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 purpose, and 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

All That's Best of Dark and Bright

Happy Photo-Friday, my friends!! ❤  Just catching up on all the pictures today (and in every other post I write, as I take a crazy-high number of photos). lol

Kristin and I went for a lovely walk on Wednesday night, then we shared a pizza at Hideaway!  It was great to be outside on my favorite familiar walking track with zero foot pain - praise the Lord!  Then we had a good, long talk over dinner where I felt *very thankful* to be understood in all my irrational escapism tendencies during a stressful season with a lot of unknowns swirling around.  We caught up on life and talked through some big future decisions, and she came at it from the perspective of what I might regret looking back, which was helpful and clarifying!  Really talking through it all made me feel better, as it almost always does when I'm with supportive friends!

Another thing we discussed was the tragic drownings that happened recently in Moore (caused by severe flooding at night that led to a car accident and a mom and son who could not get out of their Jeep).  The 12-year-old boy went to school with Kristin's sons, and this accident happened at a spot that's literally between our homes, very close to us.  I drove by yesterday and stopped there for a few minutes thinking about how rapidly our lives can change.

Judge had an all-day training conference, so I had the chance to catch up on sleep (yes, please) and to visit the OKC National Memorial Museum for the first time (we got a free entry pass as part of our digital gift-bag for race participants).  I have seen the outdoor memorial several times - it's all well done with the reflecting pool and 168 empty chairs with the each victim's name set between the walls labeled 9:01 and 9:03.  As an Oklahoman, 9:02am is forever etched in my brain from that event.

I had never toured the museum, though, so I'm thankful to have remedied that now.  I always feel a little freer to feel my emotions when I'm on my own, and this was more emotional than I'd expected - I teared up several times going through the museum.  They had the TV news from 1995 playing, with certain scenes that feel like crystallized memories from my 5th grade year.

I spent some time thinking about how long it took them to confirm the deaths of specific people - and how hard that wait would have been for their family members.

Something unexpected that really hit me as a court reporter -- you start out in a quiet room where they play an unsettling recording -- an otherwise boring hearing from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board (located directly across from the Federal Building).  This recording from the morning of April 19, 1995 was no doubt made by a court reporter going about her day as usual with a standard hearing 9:00am... they ramble about inconsequential things for a couple minutes, then there's a very LOUD explosion sound followed by a lot of chaos and confusion, all recorded and well-preserved (just as it would be in any courtroom with a CSR).  Somehow, hearing the very familiar "let's go on record" at the beginning made it all feel even heavier and more intense to me!

There were survivor stories, photos, footage of news clips from around the world, artifacts recovered from the rubble, and a gallery of honor where you can learn more about the victims and their stories.  There was also a lot of space devoted to the criminal investigation and eventual execution of Timothy McVeigh - I really didn't focus much attention on that part of it, but I'm sure it's fascinating for some people.

Back outside, I really love the Survivor Tree - a strong symbol of hope and resilience!!  "The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us."  That quote from Billy Graham at a prayer service following the bombing is engraved on the wall surrounding the Survivor Tree - I love it, and wish it was on the t-shirt I bought!  I'm thankful I took this quiet day to be there and soak it all in before the chaos of the massive race day crowd... they had over 22,000 runners last year, and I'm guessing it'll be more for this 25th Anniversary run!

This is a statue across the street from the Memorial with the simple inscription, "And Jesus Wept."

Seeing the culvert in Moore + the museum and outdoor memorial was all a sobering but worthwhile experience.

* * * * * * *

Shifting gears, here's a pic from 15 years ago on this very day -- JoBug and Lucy coming to support me in the 2010 OKC Relay Marathon I ran with Bobbi and co.  

She's going to be my hero on Sunday... they have good family friends who live in Nichols Hills who have a drink machine and go all out to support the runners on race day.  They live around Mile 17 in the course, and I get to stop in and use their bathroom (yaaay, no Porta-Potties) -- so I have a bag packed with everything I could possibly need for a quick bathroom break and sock change!  I'm also giving Kristin a few things for when I see them earlier in the course, so between those two mini-breaks, I should be all set!  Side Note: This year is the first time they've not offered a Relay Marathon team option... and the first year it reeeeally mattered to me.  How fun would it have been to have Dad, JEM, Kristin, Triston, and Chet join me for portions of the race!?  But instead, it'll be me and Jesus all the way, which is also a pretty good team! lol 

This = our fam celebrating April birthdays at The Ranch exactly one year ago today.  ❤

At the recommendation of Dr. Aaron, an awesome physical therapist at The Movement Lab in Edmond, I took a short run to see how my foot felt yesterday.  I did a 30-minute Peloton class doing 6:1 intervals the whole time.  My foot felt GREAT, and I had good energy the whole time -- after hobbling to my car near tears 12 days ago, this felt like a solid redemptive experience as my final pre-race "run!"  I believe it's going to go well on Sunday - I'm feeling more confident and fully determined to give it my best shot!

Make that a light *rain jacket* for today, but I'm all for it if that means I can stay dry on Sunday! lol

Parker and her fam on her 4th b-day!!

Awesomesauce Disney-princess-themed cookiecake by Karli!

Favorites - their monthly podcast episode brings me great joy!

Miss K hitting a 3-pointer in their uber-competitive game of HORSE!

Kyndal:  You wanna play too?

Me:  No thanks, I'm not very good at volleyball.

Kyndal:  Oh, that's okay - Mom's not either!

Lolol #false but also #buuurnDavid

I came in to grab a drink, and it made me happy to see everyone on Mom and Dad's cameras...

Naturally, I made us all pose for a very low-quality camera pic using the app on mom's phone! lol

Since that family dinner on Tuesday night, Dad got some sort of hand injury that looks super rough... he has no memory of hurting it, so I'm guessing it was a spider bite -- eww, David!  Hoping the antibiotics kick into gear, and praying for quick and smooth healing for him!

Rach and K-Faith at the Lone Star Classic volleyball tournament a few weeks back - I didn't get the pic until later, so here it is now! ❤

Love this reminder...

Another good reminder.  Peace matters, and rest is our friend.

Life can be a lot, but God is faithful!

The brochure at the Memorial Museum yesterday had the title "A Day of Darkness. Years of Light."  I love that - this post also felt like an interesting mix of light and dark, so I went with my favorite line from She Walks in Beauty for the title.  This is my eighth blog post this week... writing helps me process life, and I've had a lot to process lately.  If you choose to read along, thank you for joining me!  I'm headed to packet pickup with Mom this afternoon - fun!  I'll see you again on Monday if not before. =)

❤ ❤ ❤