Showing posts with label Marathon Training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marathon Training. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Packet Pickup!

Okay, one last Marathon-centric post! ❤ 

I never shared the pictures from Friday's packet pickup -- Mom was kind enough to join me for that at the OKC Convention Center across from Scissortail Park!

Lots of photo ops at these events, and Mom was a very willing photographer!

Lots of vendors and booths - Mom got me a cute pink OKC Memorial Marathon runner's jacket, which I'm excited to wear on cooler days!  She also got me a RooSport magnetic pocket with a zipper that can hold your phone and energy chews and such... I didn't wanna risk adding that on the day of the race having never tested it before, but I'll try it on weekend runs and it may be great for future Halfs! =)

I finally downloaded the app that day, and it had lots of helpful info about where to park, tracking runners, good places to watch, etc.

Such a huge crowd!!

My 1st-Time Marathoner bib - YAY, David!!  (The listed Medium T-shirt size was wishful thinking way back when I signed up, and I was worried that they wouldn't let me change it that day.  But when I got there, the lady looked worried that I would be disappointed and told me "We only have Large and up!" lol So God worked that out, and the Large fit great!  The "Why We Run" on the bib was what alerted them to give me 3 medals since I'd also signed up for the 5k - I had decided not to run it and risk any injury the day before the Full, but since they reschedule it, I got all the medals - fun!  And the lack of A or B before my number is what alerted them that I didn't belong in the front super-fast corrals. lol  No harm done!)

I'm glad I chose this race - it's close to home, it's a cause I care about, it's well-marked and well-organized, and it's a relatively flat course!

Marked "Lose 100 pounds consecutively" and "Finish a Full Marathon" off of my Life List goals this morning... I'm so happy I did it, and I'm so happy I never "have to" do it again! lol  I know this has been a lot on this topic, but I'm thrilled to have these pics and posts to help me remember all the details years from now!!
❤❤❤

Okay, now on to recapping the rest of life, starting with Parker Elizabeth's party!!

Monday, April 28, 2025

Post-Race Party Pics!

"Marathoning:  The triumph of desire over reason." ;-)

Okay, now it's time for the fun post-race photos -- LOVE this group pic!! ❤

Again, huge shoutouts and THANK YOUS:
  • To Mom & Dad -- For waking up in the 3am hour to drive me there and drop me off at the Start Line in plenty of time, for coming to cheer me on at Mile 14, and for walking a ways to greet me at the Finish Line!
  • To Rachael LaJo -- For making two masterpiece signs and showing up with food and water and helping me during my mini-break and returning my lost Airpod and encouraging me to keep pushing at Mile 20 and waiting at the Finish Line and letting me borrow her lip gloss and her flip-flops, and driving me to Ted's when she was planning to skip that! lol
  • To Kristin and Frankie -- For the encouraging texts and phone calls, the chocolate-glazed donut and photo-worthy message, and the awesome "Yay, David!" sign that I immediately read in Alexis' voice!! lolol
  • To Nash, Wesson, and Diesel -- For taking the time to make amazing homemade posters to encourage me, and for enduring two fairly long waits just to see me and give me high fives and happily pose for photos!
  • To Chet, Karli, Tate, and Parker -- For the encouraging texts and FaceTime call, for making the trip from Tulsa to support me, for Chet's very timely pep talks with solid advice and meaningful encouragement, and for the thoughtfulness/assertiveness of telling the Finish Line announcer how to correctly say my last name - it caught me off guard in such a good way! lol
  • To JoBug -- For the text encouragement and in-person support, and for bringing my race-day bag to the house at Mile 18 and coordinating my mini-break stop there!  (And to her friends for their kindness!)
  • I'm grateful for lots of support on Facebook, and to Emily (counselor), Megan Elizabeth, Tiffany, JEM, Laura, Sarah, Holly, and Triston  for texting specific words of encouragement!
  • To Dr. Aaron at The Movement Lab -- For checking in repeatedly after I called him about my foot injury a couple weeks back, including reaching out to see how the race went yesterday - if ever I need physical therapy, I'll be calling him!
  • To God -- For orchestrating a million little details in His perfect, sovereign way - including my visit to the OKC Memorial Museum on Thursday, my foot healing and feeling much better just in time for race day, the perfect race-day weather, my favorite people showing up in big ways, them getting great photos and videos along the way, the food and drinks I needed showing up quickly when I needed them, raining out Saturday's 5k so I could get 3 medals for one race on Sunday, everything about the Mile 18 break, the 7:17 finish time, the race time extension, medical aid being very close/attentive when I was concerned about my heart racing, my phone not dying until our late lunch hour, no digestive issues surrounding the race, and consistently getting encouragement and inspiration when I needed it most!  I see and feel His protective strength and kindness toward me in all the big and small things listed above, and it all matters!!
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

❤❤❤

My "Memorial Marathon & 5K" medal!! lol  They gave me an individual one for each race, and one for signing up for the "Weekend Series" bundle.  But whatevs, I conquered 26.2 miles, so I'll take all the medals! =) 

Closeups because the detail here is very impressive!!
(*I know this feels very random in pics with others, but I requested this Cobra Kai sign to get a fun pic with Hawk-style Jaceman holding it, which we will hopefully get later this week!  They were at their dad's this weekend and it didn't work out for them to come for the Finish Line.)

At Parker's party on Saturday, Chet mentioned that they'd be happy to do lunch afterward, but understood if I wasn't feeling up for it.  I made no promises as I was expecting post-race digestive issues and exhaustion and figured I wouldn't be up for anything, but I brought some extra clothes just in case.  Their kids were hungry, so I rallied and postponed my shower and changed clothes in the small bathroom at Ted's. #notideal  My phone battery fully died and I was covered in sweat and salt, my purse and bag with my makeup and phone charger were in Mom and Dad's car, but least I thought to bring deodorant to reapply - everyone is welcome for that! lol  PS My fav thing about this pic is that Parker is holding the party balloons from the OG Emily doll I got her for her bday - I love that she was a fan enough to bring the doll and her accessories on the road trip with them! lol

Borrowed Rachael's phone to take these cute pics. =)

We discussed the race a bit, and the idea of forming a Relay Team to run with Chettles in his Route 66 Full this November - Karli, me, and potentially JEM and Evan and Gary?  Could be fun - and I'm very willing to sign up and prepare for a 5-mile portion at a faster pace! =) After lunch, I went back to Mom and Dad's and got my car, then finally drove home and showered whilst reviving my phone -- yes, please to both of those -- then texted with people and narrowed, edited, and posted photos for the next couple hours!  All in all, a fantastic day that makes me feel proud and grateful!!

Annnd very sore. lol  I'm using IcyHot and taking Advil and had a nice long epsom salt bath tonight.  This ad popping up on my FB made me laugh! lol #alwayslistening

Okay, so the left pic is me on a makeup-free morning walk one year ago today (4-28-24)... a 40-year-old woman pressing through a challenging internship and grad school program and just starting the Mel Robbins Launch course, opening my mind and heart to the possibility of real change, starting with her advice for regular morning walks.  Today, I am still on the lifelong journey of transformation with God, but I am grateful for the evidence of internal and external growth and progress... including graduating, losing over 100 pounds from my highest weight, 10 months of therapy work, and at long last, being a Marathon FINISHER!! ❤
...Or on a lighter note, behold the power of lipstick! ;-) #itmatters

❤❤❤
So many internal pep talks and "encouraging myself in the Lord" moments yesterday!

"Okay?  Okay.  What's next!?"  ;-)

Thank you all for being here, and goodnight!

Marathon Monday #20!!!

It's DONE - praise the Lord!!

And now, brace yourself for the full play-by-play of my one and only Marathon day. =)

Woke up at 4am and did my dynamic stretches, listened to The Goodness of God and prayed, then had a protein bar for breakfast.  Put on my race gear and full makeup, bunned and spraaayed my hair, and was at Mom and Dad's by 5am... they dropped me off at a perfect spot by the outdoor memorial around 5:25 - already a massive crowd and slowing traffic downtown.  I was out there in time for the 5:30 "Sunrise Service" by the Survivor Tree... the pastor spoke on Hebrews 12:1, and we all said in unison, "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  He prayed over the race and everyone sang a few worship songs together, and I loved being there for all of that!

I stopped at a PortaPotty (eww, David) then started walking toward the Start Line, then changed course to come back and get a pic in front of this building - glad I did! 

They blocked off Corrals A and B for the faster runners, and they policed that pretty intensely.  I assertively made my way to the very front of Corral C, so I was proud of that!  I was lined up next to an OU Meteorology student who assured all of us that the weather looked really good for our race day - no rain, overcast, cloudy, and cooler temps for this time of year.  Yay, God!

We sang the National Anthem and did the 168 seconds of silence in honor of the bombing victims, then it was go time!  My strong hope was to cross the Start Line by 6:40, then when I had to move all the way to Corral C amid a crowd of 25,000+ runners, I assumed there was no way.  But things moved surprisingly quickly, and I crossed at 6:36 - yay, God again!

Mile 7 includes "Gorilla Hill" - there were far worse hills at Mile 2 and Mile 9, but they really hype this one up and make a celebration of it.  The app had a selfie suggestion there, so here's mine!

A bit of outside pressure helps me to stay motivated, especially when I'm tired.  There was a course split around Mile 8 where the Half Marathoners stayed left and the Full went right.  You had to reach that by 8:45 or they would close the Full Marathon path and have you complete the Half course instead.  I was relieved to be there by 8:20, and I definitely slowed down a bit after that.

Kudos to this race for all the water stops and volunteers!  The first couple water stops had only water, then there was one at Mile 4 or 5 with blue Powerade that felt like a God-send (most offered both after that).  And around Mile 9 or 10, there was a stop where they had cups filled with NutterButter cookies - no food has ever tasted better to me! lol  I was worried about my energy chews running low, and I was super happy to see these cookies (they gave us 3, and after I ate one, I realized I should document it.  I thought of Malori repeatedly saying "That was from the Lord!" when a lady handed her some energy gel at Mile 8 of our Half many years back. lol)

I did my 6:1 intervals, but started off at a faster pace than I had trained to sustain... it's hard to gauge that when your adrenaline is up and the whole crowd is moving in unison at the beginning.  It's really good that I forced myself to take the walking breaks, or I might've had a real injury or cramping issues later.  Had I kept up the pace I was on in the initial 5k, I'd have finished by 12:15... the app kept alerting me with my pace at different markers and my anticipated finish times, and I was getting cracked up at how that kept getting further and further away as my momentum and energy shifted.  I'm honestly thankful I didn't know at the time that it was notifying everyone who was tracking me.  Gracious, I don't need that level of pressure in my life! lol

Sweaty Half-Marathon selfie!  Side note: I had lipstick in my pocket until I changed into new leggings at Mile 18, and I'm still annoyed by the photos where I don't have any on after that. lol

So the first half of the race was me and Jesus and Peloton. lol  And loads of random strangers cheering on the sidelines!  That's when I was at my strongest, so I'm thankful that most of my support came in the second half... (Kristin and Frankie got donuts for me and fought through the traffic hoping to catch me at Mile 11, then realized I was already past where they'd been waiting for a bit... so they went home to get their boys and came back later.)  Anyway, I was so thrilled to see Mom and Dad on Churchill Way at Mile 14! ❤  It had a strengthening effect for sure, and Mom gave me her sunglasses.  (It was a cloudy, overcast day where the sun was sneaky, and I had 3 chances where I felt rushed and failed to put on sunscreen, so this sunburn situation is totally on me.)

I got a FaceTime call from Chet Lee and Parker E and Tate not long after seeing Mom and Dad - they were about to head to OKC, and it was fun and encouraging to see them!

Rach texted to see if I needed anything, then she caught me and walked with me for a bit around Mile 15 - bringing this awesome sign and a Dasani water and some Cheez-Its!  We chatted and walked through part of this fun neighborhood together, then she told me she was headed to meet JoBug and would see me when I got there!  I called her several times with little questions, and she was super helpful and encouraging through the whole day!! ❤

Sister pic!  (Me in Mom's sunglasses and Rach in her pink Blenders)

Toward the end of Mile 16, I was so happy to see the Whitakers and high five the boys and get my chocolate glazed donut and orange energy chews and green Blenders sunglasses!  =)
This makes me happy!

Mom had sent me a photo and told me that JoBug's friend lived on Grand, and Rach was texting me with updates on how close I was to them... I was so very happy to see this street sign toward the end of Mile 17...

Their home was right at the corner of Mile 18... I arrived there around 11:18 and told myself that if I left by 11:30 or before, I'd be fine to get to Mile 20 by noon (our next timing checkpoint).  It was good to see JoBug and see Rach again, and I met JB's friends, who were kind enough to let me use their bathroom... they told me about another runner who collapsed in front of their home earlier that day - she had actually taken him to the hospital because the medics were taking too long to arrive - I hope and pray that ended well!  Anyway, Rach plugged my phone in to charge (yay!!) while I toweled off and changed everything below my shirt and ate a few mini-M&Ms. lol  (For real, though, throughout this race, I was continually struggling to figure out whether I was drinking/eating too much or too little.  My smaller stomach can't tolerate too much at once, and I don't wanna feel sloshy and gross, but I also felt genuinely thirsty several times, and I know I need water and electrolytes and calories and energy for that distance.  Thankfully, the Half-Marathons feel much easier to navigate, and I never have to do this again!!! #oneanddone)  I sat at their kitchen table and used BodyGlide (to help delay the inevitable and already-forming blisters on my feet) before putting on clean socks and a different pair of Brooks tennis shoes... after all that, I felt pressed for time, so I skipped the sunscreen (dumb) and forgot about the Advil (sadness) and left behind one AirPod and my lip gloss (noooo). lol  #soannoying  Here's me and Rach both wearing different sunglasses than we were 30 minutes before, and JoBug in her Gaillardia shirt! =)  All things considered, I never trained with zero breaks, so I have no regrets about this planned and much-anticipated stop. ❤ I'm super grateful for their kindness, and that this enabled me to avoid another PortaPotty and have a lovely bathroom where I could wash my hands properly!

And a quick pic with Emily, then I was back on the race course around 11:28!

Took this bc it made me laugh as I jogged through the park. =)

I called Rach about the missing Airpod, and she offered to meet me by Classen Curve at Mile 20 with that and some lip gloss - which I used once then handed back to her because my brain wasn't working at full capacity. lol  My energy was fading a bit at this point - not positive how strict they were on it, but the rules said I had to be at Mile 20 by noon to avoid being shuttled to the Finish Line, and thanks to Rachael's text encouragement, I made it at 11:57. lol #maximumeffort

When I crossed Mile 21, I knew that everything past that point was further than I had ever gone in training.  I was not winning the mental games just then, and my body was exhausted and my run intervals were getting shorter and slower.  Then I heard Chet Lee yelling "Go Lindseeeey!" and was so surprised to see the wonderful Wilson fam there at Mile 22... I wasn't expecting any more visitors until the Finish Line, so this was really perfect timing! ❤  Pretty sure the first thing I said was "I'm dying - this is so rough" (which is out of character for me, as I work hard not to casually or jokingly use words and phrases about death/dying/killing/etc.) and which Chettles immediately validated and then turned into a genuinely helpful pep talk! lol  "YEAH, it is - that's why only 2% of the population does it!  But you're here and you're doing great - you've made it this far - only four miles to go - come over here and get some snacks and keep your energy up!"  (They were right by a water stop with lots of food choices).  As I kept moving forward, he threw in, "Hey!  THIS IS IT - today's the day - you've trained for this, and you. can. do. this!!" 

Needless to say, my favorite people showed up in major ways on this major day!  Several times along the way, I also felt inspired by other runners or by the people volunteering and cheering for us... I so applaud this fireman doing a full marathon in all his gear with "For my Family" written on his race bib!

And these guys who carried this cross with them the entire way (I ran near them for a few minutes, and Kristin took this pic at the Finish Line bc she knows me well and knew I'd appreciate it). lol

Six out of ten toes have blisters, and there's one on my left foot that was particularly painful toward the end (and by the end, I mean the last 7 miles, so not a short time period).  I stopped at two Medical tents for Aspirin then Tylenol.  And I had one mildly scary moment where my heart started beating very rapidly as I was just walking - not sure if that was the caffeine in the energy chews or potential dehydration or just completing 24 miles for the first time ever after a 2-week training break.  I came to a full stop and took some very slow deep breaths and had my hand on my heart, and a guy from the Medical Aid station nearby walked over to see if I was okay.  A race walker stopped to see if I needed help and offered to walk with me.  It calmed back down, and right around then, Chet called to tell me to stay encouraged!  I wasn't sure I had it in me to rally and finish by the 1:30 timeline... I called Rach to have her ask the officials if they would actually let people finish later than that.  Then I got a text from Kristin that they had extended the timeline by 30 minutes, and that was just what I wanted to hear!! lol  I hated to make everyone wait, but I wasn't gonna push myself too much after the heart thing.  I walked most of the last 3 miles, then started jogging it in when I saw this section (they had posted on Facebook that the pictures of the 168 victims would mark the pathway to the Finish Line, so I knew I was close).  I closed the Peloton app - (LOVED those familiar classes and encouraging coaches as my playlist, by the way!) and I found and played Marching On by One Republic on my phone, but honestly, I could barely hear it with all the Finish Line noise and chaos.  I had pictured myself feeling all the metaphorical meaning in it and crying when I reached the end of the race, but my main thoughts in that moment were deep gratitude and joy about seeing all my people lining the Finish Line path, genuine shock that the announcer pronounced my last name correctly (thanks to Chettles, who thought ahead and had a convo with him about it!), puuure physical exhaustion, and of course, annoyance that I didn't have lipstick or gloss to put on for my crossing-the-Finish-Line photos! lol

Running it in - time to check this goal off the Life List - huzzah!

Finisher high fives from the boys!! ❤ (Post-race group pics in the next post!)

So I started a bit earlier and ended a bit later than I expected... like so many things in my life, it was a longer journey than I anticipated, but I got there in the end - with the help of God and the support of my friends and family!  I didn't process it all in the moment (which is often true for me), but now that it's officially done, I am grateful for that sense of conclusion - of proving to myself that I can do hard things - of finishing something that was important to me and having the photos and medals and car stickers and sore muscles to prove it!! ;-)  My finish time was 7 hours and 17 minutes on April 27th (all the 7s make me happy).  My average pace was 16:42, or 16:17 if you remove my 10-minute break, which was the only portion where I had a 20-minute mile pace. lol  But whatever - it's a marathon, not a sprint!

On this final Marathon Monday, I'll say this:  All glory to God that I made it through that Finish Line - His goodness and grace were enough for everything I needed yesterday!  The current sunburn and soreness will fade, but the sense of success and satisfaction will stay with me! ❤

I think many people underestimate the planning, preparation, passion, and perseverance it takes — the careful pacing, proper training, pre-race carbs, post-race protein... and the mental battle of pressing through fear, hesitation, and perhaps a random last-minute injury.  Running a marathon means moving on purpose, with purposeand for a purpose — pushing through the ups and downs of the path marked out for you, grabbing pictures and memories with your people along the way, and feeling truly proud of your progress and perseverance!!

P.S. Bonus points to me for all that alliteration, and bonus points to anyone who took the time to read this entire post! lol