SLC Marathon Results

I completed my third marathon yesterday! I picked Salt Lake because it is not only held very early in the race season, but it provided fewer descents and more hills than my previous two marathons (I was looking for a challenge). The race was perfect--cool temperatures with overcast skies all day. I loved the course and ended up finishing in 5:25! I know I'm still slow, but I can tell I am getting so much stronger in my form as well as endurance. And unlike my past races, where I have completely hit the wall at mile 18/19, I didn't even feel the fatigue set in until mile 24! This was so much more important to me than my time.

Since I began running five years ago, I've gone into races with a trail and error approach. I've learned over the years that Gu does not sit well with me. In a matter of moments after consuming it, I feel I have a brick sitting under my ribcage. If I drink Gatorade too early in the race, I get the same feeling like my stomach is so tender I can't sit up straight. So for Salt Lake, I tried something different. After eating my peanut butter sandwich for breakfast, I consumed nothing but water during the first 20 miles. I've already had some people argue that I shouldn't have done that for numerous reasons, but honestly, I've never felt better during a race. It wasn't until mile 22 that I drank some Gatorade. I could tell I was getting hungry, and needed something a little more substantial. And I figured at that point, if it did make my stomach hurt, I could handle it for four more miles. Luckily, at that point, it didn't bother me.

What I have also learned about myself while racing is that I do much better without music. I know I make playlist suggestions on here, and truthfully I do enjoy my Ipod to break up the tedium of the treadmill, but while outdoors, I prefer to run without the distraction. I was thrilled by this discovery too. I've always thought music is a crutch, but I used it in the past because, let's be honest, 26 miles is a long time to be stuck with nothing but your thoughts. But after running two marathons now without music, I am proud to say I can keep my mind off the pain and focus positively on the goal at hand.

I love making these new discoveries about myself, and finally getting to the point where I feel I am having more positive outcomes from my experiments than errors. ;) Only three more weeks until my next half and seven more weeks until my next full!