My FIRST Marathon: Honolulu Marathon 2014 Recap

If you didn't catch it in the title I put FIRST (not last) because after this marathon I am sure I want to do another. For the last few weeks I began to think that this marathon this was not for me, until I crossed that finish line. I was preparing for the worse. I thought that surely after the race I would be handicapped and in need of a caregiver. That was  not the case. Sure I was extremely tired and hobbled around like a 90 year old grandma. I did receive help getting back home, and later that night having a friend bring me some food. But when I was first left on my own I was able to care for my self. I ordered pizza, took a shower, walked my dog, and laid not only my self but my three year old down for a nap.

Okay now for the race day details.

I woke up at 1:30 am, because my ride was picking me up at 2:15 am. I was nervous but not crazy nervous. I ate a banana and a bowl of plain oatmeal and took a cup of coffee to go.

We parked and were able to hop on a Japanese tour bus instead of walking over a mile down the road to hop on the shuttle that we were originally going for. It ended up saving us a boat load of time and was hilarious!

The Japanese Bus

We made it to the start area and had plenty of time to use the restrooms and stretch. It was sprinkling and a bit chilly for Hawaii (in the 70's). I actually felt cold here for once.

At the beginning of the race I felt like it was a big celebration for all of the hard work we put into training, the firework show was the big kick off!

The first few miles were tough. Between "accidentally" elbowing tourists and having to dodge dummies who stop with out warning just to snap a pic- we were making decent time.

The first few miles were awesome when it came down to support. Crowds of people cheering us on. I even spotted fellow Stroller Warriors who came to support! With all of the chaos the first few miles just went by.

We started up the outside of Diamond Head and spotted the first place person was passing us on the other side! (That was about mile 8 or 9 for me)

Mile 15ish

The rain and wind were not a good combination. By mile 13 I did not feel like running in it anymore. Peoples hats were flying off, and our shoes were heavy and soaked. My ankles were feeling the strain from the extra weight of my shoes. I was defiantly feeling down in the dumps until I saw three of my fellow stroller warriors, one (Jessica Argo) came over and grabbed my hand. BTW she was already at like mile 20 at that point. Those ladies are no joke BAMR's.

At the 25k mark I stopped and rang out all of the water out of my socks (It was a nice relief). I started off running again.

Then out of the blue, I spotted my family in the car. I hope they didn't see but I am pretty sure I put on a ugly cry face. It helped me push through the next bit. I saw them two more times and it was an awesome feeling. They supported me every step of the way, and brought Lucy. (Oh I forgot to mention my husband was gone on the Submarine so his brother and wife looked after Lucy for me).

It was a big deal to me that Lucy was there. She sat through most of my training in the stroller. Her longest ride being 13.5 miles. She had to deal with early morning wake ups for the 6 races I did before the marathon. She was there through the good, bad, and ugly. I didn't want to give up because I knew she would be watching me. She is what always keeps me going every day.

Me and my baby girl.

Between the first time I saw them and the last my friend Cheryl found me and ran with me for the next few miles. She really kept me going and it was nice to have someone to talk to. We split at mile 22 at a water station.

The last 4.2 miles were not easy. The one thing that did help is that I have done 4 races on that last stretch so I knew what I was in for.

Right before the finish line I spotted my family again. I couldn't believe that I was about to cross the finish line. The relief that swept over my body was unreal. I actually felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. All of those early morning wake ups, not going to Friday night parties, the sore muscles, planning my life around this thing.- I WAS DOING IT, COMPLETING IT. I had been preparing for this day for what felt like forever, and it was over.

Although I did not get the time I had hoped for I am still extremely proud of my self. I actually set out to do something that a lot of people only dream of doing and finished. It wasn't as hard as I had hyped it up to be in my head. But it was just as rewarding and life changing. 6:56:54

Now that my marathon high has ran off (get it ran hehe) I am left  with the question- What to do now?? I am really looking forward to see what the NEW YEAR will bring. I can't wait to tackle something else.


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Darcy