26.2...st george edition take 2

the last time i ran the st george marathon i was in my running prime. there were a few rough spots as usual, but overall it was a good race. i ran one of my best races, and the st george marathon became a good memory for me.

even though i already did 2 other marathons this year, i am not really in the best running condition right now, but for some reason (maybe the nostalgia of my other st george marathon) i thought i would have a repeat great race day.

i met some of the other generation gap runners to ride the bus up to the top. the bus ride always makes you realize just how far 26.2 miles really is. it was a little cool at the top which usually means great running weather.

the race started about 30 minutes late. it makes me really mad. i can't understand why a race that is happening for the 38th time can't be organized enough to start on time. other than that the organization is actually really good. the aid station were perfect, and there were plenty of them. i got off to a great start. i ran with some of the generation gap ladies for about 5 miles before we spread out a little. there's a killer hill around mile 8. a lot of people (including me) walk/hike the hill. ever since i had hip surgery, climbing is really hard on my hip. i did the best i could, but that hill was a struggle. the next 4-5 miles are pretty hilly too. by the time i got to mile 15 my left hip (not the one i had surgery on) starting bothering me. i took it easy for a few miles hoping things would get better. by mile 18 i couldn't run one single step without pain. i started to panic. i didn't want to quit, but i also knew i couldn't run anymore. i walked every single step from mile 18 to the end. it was brutal. i wanted to run, but i knew it wasn't smart. i didn't want to hurt myself even more. miles 18-23 are the best part of the course, and i was really sad about not being able to run. luckily my running friend andrea came up behind me.  we were together on and off the rest of the race. it was so helpful to have a distraction. by that point i was determined to finish no matter what, and i did it! my time was terrible-my very worst ever, but i did it. even though it was hard, i finished.

some people might think that by marathon number 10, this would be easy #false

people probably think i'm good at it #false people think i do this because i love it #false i do this because i love the sense of accomplishment of pushing your body to do something really hard #truth i do it because it keeps me in shape #truth i do it because of the friends #truth i do it because there is nothing like crossing that finish line #truth
this marathon pushed me all the way to the limit. marathons are hard, and this was no exception. i learned once again that i can do hard things.