Bad -
I'm not sure I should really even label this the bad but rather I should say these are things I would do differently next time!
* Don't start out too fast. Terri and I had a plan but since the pacer was going a bit faster (we were aiming for 10:30 mm pace which they should have been going) but the first few miles were a bit over that pace. I feel like if we had kept each mile at our projected pace I might have been a little better off.
* I broke the "don't try new gear for a race" rule and wore a SpiBelt (bought at the expo) with one of my Amphipod bottles attached. It just didn't work out well. The SpiBelt moved around on me which made my bottle bounce off. I ended up having to carry the bottle (with Terri's help) the first 5 miles until I saw my husband and was able to toss it.
* Use music sooner than mile 21. Yes, it was nice to be able to just talk to Terri and also take in all the sounds of the race around me but honestly I think there were times when I could have used the music before mile 21.
* Eat more. I only took 2-3 Honey Stinger chews every 4-5 miles. I probably should have eaten more during the race. The only other thing I ate during the marathon was one orange slice around mile 14-16( I cannot recall exactly when it was). I kinda wish there had been more of those on the course!
* Get acclimated to all weather conditions. You just never know. This race started cool and foggy but ended very warm and sunny. I had ran some in the heat in the weeks leading up to the race but the heat still got to me on race day.
* Enjoy the last .2 miles. really really take in every second of it. I hardly remember coming into the stadium and crossing the finish line.
Ugly -
* Losing toenails. Period. This is the worst part of the whole marathon experience for me. It looks like I am probably going to lose about 4 toenails total. So far I am down to having one completely gone. It's not pretty...at all! I won't gross you out with the details or photographic evidence but I will say that I am not sure with my weak stomach how I will handle this whole losing toenails bit! haha It's interesting for sure.
Good -
There is SO much I can say about the experience that was good. I loved it and now that all the pain has worn off I am thinking about my next marathon.
* I loved running with a friend. The support with every step I took was helpful in getting me to the finish line. I can't say thank you enough to my running buddy, Terri, for being there for me that day.
* My husband and personal race day photographer. If you ever have someone willing to run the course of a race for you to get pictures make sure you know just how special that is! I am so happy to have such a wonderful husband who was willing to do this for me especially since there were no professional photographers on course!
* Running close to home and having so much support. Running in Knoxville made it easy for family to be there to cheer me on and congratulate me at the finish line. This is something I will cherish forever.
* I took a water and Powerade at every hydration station. I had not done Powerade at all on any of my runs so this was a huge risk for me on race day. I'm SO glad I took the Powerade because I feel it really worked well for me.
* Finish line. Crossing the finish line and knowing I had finally been able to say, "There ya go, you are a marathoner!" to the fat girl, to the hater in my head felt amazing. The feeling of accomplishment and pride was great.
[caption id="attachment_1238" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="It's all about the bling!"]
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