Feet Fail Me Not...: Baby N's very first Marathon: Providence Marathon Recap

It's true. The little man just experienced his very first marathon at 21 weeks. And not a lot of people knew about it until race day.

One thing I've struggled with during this pregnancy are people's judging comments about my running while pregnant. Understandably people do really care. I appreciate their concerns but sometimes I just don't want to hear it. I feel that I am a smart person who has done quite a bit of research about the pros and cons about running while prego. I also am a person who took a lot of time to find a doctor that will tell me the truth about running and whether or not it will be good for me and the little man. So, when I decided to run a marathon while pregnant and got the green light from my OB... I chose not to tell many people.

Because I didn't want to hear it.

End rant.

Why did I decide to run a marathon? Fantastic question! I have absolutely nothing to prove or want to show off my capabilities. I know that I am not superwomen (maybe). But I really wanted to see what the body and mind can really do. I wanted to see if I can still somewhat enjoy something that is and will be a part of me while I am going through a huge change in my life (pregnancy). I am a runner. I am a marathoner. And I didn't want to 'stop everything' because I'm pregnant. I wanted to really see if I can still go, slowly, while enjoying the journey.

So, on Sunday, May 4, 2014, the little man and I toed the line at the Providence Marathon (with adequate training) in hopes to complete Marathon #9 for me and Marathon #1 for him. His 8th race so far this year.

Fuel belt filled with so much food and fluids... and toilet paper of course

I actually ran the Providence Marathon back in 2012 so I was familiar with the course. I chose this race because of that fact but also because it's 45 mins from my house, I could easily drop to the half if I wasn't ready for the full, porter potties at EVERY water stop (thank god!) and I knew that if anything went wrong, it would be so easy for someone to get me. So signing up for this race was a no brainer.

I wasn't nervous race morning. I had absolutely no goals and just planned to run/walk the race. I also ran 2x 20 miles within the month so I knew I was going to be able to finish. But, I had no clue what my body was going to do, whether or not Baby N was going to cause me any issues, or whether or not I would pee myself when there wasn't a porter potty near by.

But I was ready to tackle any obstacle.

I was SO happy to meet up with a few friends pre-race. And these friends actually JUST ran the Boston Marathon. But sadly, the heat was too much for them to achieve their goals. So, their crazy asses joined me to attempt another marathon just 2 weeks after. They are officially Marathon Maniacs! Love them for that!!

The race started rather quickly and I was off to a fantastic start. I was running sub 9:00/miles and felt really awesome. I turned-on my iPod and took in my surroundings. People were beyond supportive and cheering me on. Laughing at my 'Running for Two' Shirt and gave me high fives. It validated that I made the right decision to run the race.

After a few miles the bottom of my feet started to hurt a bit. And it was because I did not break in new sneakers before todays race. I decided to run with my old sneakers thinking I could get in one more race before I retire them. But when I started feeling rocks on the pavement through the bottom of my sneakers, I knew it was going to be a very tough race.

The first half wasn't too bad at all. 3 bathroom breaks and a few seconds of walking to fuel is all I needed to stay on point. I was still running sub 9:00/mile but that slowly faded because of the bathroom stops. I kept reminding myself that today wasn't about time (even though it was hard for me to swallow at first). But when I hit the halfway point at 2:02:34 (9:21 pace)... I knew my 'secret' goal of a 4 hr marathon was not an option anymore.

Time to just run and finish this race.

Halfway done! Keep on trucking!

However, my FEET (oh my feet) started to hurt even more. the next few miles. My breathing was fine, my energy was on point and my legs were cooperating. But... my feet just didn't handle the extra weight AND the road conditions.

When I hit mile 15... I started to walk. A LOT. I didn't get upset by this. I actually realized I made a bad decision not breaking in new sneakers before the race. Suck a rookie mistake (and I'm not even a freakin rookie). So I played it smart and ran walked the rest of the race.

I was able to enjoy my surroundings even more and send messages to friends. I did TRY and push through the discomfort but that was just too hard. The next 5 miles were rather brutal. So slow. So many walk break. Oh and did I mention MY FEET!

One thing that motivated me a bit was to try and push the final 10K was knowing that even though my husband couldn't make it to the race, that he was still running with us in spirit. I decided last minute to attach his recent Boston Marathon bib # to the back of my shirt while I wore my other bib # on the front. To me, this was a way that he ran with me and the little man throughout the race. Or maybe I just wanted people to think I was bib #4559 a few weeks back lol! Ya.. I wish! It really was more for me. I loved having him be with us this way.

The final 10K itself was a doozy. I didn't want to walk anymore so I tried so hard to push my legs. I was SO happy to have a very long down hill with 3 miles left to give me a bit of momentum!! But that didn't last long. I had to walk quite a bit... even going into the last mile. I couldn't run a mile nonstop which was bothersome but the run was more like a limp. I was yo-yo-ing with this other girl who was having toe issues. All we could do was laugh. But down deep we were really annoyed.

With a mile left I pushed harder and harder to run through the numbness and pain. A few stops needed to take place but with 1/10th of a mile left I started to sprint. I didn't want to turn the corner walking. I just ignored my feet and eye'd my watch... "holy crap! keep going and you will run SUB 4:30!!" I crossed the finish with a 4:29:16 finishing time (10:16 pace)! CRAZY!!!!

I couldn't believe that I just did that. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Even though the time flew by, my mind and legs started to give up right in the middle. I knew that the pregnancy wasn't going to make this easy. But I do not regret one minute of it! My little man just ran his very first marathon. Something I cannot wait to share with him when he's old enough. I was physically able to do something that I absolutely love while pregnant. It is by far one of the best experiences of my life... that I will NEVER DO AGAIN! LOL