Each Day Is a Gift

Haley let us stay at her house in Diamond Valley so we don't have to get up early for the bus ride.  Can never sleep well the night before the marathon.  Took a 5mg Melatonin at 9pm.  Up at 5. Breakfast of yogurt, banana, 1/2 Texas RdHouse dinner roll, water.  Dressed and ready to go at 5:45.  Waited for Haley and Alice who's also staying at Haley's. Hubby drove us to the start in Veyo Fairground.  There is no physical address so we just turned on Center St and followed the traffic cones.  I think we got there around 6:30 and they were just setting up the starting arch/mat.  There were already runners waiting in lines in front of the 4 portapotties.  It was pitch dark. 

The RD told hubby he had to move the car so I went looking for Haley and Alice who needed to drop off their jackets for Larry to take back to the house.  There was no mention or labeling of a drop bag truck.  I knew the temp was around 30 so I kept my black Boston jacket on which I removed and wrapped around me around mile 15.  The RD hollered saying 5 min. to start time and runners to line up.  I made one more quick pit stop at the PoP then headed to the starting mat.  Gary saw me and we exchanged a few words learning that he had stayed in Motel 6 last night.  Dang, he could've stayed with us easily.  The RD did a 10 count down and off the runners went.  I stood and waited for Hailey and Alice who are the sweepers so we could cross together.  There was a guy fidgeting with his watch so we waited for him.  It took us about a minute to cross.  We were walking for the first 1000 ft and I was so cold that I just needed to get running.  Soon that guy got his watch to work and ran ahead.  I stayed with Haley and Alice for the first couple miles. I started to pull away from them before the first aid station.

Mile 4 was a steep downhill and U-turn/a switch back at the bottom of the hill.  The scenery was beautiful.  I snapped a few pictures with my phone.  I utilized the 4:1 ration whenever possible.  I came across Debbie Cannon and Rhonda around mile 5 and ran together till around mile 14.  I had to stop at the PortaP at mile 5, 9, 13.  The mile markers were sparodic and consistently off by 0.19-0.22 mile compare to my brand new Garmin Vivoactive 3 GPS.  The course is very hilly and at times winding on a 2 lane highway where the speed limit is 65mph.  So it's a bit scary with oncoming traffic, from mile 11 on the traffic got heavier.  I took a gu at mile at 7, 11, 15, 19 and 23.  Good thing I carried 3 gu with me because they only had gu at two aid stations.  I started feeling some pain in my left groin so my pace slowed a bit and Debbie and Rhonda ran ahead around mile 14. 

I came upon Debbie (again) and John Bozung around mile 17 and I walked with them for the next two miles.  John was having some deep muscle pain and asked for ibuprophen at the aid stations but they didnt have any.  So I gave him the only 2 ibuprofen I carried.  I had taken an Aleve around mile 15 so I should be good.  I took a total of 3 salt caps. and drank water and powerade at each of the 12 aid stations.  The race website states: "fully supported course with aid station every 2 or less miles with water, powerade, cups, volunteers.  Some aid station may have muscle cream, gu or fruits."  Well, from mile 7 on it was the same two teenage boys with the same water/powerade.  I wouldn't call it a fully supported course.  There was a sheriff vehicle circuling back and forth to make sure the back of the packers were okay.  I passed couple of runners around mile 19ish and saw that one of them, a lady, was holding her left eye.  Lowell called just as I entered the aid station around mile 19 and said he was going to check on his division award then would come back on the course to look for me.  Mile 21 was a steady uphill.  As I turned the corner into the town of Ivins, he called again and asking of my location.  He was driving and must've missed the road he's supposed to turn on.  Anyhow we talked on the phone for the entire long uphill climb of mile 23.  I could see some pacers milling around the aid station.  Roy Veater ran back to greet me saying Ruthie is waiting for me.  Well, I ran past Ruthie with a brief hello and she didn't run with me.  I guess they were just waiting for Alice the sweeper.  Anyhow, Lowell finally drove up around mile 24.5 and he stopped to use the portapottie at the last aid station on the corner of the road.  The last mile is a gradual downhill and Lowell said he would park at the finish and ran back on the course to meet me.  

My legs felt like lead.  I had to take more walk breaks.  Crossed the finish with my Garmin registering 5:51:54.  The timing guy asked if I want to know my time and said it was 5:52:47.  He asked what my watch shows and I told him it's 5:51:54 and he said go with that, go with your watch.  They only have one timing mat for start and finish of all four distance races so the marathon was going by gun time.  The lady that I passed came in 6 min after me.  She must've fallen since both her knees were bleeding and her left eye also showed dried blood and some bruising.  The RD took the wood cube (used as make shift podium) for her to sit on.  There was no wash cloth or first aid kit to attend to her.  She was very mad and not laughing when the RD looked up her time and joked to say "20 to 24 age group".  She is clearly an older lady.  She at age 71 is the oldest woman in the Full and me second oldest.  She would've beat me if she hadn't fallen.  Anyway, they gave us our medals (finishers and place) which does not have the year or the distance on it nor on the ribbon.  I have never run a marathon with such generic medal.  In fact, they have a surplus of these medals in the boxes which lead me to think that they must've ordered a whole bunch last year or in its first year and just reuse them.  I understand this is the third year of this running.  I'm not sure if I'll do this again next year.  

I'm glad that I got marathon #82 done. Other than a bit cold at the start and a little breezy headwind in the later miles, it was perfect sunny running weather.  I am also glad that I didn't get hit by oncoming car or fell on the gnarly shoulders of the road. The best part was after the race, we drove to the Larsen's (my son-in-law's parent's house) in Washington.  My daughter, her husband and my four grandkids flew in from Houston to St.  George that morning arriving about the same time.  We visited for 3 hours before driving back home.  Perfect weekend! :)