Bean Kids: Kalamazoo Marathon 2014

So I don't normally do posts about myself but I just have to post this one. Today I ran 26.2 miles!!! I am extremely proud of myself and would like to document some of the process/training that went into it. So if you want to scan ahead go right on and do it because I won't even know :)

Here's the story....two years ago I decided that I would like to complete a marathon. I looked into marathon's that would be close to home because I was only planning on running one and would like as much of my family to come that could make it. So I chose Kalamazoo which seemed to be a middle point for many of the family. Last year I trained for the race but had to back out of training after making it to 14 miles in my long run due to knee pain. And when I say knee pain, I mean pain. I consider myself pretty tough but this pain was unbearable. I was disappointed but decided to shoot for the next year.

So this January I began training again. This winter was extremely long, cold, and icy so getting my long runs outside was hard. By time I ran my 14 mile run on the treadmill I said that I couldn't do it again. I needed to run outside. I had some knee pain after that 14 mile run and took a week off to give it a break. My next long run was 17 miles and I was able to complete that outside with frozen water bottles and all. Then came the 18 mile run. Once again I felt good and found it funny that when I went to take a drink the cap on my water bottle was pure ice. Both of these runs were around an 9:28 minute average. I was told not to focus on time just on finishing my first marathon. You can focus on time for your second one they say. What if I don't plan on running a second one? I would ask myself...so unfortunately the competitor in me wanted a better time. So here came my 19 mile run after having another week off due to being extremely sick. And this run was on a day when the weather was in the low 60's, I ran a different course, and just felt amazing. I had to stretch out my knee on mile 13 but felt great and ended with a 9:12 pace. I was super excited and thought that maybe there is actually a chance I could hit that four hour goal.

And then.....two days after that amazing run my knee decided it was done. I stretched it, iced it, and gave it a break all week. That next weekend I had a 13 mile run which I attempted and only made it 7 because the pain was so bad. You could actually hear/feel a clicking in my knee. I was bummed but tried to be optimistic. I laid low the next week and planned to attempt my 20 mile run while in Florida. Florida came and so did the 20 mile run of which I could only run 4 of. At that point I was glad I didn't pay for the race. And this is the reason why I waited. I knew in my mind that I couldn't run this race and I also knew after taking some time that it was out of my control. But I was so close. It's so hard when you train for four months to have it end in an injury just before being able to complete it.

When my in-laws arrived in Florida my father-in-law approached me and asked how I was doing. James had filled them in on what was going on. He mentioned that there may be an option that could get me through the race. If it was mechanical it wouldn't help but if it were inflammation it just may. So he took me down a dark alley and wrote a script for some pain killers. We weren't sure if the pharmacy would fill it with him being out of state but they did and so two days later I tried the pain killers for a long run. I ran 13.5 miles and felt good. The pain killers worked and gave me enough confidence to sign up for the race.

Upon coming home I was told by other marathon runners that many take some sort of pain killer, so I wasn't alone. My goal now became to just finish it. Time was no longer a goal....although I did not want to be over 4:30 hours...I just needed to complete it. It will have been a month since my last long run.

So here we are....last night I stayed with Aimee Sowles who so generously let me stay at her house, drove the whole course with me, helped me get my mind off things, and dropped me off at the starting line. And I must add that that evening while visiting a friend Emily Arndt I was told that the "flat" course was actually the second highest elevated course in Michigan. And I could tell on the drive that there were many hills and many long inclines. Oh, I was nervous.

Starting line...it's cold and windy, and I am nervous. They have pacers for every fifteen minutes so I line up ahead of the 4 hour pacer and behind the 3:45 hour pacer. The gun goes off and I remember saying to myself "just do your best and enjoy it". As we all make our first turn the wind hits me hard. I laugh to myself and think "alright, it's going to be a long windy race". By mile 8 the 4 hour pacer passes me and it seems like everyone is passing me. I make it up the to treacherous hills at mile 9 and am looking forward to two miles of flat, easy road. Instead of getting that break those two miles were so windy I thought I was going to get blown off the road or at least my bib would get ripped off. I had no idea what my pace was but was determined to keep going. Back to those treacherous hills and on to mile 13. I remember running over the scanner thinking "I just want to stop running", "this is so much harder than I thought", "you only did 19 miles four weeks ago", "everyone is waiting for you at the finish line". Little did I know my time was under two hours for the half which would help my average when I hit those uncharted miles. Mile 15 I was greeted by Aimee, Emily and her little guy Miles cheering me on. Familiar, smiling faces is such a high when your running. Mile 17 I was greeted by my super supportive kids and unbelievable husband. Awhile after I passed them I walked for the first time. My body was struggling. I would only walk for a short time and then get back going. James and the kids passed me again while they were driving to the finish line. James drove with the van door open and the kids were screaming "Go Mommy!" Mile 19 came and I hit my wall. I began walking up almost every hill, through every water station, and then would pick up running again. I was running miles I had never run before and so wanted to finish. I didn't want to burn out. Mile 21 I was about to be passed by another pacer. I remember thinking "oh great, this is the 4:30 hour pacer...this stinks"....but it was actually the 4:15 hour pacer and I found myself thinking "I can do this under 4:30!" "I can do this". And then I had a nice fall where one of the pacers came to help me. My hand was pretty beat up and blood was running down it but I got back up and kept going. At the next water station I grabbed a cup and poured it on my hand to clean it up. 4 more miles to go...I have walked but I haven't stopped. "Just keep going, just keep going" Mile 25 and one last hill and then a spectator shouted out "it's all flat road from here" I knew I needed to run the rest of the way to the finish. When I took the curve I knew I had one more turn. I was proud coming in there. I set a goal and was about to complete it. People were cheering me on saying "you're almost there", "keep going", "congratulations". Then as I'm about to make the turn I see Phil Morse shouting my name cheering me on. (he was the lookout). I turn the corner and there are my kids all prepped and ready to cross the finish line with me. James, Dad, Dad Bean, Mom Bean, Phil, Missy, Anna, Matthias, Eli, and Aimee are cheering me on from the sideline. Andrew was told ahead of time not to be crazy and goofy (and he wasn't) and Adeline was all smiles looking up at me saying "Momma" with a proud look on her face. I was exhausted, but tried so hard to keep that smile on my face that was going on inside my heart because I was so happy. I crossed the finish with my two loves with a time of 4:20:12. I did it!