GUYS. I DID IT. I ran 26.2 FREAKING miles around Detroit and Canada.
I am a MARATHONER.
There was laughter, tears, swearing that would make a sailor blush, lots of sweat, but I GOT IT DONE.
And I feel absolutely amazing and unstoppable.
Here's my race rundown:
Saturday: Drove to Detroit (hotel) and let me tell you- driving in Metro-Detroit traffic while tapering only raises the potential for road rage. I had to listen to a podcast while driving because I was afraid that I would become more road ragey if I had to deal with crappy music; instead I argued with the podcasters- sorry Dave and Chuck!
I get checked into the swanky Westin-Cadillac, which was the only hotel that had rooms available when Jodi made the reservations. The hotel hands me a doortag with the Marathon logo and my room key, also with the race logo, and sends me on my way. Too bad they forgot to activate the key before handing it to me. No huge deal, but I had to go back and forth between the 16th floor and the lobby (on the 2nd floor- who does that?!) to get the key figured out.
I finally get into the room, drop off my bags, and walk the 2 blocks to get on the People Mover. The People Mover loops around the city, hitting a lot of the big attractions- Joe Louis Arena, Greektown Casino, Financial District, Ren Cen, and of course, Cobo- home of the Expo. Once on the People Mover, I looked up at the route map- Cobo is walking distance to the hotel; 2 stops in the opposite direction of the People Mover, to be exact. Oops. So I took a loop around Downtown and tried not to be so angry at myself for not reviewing the map earlier.
I get to the Expo and instead of wandering around, I made a beeline to the back of the expo where race bibs and shirts were located. Have you ever navigated 20,000 people, all trying to get to the same location within a small room? And you know I wasn't the only crabby, tapering, panicking racer in that room. Thankfully, most people were doing the same thing I was- heading straight back for our race packets, THEN enjoying the Expo. I understand the theory of putting the bibs in the back- making people go by all of the vendors increases the chances that the vendors will make sales and gain exposure. But when you're a stressed out racer who just wants his or her packet, the vendors fall to the wayside (temporarily). I just wanted the bib in my hand to soothe my nerves. I finally got into the packet pickup line and pulled out my Enhanced License to verify my identity. The volunteer was awesome and, when she pulled out my bib number, she proudly announced "WE HAVE A GREENIE! Good luck tomorrow and have fun!"
For years, The Detroit Free Press hands out special green bibs to those who are first-time marathoners. The bibs are a special designation, alerting volunteers and spectators that you are a first-timer and may need a little more encouragement on the course. I totally forgot that there was a box on the registration asking if this was my first race or not. Apparently I checked that it was my first marathon, therefore I got a green bib. And I loved it. I especially loved that past-me remembered that you can also put a nickname on the bib-- mine said "The Goose," homage to my high school nickname. The packet was placed in my hands, and I instantly relaxed- and enjoyed the rest of the Expo. I even *patiently* waited in line to get my photo taken with the race-day countdown clock-- green bib and all.
I met up with Maureen at Hockeytown (after a mile walk- the People Mover station by Hockeytown was out of service) to watch MSU play and have a good, safe dinner pre-race. Jodi and her little one opted to check into the hotel and stay in, and Noah and his wife experienced "lost reservations" at one hotel and were scrambling to find another one. I relaxed with my best friend, enjoyed the MSU victory, and then got driven to Astoria for my post-race treats (chocolate cannolli and a chocolate mousse mouse) and back to the hotel for an early evening.
Race day.
I didn't sleep well, but that was to be expected. I got up and started drinking my water/Gatorade right away. I geared up, made sure Body Glide was applied over every surface of my body, and put on the Wonder Woman shirt I bought specifically for the race. I needed the gentle reminder that I could do it, and people jokingly called me "Wonder Woman" during training. It seemed appropriate. I ate my breakfast (English muffin with peanut butter and a handful of pretzels) on the walk to the start line. Yeah, did I mention that the hotel was 3 blocks from the start line? It was awesome.
I made sure to do a bathroom stop when I was done with the gatorade and breakfast. Any runner understands the need for the pre-race stop.
A volunteer sees me by the start line, trying to snap a selfie. She asks "Hey Greenie! Did you want me to take the photo for you real quick before they usher you to your start corral?" Of course I did! And the people at MarathonFoto were nearby as well and took a professional shot of the pose.
I met up with Heather, a friend of mine from an online running group From Fat to Finish Line. She is amazing. She hosts her own blog and is a visiting blogger for Michigan Runner Girl. This girl has WAY more energy than I do at 6am, but she is pumped for her 8th half marathon. The girl is a MACHINE! I hope I get to hang out with her more in the future, as she lives one town over from my parents-- and is a WAY bigger fan of Detroit than I am. Her love for the city puts mine to shame! I was so happy to finally meet her in person!!
I also ran into a co-worker, Angela, in the starting corral.
It was Angela's first half-marathon and she was getting pumped up. We've ran in a few races together over the past year, and it was awesome to see how excited she was and how she was taking it all in. We snapped a photo and I met up with the 12:30/mile pacing group. Our pacer, Danielle, was on marathon #51.She was full of jokes and witty one-liners, and I was excited to start the race with the group.
Bathroom stop #2 then occurs - before we started the race, thankfully. The first wave or two went off, but I was far enough back to know that I had another 15-20 minutes before my chip time start. I took care of business and got back with the pacing group.
We cross the start line- heart pounding in my chest. No turning back now.
Until mile 1.5. Yes, before mile 2, I stop to use the bathroom AGAIN. Chalk it up to first-marathon jitters combined with my AccelGel, I guess. I lost the pacing group.
I wanted to catch up with the group SO badly, but I knew that they were a good 5-10 minutes ahead of me. For the next 3 miles, I SPRINTED (well for me it was a sprint- it was really a 10:20/mile for 3 miles), despite my brain yelling at my legs to slow down. I got worried that I wouldn't be able to finish if I lost the pacing group- I needed that team support! I barely remember crossing the Ambassador Bridge, I ran so fast across! I caught up with the group right after the bridge and surprised my pacer- which was kind of an awesome feeling.
Don't worry, that sprint came back to bite me at the end.
I ran the Canadian shoreline and dipped into the Underwater Mile (Mile 8). Last year, I didn't stop while in the tunnel because I wanted to be done, but this year I got a bit ahead of the pacing group and stopped for a borderline selfie. Head in Canada, feet in the US, y'all.
Around mile 11 or so, some tailgaters were setting up for the Lion's game and passing out shots of bourbon to runners. Yes, bourbon. The signs read "Regret is temporary. Drink water later!" and Dixie cups were lined up on a table for shots. I just laughed- then my pacer knocked one back! Good grief! She talked about how there would be beer later on during the course, how there's a person who hands out jelly beans every year to runners, and all of the upcoming aide stations that we would pass after we passed the halfway point.
At mile 13, the half marathon group turns to cross the finish line. We... kept going straight. It was a lonely feeling-- about 2/3 of the racers were in it for the half marathon or were participating in the team relay. They were finishing with seemingly fresh legs. I was just getting started.
At mile 17 or so, the next beer sighting was upon me. Beer -- and Polka. Why? Because Detroit, that's why. People were dancing and handing out Dixie cups of Stroh's Beer as we trotted by. I was starting to suffer, so I figured why not- I grabbed a cup and knocked it back to cheers from the volunteers at the station. I was told weeks prior to the marathon that there would be more than just water and Gatorade on the course, and to STAY AWAY from it.
Did I listen? No.
Did it taste great? Absolutely.
Did I feel that shot of beer later? You bet your sweet ass.
I wanted to vomit a mile or so later. I lost most of the pacing group by this point, and I wasn't going to catch up. By this point, I wanted to be done. I wanted to curl up into a little ball and be rolled across the finish line. Everything started to seize up on me- and I realized it was because I was slowing down. If I kept moving, even moved just a little faster, I started to feel better. By mile 21, I was jogging more than walking again and feeling like the goal was in sight!
This is of course about the same time that the US Only Half Marathon started. People started whizzing by me at ungodly paces. I started to get discouraged a bit, so I walked a short bit and checked my phone- 48 Facebook notifications and 15 text messages-- all were messages of support and encouragement.
Aww, I love you guys.
Anywho, I started to get back into the run and out jumped a pacer I had in the Capital City Half Marathon a few months prior- she was the lead of the "Mullet Crew"- the "Party at the back of the race." She remembered my name and cheered me on. A mile later, I ran into Lori, the lady who helped me after I fell (HARD) during my trail half marathon earlier that summer. She cheered me on as I passed her by.
I could see Mile 26 in the near distance-- up a hill. Really guys? I huffed and puffed to the top of the hill, turned the corner- and could see the finish line. I knew that some of my friends were at the finish, and that my family was somewhere battling to get to the finish line, so I started to pick it up- though I wanted to die.
I didn't feel a lot of emotion until I started hearing familiar voices. First Amy and Kerry- they were before the finish line. They raced down the line with me and ran into 2 of my sisters, my mom, my niece and nephew. I heard my sister yell my name (apparently making the guy in front of her lose his hearing- she apologized a LOT), saw my other sister waving a sign, and I smiled as I crossed the finish line. Then promptly cried. My mom started crying, Amy teared up, and I cried even more.
I finished. I was a marathoner. And my pacer waited for me (and the other pacers she lost during the race) to cross the finish line so she could give me a hug and a congrats!
And I beat my goal, too! I wanted to finish in under 6 hours. I finished in 5:39:59. BAM.
I got the medal placed around my neck, got my baked potato wrap for the shoulders, and looked up to see my mom pushing the race barricades aside to get the kid's strollers through to the finisher's chute. There were hugs, more tears, and then the best part-- my niece, Hannah, got lifted up to see me. I hugged her (sweaty shirt and all) as she told me "Aunt Lizzy- you WON the race!"
Dear God, I just got misty eyed again, simply by typing that out.
Then my mom told me how proud she is of me-- and asked me to get Hannah a chocolate milk in the finisher's line.
Yup. That sounds about right! I was more than happy to oblige, because THEY were just as much a part of the race as I was. My family and friends had to endure endless talking about running, workout gear, chafing, black toenails... the least I could do was ask for an extra chocolate milk for a 3 year old.
I felt invincible- until I sat down in the car on the way to lunch and couldn't get back up.
But I wouldn't trade that soreness for the world.
