While I was asleep, I had a dream that my alarms never went off and I missed my ride and didn't get to get on the bus and do the race. This has been a reoccurring dream of mine and something I was very afraid of. So, I suddenly awoke and I know that was because of Heavenly Father. I went to check my phone, afraid that I really had missed the race, to find that my phone was frozen on 11:38pm!!!!! It was actually 2:00am. If I had not be woken up, my alarms really would not have gone off! I would've missed the race! So, I got up and restarted my phone. I double-checked the alarms and they were still set so, I went back to sleep. Then, an hour later, at 3:00am, my alarms went off! I only had to hear one to actually get up. So, I turned off the other 4. Amber and Brian weren't picking me up until 4:30am but, I wanted to have PLENTY of time to get ready and just be relaxed. I had already laid out my clothes, etc. and knew exactly what I would be eating for breakfast. So, I started my getting my running top and shorts on first. Then I wandered for a minute. Then, I began the prep work for my feet. I first put on the cream to prevent blisters on my feet from forming (a lot of good that did)! Then, I put some mole skin on an area of my heel that has recently been getting some nasty blisters (that created worse problems). After I finished that, I started putting on my compression socks. I do NOT enjoy putting compression socks on! Those things are TOUGH!!!! I finally got them on and comfortable. Then, I put my shoes on, very careful to lace them just right. After I was dressed, I went out the kitchen to get my oatmeal going. I was trying to be as quiet as possible, because my parents were sleeping in the living room. Once my oatmeal was done cooking, I set it out to cool, while I did my hair. By the way, I seriously love oatmeal! So, I did my hair and then I went out and got my oatmeal. Again, being careful not to wake my parents, I brought the oatmeal into my bedroom to eat. Mike sleeps VERY heavily, so I didn't worry about waking him up. So, I sat myself down at my computer desk, ate my oatmeal, and played a little Candy Crush, yes I did!!!! By that time, it was 3:50am. I still had time, had brushed my teeth after breakfast, had my stuff ready to go....or so I thought. So, I played a little bit more Candy Crush. I wasn't nervous during all of this. Just excited and ancy to get going! It was about 4:20am, when I realized I hadn't gotten my water bottle ready, didn't have my pre-workout drink ready and packed, and didn't have enough ibuprofen. So, I scurried around to get it ready. It was about 4:28am, when I heard Jocelyn outside. A minute later, I heard the Blair's pull up. So, I ran around, got my jackets (it was DANG COLD), grabbed my bag of crap, said a tearful goodbye to my parents, and headed out the door!
Our next stop was to stop by the Sheffield's, because they were following us to where we were going to park, to load the bus. We got down there around 4:45am. We found our bus and got on it. I remember our bus being #66 and thought, OH NO!!!! So, we found our seats towards the back. Travis decided he needed to use the bathroom before we took off. So, we were sitting and chatting when the bus driver starts the bus. We all looked at Amber, thinking "Where is Travis!" She calmly said, "They just have to start the bus, to warm it up." Not a minute later, the bus driver closes the door and drives off, without Travis. I remember thinking, "Oh crap!!!" Amber was very calm though and put out her pouty lip, being cute, and then we all kind of giggled and said "Oh well!" We knew he'd be able to catch another bus up, it was just weird leaving without him. On the flip side, according to Travis, he came back from using the bathroom and got on the bus that was first in line, like the one we got on in the first place. He said there was a line to get on but, he assured them he already had a seat on the bus with his wife and friends. So, they let him on. Well, he got to where our seat was and didn't see us. He thought we were playing a funny trick on him. Then, he realized it was not the same bus and we were gone. So, he sat to a really nice guy and met us up there!
The bus ride up was not nearly as long as I thought it would be. Maybe because it was dark, maybe because we were having a good time chatting and laughing, maybe because I expected it to be longer, and maybe because I was nervous and didn't want to quite be there yet. One huge positive was that I didn't throw up on the bus! The last time I had to take a bus to the starting line, I threw up because I was so nervous. This time, I was calm the whole time except for one small spot. Then I was able to breathe through it and it was ok. After a while, Jocelyn pointed out to me that she could see the big spot lights that swarm around the sky, where a big event is taking place. Sure enough, I looked outside and there they were. That meant we were close. My heart started to beat pretty fast and pretty heavy! Then, a short time later, we pulled into the parking lot where the starting line was (in Central, UT)! The scene was AMAZING!!!! Runners EVERYWHERE!!!!! It was so exciting to look out the window of the bus, to see the scene in front of me!
As I stepped off the bus, the first thing I remember thinking was, "Holy crap, it is COLD!!!" I don't know the exact temperatures of the starting line but, I do know that they were in the low 30's! You add the wind that was up there and it was COLD!!! As we walked toward the corals, bonfires, and the starting line, I first looked at all the flags blowing in the wind! They had a flag to represent every country that had someone running in the marathon. From the United States there were 49 states represented, with Maine being the only state without a runner there. They must've been too busy catching crabs or fish or something, ha ha! There were 9 countries being represented. The first thing we did was head to the porta-potties. We did this first because the lines aren't as long as they would be right before we lined up to start the race. I got inside the porta-potty and I wanted to just stay in there, until the race started, because it was warmer in there! After we finished in the bathrooms, we headed over to find a bonfire.
They were all pretty well surrounded so, we just found what warmth we could. Jocelyn and I both had hand warmers so, we popped those out. They didn't get near as warm as I remember them being and didn't give much relief. After a bit, Jocelyn and I walked over to the aid station to fill up her water bottle. As we started to walk, I could feel how tight the muscles in my legs had gotten, from standing in the cold. It made me nervous and glad to be walking around. After Jocelyn filled up her water bottle, we headed back to the fire. On our way back, I ran into JJ and Brittney Farmer, who have been AMAZING in helping me in so many ways! It was SO GOOD to run into them and get a little last encouragement from them. When we got back to the fire, I started to get my gear and pre-race stuff going. I put on my running pack, made sure I had all my fuel packets, ibuprofen, salt pills, and leg pills inside. Then I made sure my water bottle was still full, including my inhaler tucked into the pouch. Then, I went ahead and drank my pre-race/workout drink. I began to really feel jittery after that because the time was drawing closer. Soon after this, they announced it was time to line up in the corals.
Lining up was something I've been pondering about for months. People generally line up according to when they plan to finish the race. Along the race, there are pacers. The pacers are runners who lead runners in an event, to ensure they finish in a specific time. The first pacer would help the runners around him/her finish in a time of 3:05 and every 10 min after that (spreading out to 30 min.) up until 5:30. This year they also added a pacer (they called him "The Sweeper") that would help the last runners to reach the cut-off point (Snow Canyon Pkwy/Bluff St. by 1pm) so that they would not be disqualified from the marathon. Anyway, back to lining up, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I could either line up to the pacer with the finishing time I thought I would finish in or scoot up closer. The reason it was such a concern was because I knew my pace/finishing time would put me very near the disqualification/cut-off time! You had 6 hrs. and 15 min. to reach the disqualification spot. That may sound like a long time because, it is!!!! They based this time off of the gun/start time. They don't go off the time that you actually START the race. With SO MANY runners in the corals, it can take even 15-20 minutes before you officially start. So, my concern was if I lined up in the back, where I thought I would finish, that I wouldn't have enough time to make it past the cut-off spot. So, I opted to scoot up. Looking back now, I wish I hadn't done that. I don't wish I had lined up in the back but, rather lined up closer to my approximate finishing time. The reason I regret lining up where I was is because mentally it was TOUGH having runners passing me left and right, because obviously their pace was faster than mine. So, that was discouraging at times. However, once a couple miles had gone by, everyone had pretty much spread out into groups of people running around the same pace. So, I wasn't being passed as much and, if I was being passed, it wasn't at such a fast pace.
As we started to line up, we all went our separate ways. Amber Blair and Brian went up near the 4 hour pacer, or somewhere in there (not quite sure). Amber and Travis Sheffield headed towards the back somewhere. They were running at 6:15 pace (or somewhere around there) in honor of a friend/fellow athlete that had been killed in an accident. I walked with Jocelyn and thought about lining up with her. I was really nervous to be on my own. However, after a few minutes of standing with her, I knew it wasn't a good idea because she would be going at a much faster pace than I, as well as those around her. So, I decided I need to head back, closer to where I would finish. If I remember right, I lined up by the 4:45 pacer? Anyway, saying goodbye to Jocelyn brought up all sorts of emotions. Scared, excited, nervous but, mostly scared! I started to cry and kind of just freaked a little bit. Once I found my place in line, I started to calm back down. At this point, I decided to scan the people around me, and start making friends. I found a few very nice people who were feeling the same nerves and emotions and that helped and put me at ease. I then double checked that everything was in check, shoes were tied just right, watch was ready, etc.
So, the gun went off and I could hear the fire engine make its honking sound, to let us know the race had started. We were at a stand still for at least 5-7 minutes, only moving a few feet at a time. Then, around the 8 minute mark, since the race had started, people started to run and move faster. It was around 9 minutes past the starting time that I actually and officially crossed the start line.
They were all pretty well surrounded so, we just found what warmth we could. Jocelyn and I both had hand warmers so, we popped those out. They didn't get near as warm as I remember them being and didn't give much relief. After a bit, Jocelyn and I walked over to the aid station to fill up her water bottle. As we started to walk, I could feel how tight the muscles in my legs had gotten, from standing in the cold. It made me nervous and glad to be walking around. After Jocelyn filled up her water bottle, we headed back to the fire. On our way back, I ran into JJ and Brittney Farmer, who have been AMAZING in helping me in so many ways! It was SO GOOD to run into them and get a little last encouragement from them. When we got back to the fire, I started to get my gear and pre-race stuff going. I put on my running pack, made sure I had all my fuel packets, ibuprofen, salt pills, and leg pills inside. Then I made sure my water bottle was still full, including my inhaler tucked into the pouch. Then, I went ahead and drank my pre-race/workout drink. I began to really feel jittery after that because the time was drawing closer. Soon after this, they announced it was time to line up in the corals.Lining up was something I've been pondering about for months. People generally line up according to when they plan to finish the race. Along the race, there are pacers. The pacers are runners who lead runners in an event, to ensure they finish in a specific time. The first pacer would help the runners around him/her finish in a time of 3:05 and every 10 min after that (spreading out to 30 min.) up until 5:30. This year they also added a pacer (they called him "The Sweeper") that would help the last runners to reach the cut-off point (Snow Canyon Pkwy/Bluff St. by 1pm) so that they would not be disqualified from the marathon. Anyway, back to lining up, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I could either line up to the pacer with the finishing time I thought I would finish in or scoot up closer. The reason it was such a concern was because I knew my pace/finishing time would put me very near the disqualification/cut-off time! You had 6 hrs. and 15 min. to reach the disqualification spot. That may sound like a long time because, it is!!!! They based this time off of the gun/start time. They don't go off the time that you actually START the race. With SO MANY runners in the corals, it can take even 15-20 minutes before you officially start. So, my concern was if I lined up in the back, where I thought I would finish, that I wouldn't have enough time to make it past the cut-off spot. So, I opted to scoot up. Looking back now, I wish I hadn't done that. I don't wish I had lined up in the back but, rather lined up closer to my approximate finishing time. The reason I regret lining up where I was is because mentally it was TOUGH having runners passing me left and right, because obviously their pace was faster than mine. So, that was discouraging at times. However, once a couple miles had gone by, everyone had pretty much spread out into groups of people running around the same pace. So, I wasn't being passed as much and, if I was being passed, it wasn't at such a fast pace.
As we started to line up, we all went our separate ways. Amber Blair and Brian went up near the 4 hour pacer, or somewhere in there (not quite sure). Amber and Travis Sheffield headed towards the back somewhere. They were running at 6:15 pace (or somewhere around there) in honor of a friend/fellow athlete that had been killed in an accident. I walked with Jocelyn and thought about lining up with her. I was really nervous to be on my own. However, after a few minutes of standing with her, I knew it wasn't a good idea because she would be going at a much faster pace than I, as well as those around her. So, I decided I need to head back, closer to where I would finish. If I remember right, I lined up by the 4:45 pacer? Anyway, saying goodbye to Jocelyn brought up all sorts of emotions. Scared, excited, nervous but, mostly scared! I started to cry and kind of just freaked a little bit. Once I found my place in line, I started to calm back down. At this point, I decided to scan the people around me, and start making friends. I found a few very nice people who were feeling the same nerves and emotions and that helped and put me at ease. I then double checked that everything was in check, shoes were tied just right, watch was ready, etc.
So, the gun went off and I could hear the fire engine make its honking sound, to let us know the race had started. We were at a stand still for at least 5-7 minutes, only moving a few feet at a time. Then, around the 8 minute mark, since the race had started, people started to run and move faster. It was around 9 minutes past the starting time that I actually and officially crossed the start line.
Awesome recording!!!
ReplyDeleteI am on pins and needles! I need more details asap!
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