26.2 - Never Again

26.2 is a long way to run. In fact, I would consider it torture. I know some people are “addicted to running”. However, I am just not one of those people.

This past weekend, Mark and I ran the Louisville, KY marathon. We signed up last October, using Christmas money for the race fee and considered the weekend our anniversary present to one another.
What were we thinking? Who would ever think that running 26.2 miles was a good Christmas present and way to spend an anniversary weekend? Crazy people, that’s who!

I had 26.2 miles and 4:05:32 to “think”. And lucky for you, I decided to write it all down. 

• Men have a complete advantage when running. I cannot tell you how many times I saw men disappear behind a building or tree to pee. Not that woman can’t do that, but you have to admit, we are at a disadvantage. 

• Runners are messy. There were cups, gel packets, orange peals, and articles of clothing all throughout the course. Not that I didn't join in the messiness, but why do runners have an excuse to litter?

• Despite the extra energy wasted, I like to dance while running. I am sure I looked a little crazy, but it kept me going. 

• I am an emotional runner. I teared up when Mark left me in his dust at mile 2, when I passed the Christian radio station, when I went through large crowds, and when certain songs came on my iPod.

• Why would anyone ever run 26.2 miles? Seriously, I thought my legs were going to fall off from about mile 22 to 26. It was some intense pain. I just don’t get the appeal. 

• Prayer works! I knew of several people who were praying for me during the race and it got me through some of those rough spots. I also wrote Bible verses on my arms and read through them when I needed a little encouragement. 

• 4 hours is a long time to go without talking to ANYONE. So after the race, I talked Mark’s ear off. Considering he was about to puke, I don’t think he appreciated it. 

• Beer sounded much better than it tasted. Our race bibs had a free beer coupon for after the race. I like beer and I thought it would be a good reward after 26.2 miles. Nope, it was not. 

• I am OLD. After the race, we slept all afternoon, got up, looked around downtown for about 2 hours and then needed another nap.

This first picture was meant to look alot cooler than it actually does. If you look close enough, you can see the verses written on my arms. 

I know I sort of complained alot in this post, but I did get a weekend away with my honey which is better than nothing. And after our second nap on Saturday, we went to a nice dinner and piano bar. So it was not all sweat and tears.