When I went for a long run with my friend Jacquie training for a marathon and the 8 mile I thought we were running turned into a tolerable 14 AND I survived I thought I could sneak up on a marathon and see what happens.
The Lost Dutchman starts up in the Superstition Mountains at the Peralta trail head and we were shuttled to the start where fires burned to keep the runners warm.
The sun came up over the mountains and we lined up for the 7am start. The first 6 miles were downhill on a dirt road and the views were spectacular.
Apache Junction is primarily a retirement community and they showed up in force to cheer us on. The RV Mobilehome community at mile 16.5 was the best. The music was playing and the cutest, retiree was semi-dancing and clapping. The retirees clapped and looked like they were having a great time.
I kept my pace slow at the beginning and felt pretty good even with a port-a-potty stop at mile 11. On the shuttle bus a fellow runner said at the halfway point there were Krispy Kreme donut holes that were awesome. The donut holes at mile 13 were welcomed gladly by me but I immediately thought I had a mouthful of cotton balls and briefly considered spitting it out but didn't want to disgust the runners around me.
Miles 23 to the finish were very slugglish yet I kept running walking through the water stops taking two cups of water...one to drink and another to dump over my head since it had warmed up.
Although this was my slowest marathon time at 4:07, it is my new favorite. The course, the volunteers and crowd support make this a must-run race for anyone looking for a fantastic race.
Happy Running!
2 comments:
Congratulations Christina of finishing your fourth marathon. Who cares if it was your slowest. You rocked it at 4:07. You have always told me when I was preparing for my two marathons that if they were easy everyone would be running them.Great work from a Seattle supporter.
You are my hero. :) Good luck tomorrow!
Post a Comment