so first off i should really finish telling my tale of my marathon. if i repeat myself a bit i so apologize.
so as i said, it rained and was so very windy that whole day. the gun went off and we started running. i started as the last person to cross the start line.. i love the sound of all those 'beeps' ahead of me. amazing the amount of dedicated persons that decided to run the marathon regardless of the weather. amazing
so off i went running by myself. i kept saying, walk diana or your knees will give out on you before you are half way through but it was so wet and so cold and so windy i just wanted to finish as fast as i could.. then i felt my knee so i slowed down. i wasn't totally alone as there was a girl running the first leg of the team race. she had never run out side, only trained on a tread mill and had never run this far before she said. i asked how far are you running.. she was running 6.5km.. good for her. i stopped and congratulated her and then off i went.
my first water stop suzanne met me and i was teary and complaining.. it was wet and cold and i was discouraged. though the scenery is so beautiful along Brackely Beach and the wave were amazing it still was a hard time. so i walked along the road for about 12 km and met suzanne i think 3 times along the route.. she was out in the rain many a times waiting with her camera to take pics of me. i think it was at the second stop that she told me john was on the bridge and would be here soon. i was so pleased to hear that. so off i was going again. i think it was at that point that i was trying really really hard not to get mad at the sweeper truck. it was driving me crazy that he had to drive so very slow waiting for me to walk.. but then i got myself around that thinking that is his job. i was given 6 hours to finish this run and i was going to take that time. now mind you he was so very respectful.. stay a great distance behind me.
any way i will try to speed this up some. my next stop.. look who i see in the distance. John and Lau!!!! i am such a very very lucky mom.. i can't believe that he would make the trip to come and see his mom run a marathon and i was tickled that Lau agreed to come as well. She is a very sweet young lady. Monkey says he wouldn't miss it for anything. i saw them in the distance and started running and crying which causes it so i can't breath.. i so didn't want to use my puffer, especially in front of them as they would all worry about me. it was so very nice to see them.. john had a chocolate milk for me and lau had a fruit to go bar.. such sweet kids.. okay, young people. i couldn't stop really as i was going at a good pace and i know if i slow that is it. so i kept trudging away. i don't know for sure when i saw them next. it was still on the trail system i believe. it was nice seeing them each and every time. but it was soon time to make my mind do the journey as well as my body. i popped a couple of advil (don't tell my wife!) and kept going. my leg was giving out on me.
it was very long journey it really was. a full marathon is more than two half marathons if that makes any sense. i was physically okay for the most part but mentally, yes i was okay, but i so badly wanted it to stop raining even for a little bit. i even prayed to my mom, which made me cry. i knew there was nothing she could do for me but i so hoped. instead she sent me some happy thoughts. honestly i know it sounds crazy but it was about that point that i started to see birds flitting all around.. honestly i felt like Snow White in the forest. it gave me quite a laugh. so i trudge through and it wasn't long , whatever it was forever, and i was back out on the road again. i thought,well i am at the road and then it will be the airport and then sears and then the university and then the finish line.. how far can that be really!!! i saw the family at this one final stop and passed off my ipod.. it wouldn't cooperate with me and was so frustrating me..and i was able to finally take off my rain coat as the rain FINALLY stopped.
From that point it it truly was a mental / physical game. i was wet and tired.. i prolly say that a lot but I was! just up this hill and cross over and go down the next street they said. well let me tell you .. down meant down the hill and let me tell you about going down that hill... my left leg totally seized about half way down. it was a total cramp.., PAINFUL!!!! i kind of freaked cause i thought how am i going to work through this thing .. i can't end it now. i need to keep going. i miraculously was able to work it out and continued down the hill. at the bottom of the hill was a water station and there was a volunteer there and she asked me if i wanted some company ( i figured she must of felt bad for me cause i was last). i said sure. picture this. rain coat on and rubber boots and this woman was going to run with me. so we chatted and she said so what is your goal. and i said to finish and she said that was an excellent goal. i said i know i am going to be last and i don't care. She said she ran it last year and she was last .. i said you are the 6:17 girl!!!! anyway she wished me luck and off i went.
i tried a few times to run but kept cramping so gave up. the people on the route were amazing truly amazing. i would apologize for making them wait in the rain and they would tell me hey you are running a marathon. (Which makes me side track to little story. Suzanne was at one of the first water stations waiting for me and saw that the volunteers were throwing out the water and Gatorade. she went over to let them know that someone was still on the course. you see one of her fears is by the time i got to a station there would be nothing left for me! They told her Oh we know there is someone. don't worry we are saving some for her! my dear sweet protective wife) So back to the story. i am crossing over the road again and i ask is this the last cross am i finally on the straight stretch and they said yes.. it is straight from here! YAHOO!!! BUT then you see i realized that meant two more hills to climb.. ouchers!!!! how am i going to do that. i made it up the first one with great difficulty. my legs so very much wanted to cramp on me. i thought please don't do this. i think monkey may be at the top and you don't want him to see that. so i slowed down a bit.. after all finishing is what i wanted to do and my pace was still really good. mind you i had stopped looking at my watch as it was tied to my waist and every time i lifted my jacket to see my watch my bib was getting distressed and i figured it was perfectly distressed already.. it didn't need more (scrapbooker i am always) Well i made it up that hill and the whole time i was telling myself there really isn't another hill.. even though i knew there was.
so for the most part things are a blur. i was at this point on my feet for 5 1/2 hours with nothing to eat except half an orange, a nut/fruit bar from Starbucks and a little bag of jelly beans.. oh yes and three squares of chocolate. so i managed the next hill and knew i was so very close to the finish line. so at about 3km to go i was approaching my last water station and who did i see but that volunteer from way back when remember. she asked again if i wanted some company i said sure. we chatted and i told her about not being able to run but that i knew i could make it. She said she knew i could run let's give it a try. and we did and though it was difficult she had me running sprints.. 4 pylons run, 4 pylons walk. and then it was two telephone polls run, two polls walk. That woman ran with me right to the end. Her name is Jo and she is amazing. i will never forget how she got me to that finish line. i had seen up ahead Suzanne and then John and then Lau. it was an amazing time that last few kilometers. Suzanne was told she need to get her butt moving if she wanted to be at the finish line by Jo if she wanted pictures cause i was bringing it home! and then there it was. the finish line. i was crying but trying not to as i wanted to be able to finish and if i cried i couldn't breath.. what an amazing journey. i remember saying i can't believe it . i have just ran a marathon.. i can't believe it. i did it!!!
I AM A MARATHONER!!!
So what next.. i need to scrapbook this adventure.. i am thinking it might take a whole album!!!!!!
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!
so as i said, it rained and was so very windy that whole day. the gun went off and we started running. i started as the last person to cross the start line.. i love the sound of all those 'beeps' ahead of me. amazing the amount of dedicated persons that decided to run the marathon regardless of the weather. amazingso off i went running by myself. i kept saying, walk diana or your knees will give out on you before you are half way through but it was so wet and so cold and so windy i just wanted to finish as fast as i could.. then i felt my knee so i slowed down. i wasn't totally alone as there was a girl running the first leg of the team race. she had never run out side, only trained on a tread mill and had never run this far before she said. i asked how far are you running.. she was running 6.5km.. good for her. i stopped and congratulated her and then off i went.
my first water stop suzanne met me and i was teary and complaining.. it was wet and cold and i was discouraged. though the scenery is so beautiful along Brackely Beach and the wave were amazing it still was a hard time. so i walked along the road for about 12 km and met suzanne i think 3 times along the route.. she was out in the rain many a times waiting with her camera to take pics of me. i think it was at the second stop that she told me john was on the bridge and would be here soon. i was so pleased to hear that. so off i was going again. i think it was at that point that i was trying really really hard not to get mad at the sweeper truck. it was driving me crazy that he had to drive so very slow waiting for me to walk.. but then i got myself around that thinking that is his job. i was given 6 hours to finish this run and i was going to take that time. now mind you he was so very respectful.. stay a great distance behind me.
any way i will try to speed this up some. my next stop.. look who i see in the distance. John and Lau!!!! i am such a very very lucky mom.. i can't believe that he would make the trip to come and see his mom run a marathon and i was tickled that Lau agreed to come as well. She is a very sweet young lady. Monkey says he wouldn't miss it for anything. i saw them in the distance and started running and crying which causes it so i can't breath.. i so didn't want to use my puffer, especially in front of them as they would all worry about me. it was so very nice to see them.. john had a chocolate milk for me and lau had a fruit to go bar.. such sweet kids.. okay, young people. i couldn't stop really as i was going at a good pace and i know if i slow that is it. so i kept trudging away. i don't know for sure when i saw them next. it was still on the trail system i believe. it was nice seeing them each and every time. but it was soon time to make my mind do the journey as well as my body. i popped a couple of advil (don't tell my wife!) and kept going. my leg was giving out on me.
it was very long journey it really was. a full marathon is more than two half marathons if that makes any sense. i was physically okay for the most part but mentally, yes i was okay, but i so badly wanted it to stop raining even for a little bit. i even prayed to my mom, which made me cry. i knew there was nothing she could do for me but i so hoped. instead she sent me some happy thoughts. honestly i know it sounds crazy but it was about that point that i started to see birds flitting all around.. honestly i felt like Snow White in the forest. it gave me quite a laugh. so i trudge through and it wasn't long , whatever it was forever, and i was back out on the road again. i thought,well i am at the road and then it will be the airport and then sears and then the university and then the finish line.. how far can that be really!!! i saw the family at this one final stop and passed off my ipod.. it wouldn't cooperate with me and was so frustrating me..and i was able to finally take off my rain coat as the rain FINALLY stopped.From that point it it truly was a mental / physical game. i was wet and tired.. i prolly say that a lot but I was! just up this hill and cross over and go down the next street they said. well let me tell you .. down meant down the hill and let me tell you about going down that hill... my left leg totally seized about half way down. it was a total cramp.., PAINFUL!!!! i kind of freaked cause i thought how am i going to work through this thing .. i can't end it now. i need to keep going. i miraculously was able to work it out and continued down the hill. at the bottom of the hill was a water station and there was a volunteer there and she asked me if i wanted some company ( i figured she must of felt bad for me cause i was last). i said sure. picture this. rain coat on and rubber boots and this woman was going to run with me. so we chatted and she said so what is your goal. and i said to finish and she said that was an excellent goal. i said i know i am going to be last and i don't care. She said she ran it last year and she was last .. i said you are the 6:17 girl!!!! anyway she wished me luck and off i went.
i tried a few times to run but kept cramping so gave up. the people on the route were amazing truly amazing. i would apologize for making them wait in the rain and they would tell me hey you are running a marathon. (Which makes me side track to little story. Suzanne was at one of the first water stations waiting for me and saw that the volunteers were throwing out the water and Gatorade. she went over to let them know that someone was still on the course. you see one of her fears is by the time i got to a station there would be nothing left for me! They told her Oh we know there is someone. don't worry we are saving some for her! my dear sweet protective wife) So back to the story. i am crossing over the road again and i ask is this the last cross am i finally on the straight stretch and they said yes.. it is straight from here! YAHOO!!! BUT then you see i realized that meant two more hills to climb.. ouchers!!!! how am i going to do that. i made it up the first one with great difficulty. my legs so very much wanted to cramp on me. i thought please don't do this. i think monkey may be at the top and you don't want him to see that. so i slowed down a bit.. after all finishing is what i wanted to do and my pace was still really good. mind you i had stopped looking at my watch as it was tied to my waist and every time i lifted my jacket to see my watch my bib was getting distressed and i figured it was perfectly distressed already.. it didn't need more (scrapbooker i am always) Well i made it up that hill and the whole time i was telling myself there really isn't another hill.. even though i knew there was.
so for the most part things are a blur. i was at this point on my feet for 5 1/2 hours with nothing to eat except half an orange, a nut/fruit bar from Starbucks and a little bag of jelly beans.. oh yes and three squares of chocolate. so i managed the next hill and knew i was so very close to the finish line. so at about 3km to go i was approaching my last water station and who did i see but that volunteer from way back when remember. she asked again if i wanted some company i said sure. we chatted and i told her about not being able to run but that i knew i could make it. She said she knew i could run let's give it a try. and we did and though it was difficult she had me running sprints.. 4 pylons run, 4 pylons walk. and then it was two telephone polls run, two polls walk. That woman ran with me right to the end. Her name is Jo and she is amazing. i will never forget how she got me to that finish line. i had seen up ahead Suzanne and then John and then Lau. it was an amazing time that last few kilometers. Suzanne was told she need to get her butt moving if she wanted to be at the finish line by Jo if she wanted pictures cause i was bringing it home! and then there it was. the finish line. i was crying but trying not to as i wanted to be able to finish and if i cried i couldn't breath.. what an amazing journey. i remember saying i can't believe it . i have just ran a marathon.. i can't believe it. i did it!!!I AM A MARATHONER!!!
So what next.. i need to scrapbook this adventure.. i am thinking it might take a whole album!!!!!!
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!
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