About eight months ago, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to do a spring marathon THIS year, but I wasn't really sure if my body would cooperate. After having to defer the Chicago Marathon in October because my hamstring and knee were still really bothering me, I wanted to prove to myself that I am still capable of doing this. I kept this goal mostly to myself because I didn't think if it I could deal with explaining to people (not that I owe anyone, anything about this) if it didn't actually happen. I also didn't want to get my hopes up that I may finally be "back." I wanted it so badly and didn't know if I could handle another setback and more disappointment in this area of my life.
All throughout the fall and winter as my runs got longer, faster, and were virtually pain-free, my plan was coming to fruition. I was putting in the work and was actually feeling like this was going to be a reality. My training cycle began in at the start of the year and I enjoyed the process after being away for it for so long. I liked the routine, the discipline, and the feeling of satisfaction when I was done with another week of training. Everything was falling into place as the winter went on and I was feeling great. The week leading up to the marathon, as per usual, I was a stressed out, anxious mess, but not for the normal reasons. Usually I put so much pressure on myself to do well, that tend to get in my own head and worry over nothing. For this race, I didn't feel much of that. Since it was my first marathon back after being injured, and it was out of town, I just wanted to run happy and finish the race in one piece (and under five hours).
Considering the seemingly never-ending Chicago winter, my training cycle was really successful and I even thought that I could maybe PR for this race. After my final 20-miler, which actually was so great and such a confidence booster, my hamstring started to get a little sore. I figured it was just from overuse and took some days off following it, but I still had two more long runs before race day. Both of those also went fine, but my hamstring was definitely angry and sore for both. It wasn't too big of a deal until something really felt off after my last long run last Saturday. I went from feeling uncomfortable to being in actual pain. It felt like something was really wrong and it came out of nowhere. It hurt to sit, to walk, and to touch the area, and the pain kept getting worse as the week went on. I iced, I did cryotherapy, I got acupuncture, I applied anti-inflammatory gel, I rested, and I even got it taped up by my high school friend who is a PT. And still, it wasn't feeling any better. I was in full panic-mode and starting to spiral with doubt. I mean, if it hurt to walk, how would I be able to run? I didn't want to go out during the week to try to get in a few miles either because I didn't want to aggravate and inflame it anymore than it was. There was a full week of worrying, crying, and then finally starting to accept that my 4.5 months of training may go to waste. One of the reasons I was so nervous about this was because of my Brooklyn Half Marathon race when I had hamstring aggravation and felt that terrible pull in the second mile of that race and had to walk to the whole thing because it hurt so much (and because I wasn't quitting). That race haunts me to this day (even though I finished) and I had images of that happening again and just couldn't bare for something like that to happen again, especially for a full marathon. But I also couldn't imagine not even attempting to try run this race, and if I had to pull out and DNF, so be it. Sure, I'd be embarrassed and inconsolable (understatement of the century), but it wouldn't be worth really hurting myself further. In a nutshell: I was freaking out.
Even though I was unsure what was going to happen Saturday, I knew I would make the best of my time down in Champaign and stay positive. I stayed at my parent's house in the burbs Thursday night so I could hit the road Friday morning in my mom's car. I made excellent time getting there and thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Fun fact: I drove more on Friday than I have in the last fifteen years combined. Shocking, right? Once I got into town, I pleasantly surprised myself and remembered exactly how to navigate around campus and made my way to the expo. From the moment I pulled onto campus I was just so so happy to be down in Champaign. I could feel my mood elevate and my adrenaline start to rush. I picked up my race bib, did a lap around the expo, took my pre-race bib pic (duh), and headed out to walk around campus. Since I didn't do my shakeout run that day (in fear of the pain), I decided to walk around campus a bit to keep my legs loose. I was really cautious because my hamstring was really hurting, but I had to get it moving so tomorrow wouldn't be such a huge shock to the system. I walked all around campus, passing my old apartments, favorite bars, the alma mater statue, popped in Lincoln Hall and rubbed his nose for luck, and then just relaxed on the quad for a bit. It was such a gorgeous day out, I just wanted to rest my legs a little and take it all in. I just love it there so much! It makes me so happy to be down there and remember so many fun times. (Side note: You can fight me on this, but the quad at U of I is one of, if not THE BEST, in the country. This is a fact.) Finally, I walked around a little more, bought some Illini gear for the fam, and headed back to my car so I could drive over to the hotel to check-in. Once I got there, I got settled, iced my hammy, and watched some TV. Since Lou Malnati's and Home Run Inn fueled all my long runs this entire training cycle, it was only right that I order Papa Del's as my pre-race meal. I hadn't had it since the last time I was in Champaign about four years ago, and it was as good as I remembered. I iced again, put on some Biofreeze, and got ready for bed.
I never sleep well the night before a big race and Friday night was no different. I tossed and turned all night and when my alarm went off at 5:00 am, I knew it was go-time no matter what. I ate my usual pre-long run/race breakfast (which I had packed), hemmed and hawed over going with a tank top or a long sleeve for the race, and drove over to the State Farm Center (or as us oldies still call it, Assembly Hall). I was super early because (I'm super type-A me, but also because) I wasn't sure what the parking situation would be or how far the start was from the parking lot or where the bag check would be. I didn't want to feel rushed as I already had enough on my mind. Everything in the race staging area was super close and so well organized that I just sat in the car to get my head straight. It was 35 degrees outside, so I was happy to sit in the warm car and wait it out a little (and have one more pre-race cry). I knew I'd have to make a few bathroom trips before heading to the start corrals, so with about 30 minutes to the start, I made my way to the portas. I also did one more Biofreeze rubdown on my hamstring before the start so it would be nice and numb-ish when I was set to begin. Minutes before the start, I peeled off my sweatpants, but decided to leave on my fleece until I got warm enough running. The start (well the whole event) was so well organized and efficient and when it was my corral's turn, I reminded myself that the hay was in the barn and I was as ready as I was going to be, and so I started running. I made sure to take it slow and be cautious of how my hamstring was feeling. Luckily, it wasn't hurting any worse than it had all week and I knew that with my Aleve and Tylenol cocktail, the Biofreeze, and lots of adrenaline, I should be okay for the first few miles.
Once I made it past mile three, I kind of knew that this race was going to happen. I calmed myself down for the millionth time and just took it all in. The course started right through campus which was awesome and was one of the reasons I signed up. I got to pass all of my favorite things again before heading into downtown Champaign. Around the 8-mile mark, my hamstring was starting to hurt a little. It was time to stop at a med tent for some more Biofreeze. It had kept my leg warm and tingly and took some of the pain away and I needed more. Sure, stopping at the med tent and applying the gel cut into my time (I literally pulled over on the side of the route and stuck my hand down the front and back of my pants in front of tons of people to apply it to my hamstring...no shame), but I knew if I didn't do that, I'd probably be in big trouble later in the race pain-wise. The marathon and half marathoners stayed together for the first 11 miles or so before splitting off. Once we made that split, I knew for sure that I was in this for the long haul and even if I walked the rest of the way, I was going to finish this damn race. I stopped again at the next med tent to get more Biofreeze for later and took another dose of Aleve and Tylenol.
On top of campus and downtown Champaign and Urbana, the course had been mostly through residential neighborhoods and park paths. It's a relatively flat course, but from the start, the wind was strong, especially by Champaign standards. That added some unnecessary resistance that I wasn't expecting, but considering I trained in much worse, I was mildly use to it. I was still feeling good around mile 16 and actually felt like I making good time. I couldn't believe it. So much so, that I started to cry happy tears until I calmed myself down. Again. to I never really hit the wall at all, but at mile 22 I started to cramp a little in my right quad and had to stop a stretch it for a second. Then my right calf started to cramp a tad. Uh oh. This couldn't happen; not again. Thankfully, the real MVP's of the race were at Mile 23. There had been great neighborhood crowd and volunteer support (PS you guys ROCK!) throughout the whole race. Its nothing like Chicago or NYC, but it was still awesome seeing people out on their lawns cheering everyone on. At mile 23, there were guys cheering on the runners handing out pickle juice. Genius. One of my fears for this race was not having my parents along the route with pickle juice ready for me (and their support in general) because it saved the day at my last marathon. The combination of the sodium and the vinegar in the pickle juice triggers the brain to relax the muscles and is totally clutch. Within five minutes or so after drinking the pickle juice, both muscles relaxed and I was so grateful to those guys. I kept going, but there were some definite inclines, and lots more wind in those last 3 miles that really had me struggling. But I kept going. Both of my quads starting cramping again around mile 25 and my hamstring was screaming, so I had to stop really quick again to stretch and apply a little more Biofreeze. At this point I was so close to the finish I could taste it. The last mile seemed to last forever, but as soon as I made my way into Memorial Stadium, it was pure awesomeness. Running onto and up that field and seeing that finish line right at the 50-yard line was absolutely incredible. The die-hard Illini fan in me was in heaven. The moment I crossed it I burst into tears. Like full on sobbing again. I was just so proud of myself. I felt accomplished, happy, strong, and relieved.
I ended up finishing this marathon with a my third best time ever. I was only 61 seconds off my goal and 37 seconds off a PR. If I didn't stop at the med-tents, or stop to stretch, and walk at the water stops, could I have PR'd? Probably. But would I have had more trouble down the line and had an overall slower time? Maybe. I don't know what would have happened and I don't want to play that game because I don't want to get mad at myself and take anything away from this race. I honestly wasn't sure I was going to be able to run this race at all the week leading up to it, so to perform the way I did, all while being injured, is a testament to my will and determination. I've worked on my mental game so much over the last two years and I am constantly seeing results in long training runs and races. Even if I'm not getting that much faster, I am so much more focused, more positive, and that makes me feel so much stronger. One day, all the marathon stars will align for me and that PR will be mine. Until then, I am going to bask in the glory of this race, rest up my legs, heal my hamstring, and then begin to focus on training for the Chicago Marathon. Thanks to my friends and family for your constant support through my training and this race. Those of you close to me know how important this race was to me and I really appreciated the encouragement along the way. Bet you can't wait to do it all over again this summer and fall? Because I sure can't!!!
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