Finish Line to Car - Mixed Emotion: Right after crossing the finish line they have this Blue Bunny Cool Zone of misters. Usually it's pretty warm at the end of the marathon so this is a welcome area for the runners but this year it was empty. I thought it was funny that a couple of the girls that finished just ahead of me said "why not" and walked through the misters because they were already soaking wet. We then made our way to where they give you the sweet petrified wood finishers medal. There were a couple of folks giving them out. One lady was giving everybody a hug so I decided to go to the other guy. This guy put the medal around my neck and then put his hands on my shoulders looked me in the eye and very genuinely said "well done". I have to admit this was a little emotional for me. I think extreme exhaustion, mixed with the feeling of accomplishing something that at one time seemed impossible, along with thinking about all the hard work that got you to that point brings tears to many eyes. I chocked back the tears because "real men" don't cry at the finish line and wandered my way into the finishers area. They had a big section of the park roped off for "runners only" with ice cream (just what you want after a long cold wet run), fruit, drinks etc. I grabbed an ice cream bar but only took a couple of bites because I didn't think my stomach could handle it. Then I heard my name called and turned to find a guy I work with. We talked about the race a little. He said this was the worst of the 5 SGMs he's done and the crowd was only 1/3 the normal size. I was anxious to see the family so I only grabbed a piece of cantaloupe and headed out of the finishers area. I ran into Paige and Elle first. They were very happy for me and it was really cool to have them there to share the moment with. After a while my Brother, Mom, and Drew caught up to us and we stood chatted for a bit. It was starting to rain again so we decided to part ways while I try to get a massage. I walked over to the massage area but the wait looked pretty long. I was starting to get cold so I thought it would be best to get my gear from the start and head home for a long hot shower. They had the bags really well organized and within about 2 minutes I had my bag. I looked around the random clothes area for the long sleeved shirt I dumped but came up empty so I guess it got donated to charity. It didn't look like there was anything else interesting going on so I took off.
Rest of the time in St. George: I spent the rest of the day moving as little as possible. I suddenly got my appetite back and was starving by the time I got to eat some Bajio's. That night at Pizza Factory was good too. I tried to sleep some that afternoon, but probably only got about 1 hr. I wasn't really as tired as I thought I would be. The next morning the weather was much better. It was cool, but the skies were clear and there was no rain. I remember thinking "why couldn't the race have been today" because the weather would have been ideal and I had a great sleep. Oh well.
St. George to home: The drive home went pretty fast. My legs were sore, but not bad so the car ride didn't seem to make things worse. I was pretty sore until Tuesday morning.
Final thoughts: Overall I think this was a good experience. I am still glad to have it over with. The more time that passes the more open I am to the idea of doing it again. I really think I could finish under 4 hours given better conditions. I don't think I'll try anytime in the next 12 months, but maybe the year after that. I think running 1/2's are much more fun. The training is enough to keep me interested, but isn't so much that it feels like another job. The races themselves are more fun because I can go for certain times instead of just making sure I survive. But, I know not finishing in under 4 hours is going to bug me. I'm also open to the idea of running for a specific reason i.e. to run with somebody who's doing it for the first time or as part of some group. It was an experience I'll never forget and I'm very grateful to my wife and kids for supporting me through the long hours of training as well as showing up to see me finish. Also, very grateful to my Mom and Brother for showing up in St. George to support me, it made the experience that much better. Also, grateful to all the other family and friends for their love and support and all the congrats that have been given. Thanks to the marathon organizers and volunteers (especially the icy hot dudes) for putting together a very smooth race.
Rest of the time in St. George: I spent the rest of the day moving as little as possible. I suddenly got my appetite back and was starving by the time I got to eat some Bajio's. That night at Pizza Factory was good too. I tried to sleep some that afternoon, but probably only got about 1 hr. I wasn't really as tired as I thought I would be. The next morning the weather was much better. It was cool, but the skies were clear and there was no rain. I remember thinking "why couldn't the race have been today" because the weather would have been ideal and I had a great sleep. Oh well.
St. George to home: The drive home went pretty fast. My legs were sore, but not bad so the car ride didn't seem to make things worse. I was pretty sore until Tuesday morning.
Final thoughts: Overall I think this was a good experience. I am still glad to have it over with. The more time that passes the more open I am to the idea of doing it again. I really think I could finish under 4 hours given better conditions. I don't think I'll try anytime in the next 12 months, but maybe the year after that. I think running 1/2's are much more fun. The training is enough to keep me interested, but isn't so much that it feels like another job. The races themselves are more fun because I can go for certain times instead of just making sure I survive. But, I know not finishing in under 4 hours is going to bug me. I'm also open to the idea of running for a specific reason i.e. to run with somebody who's doing it for the first time or as part of some group. It was an experience I'll never forget and I'm very grateful to my wife and kids for supporting me through the long hours of training as well as showing up to see me finish. Also, very grateful to my Mom and Brother for showing up in St. George to support me, it made the experience that much better. Also, grateful to all the other family and friends for their love and support and all the congrats that have been given. Thanks to the marathon organizers and volunteers (especially the icy hot dudes) for putting together a very smooth race.
Jacked Pictures: Sorry to the fine folks who braved the rain and took these photo's hoping to make a buck off me. WARNING: These photo's are always notoriously bad, I've spared you the really hideos ones but for some reason, in a few of these pictures I look like I'm about to die.
1 comment:
picture number 1, how are you letting that lady beat you?
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