I drove into Kalamazoo with my friends Tim and Sue. We went straight to the expo and picked up our packets for the next day. The expo was very small and there was not really anything to see so we didn't stay long. I was able to get 2 honey stinger gels for only $2 so this was exciting.
After trying to get the most amount of sleep I could the night before (which is practically impossible the night before a marathon) we got up and began our normal marathon morning prep. Shower, dress, check for gels, put Rehydrate in my water bottle, drink some Spark and Rehydrate and eat breakfast. Then we were on our way to the start. It was very windy and cold so we found some indoor restrooms and took advantage of them and took our pre-race photos. We also made sure to let our friends who were pacing that we had made it.
We made our way to the start line and since only the marathon started at 8:00am it was easy to make our way over to it. Sue and I found the 4:30 pace group and lined up with them. Tim went off to the 3:45 and our friend Lisa was right behind us as the 4:45 pacer.
The first 5 miles went by fairly quickly. The first several miles are down and flat. There were a few small rollers and once we hit the University of Western Michigan there were a few small hills. The crowd and the energy was great. After mile 5 the wind was really starting to bother me and I just wasn't sure how the day was going to go. Miles 5-8 went by very slow. We didn't have any water stops and even though there was crowd support 3 miles without water seems like 100 miles. Just after mile 8 we hit the first big hill. The is where the elite pack was passing us headed toward mile 12. Wow look at them go. Just after mile 9 we saw our friends Ron, Tim and the 3:45 pace group. Miles 9-11 were through an industrial park. The wind was brutal. It was either pushing you, blowing you or just plain annoying. Once we came out of the Industrial park and hit mile 11 there was a huge down hill followed by a huge up hill. Sue really pulled me through these next couple of miles because I could tell this was just not going to be my day. Mile 13 is the most exciting crowd supported mile on the course. They have bacon, fruit and lots of people ready to cheer you on. We hit mile 13.10 just shy of 2:13 and I was pumped. We had time to spare and I felt we were on course.
As the race wore on though I just felt more and more tired. I knew from the race the previous weekend that the pregnancy was really starting to make me feel tired faster. I hardly remember miles 13-18. I do know that the wind never gave us a break and I was feel tired. Just after mile 18 we went across a bridge and I have no clue what was in the water but it was the worst smell I have ever smelled in my life. Just after that we made a left turn onto what appeared to be a running/biking trail. It was mostly uphill and I felt like I just couldn't go. It wasn't steep but at this point it felt like it was. Sue and I found our place with some older gentleman who could not have been more sweet. One of them had run 355 marathons! The other's son had finished 2nd in the half marathon. I thought I could run 2 minutes and walk 1 the rest of the way. It was somewhat going well until the hill right around 22. It was huge. Sue was already to the top before I was even halfway. At the top the nice crowd had Popsicles for all the runners but I just felt awful and wanted to keep going. Miles 23 and 24 are mostly a blur. Sue was too far ahead for me to see at this point. I just kept trying to go forward. I saw a lot of worn out runners.
Jut after mile 25 I heard a familiar voice day Deanna... I knew it... Lisa my friend who was pacing 4:45 was about to pass me. It took everything in my body to push but after the hill I stayed within a very short distance of Lisa. I was on the home stretch and I could see the finish but it seemed like I just wasn't getting any closer to it. Finally 4:44:04 DONE! It was off from my goal but I did it. Marathon number 6 was in the books and my 5th state was completed.
I don't know exactly what caused me to just breakdown but I did. Being pregnant maybe?! The wind, the course or only a 5 week recovery after a very tough Knoxville. All could be factors but I'm just really glad I came across that finish line and remained strong!
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