the finish line might I add), and saw the three stooges & uncle gary again yelling and cheering, among lots of others!  The excitement that the bystanders brought was just so great and I don't think we went more than half a mile without bystanders.  Finally got to Cooper Young area and saw Grant & Mandi & Ms Cindi (on her bike), thanks guys!  Got some water and kept on going to make the turn to E Pkway.  I was getting hungry, but knew I would see T at 19 with my granola bar.  There he was with the Turmans cheering and I stopped for a brief second to get the granola bar and they all asked me how I was doing.  I still felt great!  The rest of E Pkway we had to run on the slant of the road (which I STRONGLY dislike), and very close to cars.  We made a few friends, and then saw Ross & Audrey again!  I'm telling you people, if you ever run a marathon, you will want your friends to come cheer you on--it was amazing!

Ok, this is just added in because it was one of the best parts of the day, and happened throughout the run--not at a particular time on the timeline.  There was a man (or 5) wearing a green t-shirt with the grinch's face on it.  We saw him AT LEAST 10 times on the 2nd half, and I saw him a couple on the first, too.  I promise we saw the same man everytime, but he was everywhere!  Probably every few miles we would see him again.  Best part is we saw him as I was sprinting to the finish and Margie said, "you're everywhere and it's been amazing!"  Well it was.  Gave us a high-five every time, and then we even saw him at the finish line!  I wish I had a photo of the grinch-man (as we called him)...

Finally mile 20 on N Pkway and headed back downtown!!! I could start to feel my pace was slowing down, so I stopped for my 3rd gu and water.  Mile 21 hit, and from here on is further than all my training.  I saw the 3 stooges again, and Leslie comes running out and starts sobbing--she's so proud, I look so great, and I'm doing so well.  Of course tears well up in my eyes, but we kept on going and Leslie said, "see you down in a few miles, sorry I cried!"  Thanks sister.  We saw Ross again along the stretch, maybe mile 23, and I was saying in my head, "only 3 more miles," but that seemed like forever.  There we were at 24 by St. Jude, saw the 3 stooges again and dad said, "just around this corner and then you'll be done!"  2 more miles!  I can do this (I told myself), and Margie said, "yes, you can do this!"  Those last 2 miles felt SO long and I couldn't tell how fast my legs were moving anymore.  I was just ready to be done.  I had to grab Margie's hand at one point so I could make myself run. 

We FINALLY got to Union, could hear the excitement in the stadium, and had to run up this nice ramp to see the 26 mile sign (BAHHHH, a ramp, really?????).  Margie said, "go Martha, run ahead of me to the finish line."  I tried to make myself sprint it out at the end, but I can't remember any of that, only crossing the finish line with my hands up and SO EXCITED THAT I FINISHED 26.2 MILES!!!!!  I ran the marathon.  I did it, and I was so happy & proud of myself.  Margie was right behind me, we embraced (I'm starting to get emotional as I type this), and I told her I couldn't have done it without her.  I couldn't have.  Thank you friend, I will remember this moment forever.  It was awesome!  I saw T and my parents and Leslie (the three stooges) & J and Meredith in the stands all cheering.

couldn't have done it without you!

T-- I couldn't have done any of this without your support.  You were there for me in all the training runs and the best encourager.  Thank you for making this journey with me!  I did it, and couldn't have without you right there.  Love!

Running a half marathon is one thing, running a marathon is a totally different beast, and I didn't understand that until I was there doing it.  It was a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, and I'm so thankful for all my friends & family who came to support me--I couldn't have done it without you!

foliage

It is November, and just 4 more Saturdays until the marathon.  I can't believe it, and I also can't believe that I ran 18 miles this past Sunday, what in the heck?  I'm crazy.

While I train/run all week I listen to my tunes and just try to get in the zone, and I look at a lot of foliage as I go [I think I've talked about this before].  I notice grass types, flowers, trees, and lately I've been noticing even more types of leaves because they are all on the ground (where I usually look).  I've been trying to learn how to determine the different types, oak leaves, maples leaves, dogwood leaves, magnolia leaves, and mostly ginkgo leaves.  I don't think there is a prettier tree than a ginkgo.  The leaves are a perfect and unusual shape, and the most beautiful yellow you've ever seen.  I know you all probably know what it looks like, but these are just beautiful, and I think I've convinced the t.dud that we need one in our backyard.

November is the time to see the pretty yellow and the cute little leaves on the ground.  Our November is booked solid with long runs consuming our weekends, plus a little anniversary getaway, plus thanksgiving holidays in Scooba, but this weekend I'm headed to one of the best places on earth [but will be missing one part of that].

 

miss you, fren.

Heading with Leslie & Cindi to visit the lake and enjoy the fall colors/foliage and some antiquing, and of course, 'Grandmother & Granddad.'  Leslie can hardly contain herself to see this beautiful place, and visit these two.  Enjoy November everyone, and savor every moment.

november 1024 x 768

november 1600 x 1200

november 1680 x 1050

tidbit

First of all, my 16-miler this past weekend was great!  I planned and prepared [mentally], and I got it done on a beautiful fall day.  The furthest I've ever run in my life [up to this point].  I had a great course, started at Leslie's ran through High Point, back to my parents house for my first water stop, where I saw little brother Scottie waiting for me with ice cold water. Thanks buddy!

This was about mile 5.5, and I took/ate my first Gu of the day.  Jesse told me about the Gu Roctane and that it "rocked" her run [ha!], so I tried it out and it was awesome. Really. 

What was not awesome was the flavor, texture, chewing of this gel substance, but Scottie had ice cold water waiting for me to wash it down. Sidenote: he was curious about this stuff, so I made him try a dabble, he gagged.

So now I'm just truckin' along, feelin' great, the knees are great, the body is great, and I'm just enjoying my tunes and the weather.  Next stop, Leslie's house for water before I hit the Greenline for the long-haul.  Got to her house around mile 8.5, and she had ice cold water and my Luna bar waiting for me.  I also grabbed my chews, which are also great to give you a little energy boost [not like roctane though].

 Now onto the Greenline for the remaining 7 miles.  The Greenline is awesome, people are riding bikes, walking dogs, strolling children, running, and it definitely kept me entertained the whole time, and I knew I was getting to see T at mile 10.5.  Go to Leslie's blog to read about her post from the Greenline Opening Party.  I was still feeling great (from roctane and luna bar I had eaten), and I was loving the weather and the atmosphere.

Hi T!  I was so happy to see him because I was very ready for some Gatorade and water, along with the 2nd Gu (just regular this time).  He made sure my knees were doing ok, and that I was feeling good.  It had already been almost 2 hours at this point, and the next time I would see him I would be done and at Shelby Farms.

Ran past some more happy people enjoying their Saturday, still listening to some good tunes, and then around mile 13, I reached Shelby Farms!  It is cool how they connected the Greenline into Shelby Farms, so I enjoyed the mystery of how I would be getting to Patriot Lake.  Got to the lake around mile 14.5, so just 1.5 mile left!! I can do this!         No I can't. Wall=hit.  It got harder this last mile and a half.  I was definitely getting sore, but it hurt to walk.  I was ready to finish.  

I made my way around the lake and I did it.  I ran a full 16 miles. Yipee! T was waiting for me with the rest of my Gatorade and water, and I sat and talked to him about my run.  It really was a great experience and made me not as nervous for the marathon [even though I would have 10 MORE MILES TO GO].

I know I can do this, I'm doing it for a great memory and for a great cause.

Last thing, one of the [many] reasons I love my job... I get to see flowers open up in one day.  Look how pretty!

let's do this

Well this week is the beginning of my marathon training for the Memphis Marathon in December.  The December after we were married in 2008, I ran my first half marathon and loved it! I was going to do it again last year, but come September when it was time to start training, it had already filled up! So I have been off and on in the running department since then.

So 2010 rolls around and I feel the need to run a full marathon. My friend Linnae had completed the Chicago Marathon, and she just talked about how much she enjoyed it. Then Margie ran one in Dallas in December, and felt the same way! And then Elise trained for the Nashville one earlier this year [you can read about her adventures on her blog]. I was just hearing about them all around me and it fired me up! I want to do this!

Welcome to the Marathon training journey. It's going to be a long process, but I hope to actually try to enjoy it [even in the humid hot Memphis summer].

I got my new marathon running shoes, and you know what's funny about it? I'm not a pink person, don't like it, never really have, but guess what color my running shoes are. PINK! Ironic, eh? But you can't buy running shoes based on color, duh.

T also got me that fancy Garmin you spy, yes, it's amazing. With help from some friends [Katie M, Margie L, & Linnae H] I told T the Garmin I wished for for my birthday. He's very sweet like that and the Garmin is very sweet. This will be my best training buddy.

If there was one thing I learned during half marathon training, it's to have good socks. I bought bolagas when I trained then and [have] loved them. It makes a big difference having good socks. I treated myself to a new pair, and I'm going to try out these smart wool ones. The guy over at Fleet Feet says these are the only ones he runs in. Hopefully I'll feel the same way.

I got pumped up to make a new running playlist for the beginning of this. It's entitled running 4 twenty ten. It includes Lady Gaga, bad romance, the best song to do any form of exercise to. I grew to love it in spin class, and still do [I hope everyone saw it on Glee, if not, go watch it here, you won't be sorry].

Here we go, let's do this!