I didn’t think I would be running another marathon for a long time. My last three were not the best experiences. So I got into triathlons last summer and decided those were my new thing. Then James wanted to run a half marathon. He loved the half marathon so much that he wanted to complete a full marathon. His friend who trained and ran the half with him didn’t want to run a full so it was up to me to train him and run with him. I was excited and hoped it would go better than my last marathons.
I waited to sign him up until we had completed some longer runs. Our 15 mile run was on a hot afternoon running up and down the hills of North Lehi. It was hard and our legs hurt a lot after. I made sure he knew what pain he was signing up for.
We chose the Utah Valley Marathon because it fit in line with the training schedule and soccer season. Also, I’ve done it before and I knew it was a well organized race with great support and aide stations.
It was nice having a buddy to ride the bus and wait at the start line with. I also felt like I was with a famous person. James got lots of attention with runners wanting to know his age and they were all so impressed. I was like, “Yeah, I’m with him.”
My experience from previous marathons prepared me and helped me help give James the best race possible. I knew what it was like to have good and bad race nutrition. I knew what it was like to run too fast the first half of the race and have an empty tank for the second half of the race. I knew what it was like running in rain, snow, wind, and heat. Mostly I knew that once you hit 18-20 miles you are in pain the rest of the race, no matter how you train, no matter how fast or slow you go, pain is just part of it. One race I let myself walk and that just prolonged the pain and walking didn't take away the pain. So once James and I were hurting I reminded him that we weren't going to walk and that we were going to hurt whether we walked or ran.
We stayed positive. We drank at every aide station. I had fruits bars and James had fruit snacks. Then as we got further into the race we had bananas and oranges at the aide stations. The best was otter pops at mile 24. They hit the spot! It was hot and they have never tasted so good!
James pulled ahead during the last half mile. It amazed me that he still had gas in the tank to run faster. I was maxed out and running as fast as I could. James finished in 4:27 and I finished in 4:28. He gave me a huge hug after the finish line and I got all choked up and emotional.
Some of his friends came and supported him. He even got a poster!
Marshall ran the half marathon. It was his first so he should be celebrated for his accomplishment! He finished in 1:37.
Kade and the minis ran the kids 1K. They sprinted the whole thing. We were all sore from our races.
James’s age group was 14 and younger. He was the only 13-year-old that ran the race and the youngest racer. He finished 3rd in his age group.
The race course on MapMyRun.
My Fitbit report at the end of the day.
James was one tired teen at 10:30 that night. He crashed on the bean bag before he could make it to bed.
Out of all the marathons I’ve done this one was my favorite. I loved every aspect of it. I felt my best. My muscles didn’t cramp, my digestive system felt great and I learned how to eat before my race. I don’t like eating before my morning runs but I forced myself and it paid off. I felt stronger both mentally and physically.
