Achieved *updated with pics*

 Howdy from the other side.

The marathon was awesome - the feeling I am left with after completing it is indescribable.  I will be doing it again for sure - I don't think I have ever felt so worthwhile my whole life.  Instead of being frustrated and uncomfortable with my body I was proud of it for getting me through.   We have kind of made peace with each other.

When I got up on Sunday morning the weather was absolute spam.  Driving out to Elleker I was dubious and thought maybe we would be in for a very wet run.  I was hoping it would let up by the time we got there but it didn't happen.  I put my Zen in the trusty little glad bag I had packed in case and hoped that it would ease up soon.  I also hoped my constant need to pee would ease up too because before we even left home I swear I went about 20 times in the space of a single hour.  I don't know why but my body tried to try and pee the nerves away - handy tip if you are ever considering trying that, it doesn't really work.  Out at the hall where we convened for our numbers and de-brief they had 2 toilets, one male one female and there was 100 or so competitors.  Not good ratios if you are needing to go often, and from the looks of it there were a few of us all in the same boat. I spent the pre-race minutes in the loo cue, saying hi to anyone I knew who happened by making small talk about the lack of amenities.  I was so bad at one stage that I had just finished washing my hands and I had to go again so I didn't even bother unlocking the door.  

The race began at 8.30am and it was one of the most comfortable runs I have ever done.  The weather let up and there was fine drizzle for the first 15 minutes or so and then it just remained cool and overcast - perfect running conditions!  The first loop went really quickly, found my stride and just kept my heart rate at about 163bpm.  I started out toward the back of the pack and slowly worked my way forward.  I grabbed a drink at the 5km mark and at about the same time I was running the same pace as a lady I knew from the gym so we buddied up at that point.  We chatted and the half way mark came up quickly so it was a welcome distraction to have someone to run with.  Coming around the corner on that first lap and seeing all my friends and family was awesome, I felt so proud and overwhelmed and probably the only person with 13 odd people in their support crew ..  and definitely the only one with a support crew wearing white t-shirts emblazoned with fluoro pink TEAM TANYA and a blingy little star in the corner ... as well as placards and pink and black streamers ...heh.  I grabbed my water bottle from Jess on the way past and drank as much as I could before giving it back which I knew was not nearly enough but it was making me feel sick.  As I headed back out onto the main road one of the Hash House Harriers joined me informally to run the last 10.5. 

The second loop was still good, and I held a constant form.  I lost my hasher at the 14km mark, he wasn't feeling too well from his cocktail party the night before so he fell back and I pressed on.  I held good form until we hit 15kms where my knee started paining.  I could feel myself compensating with my hips and I knew I would pay for later but was I was helpless to stop it, I just tried to focus on the rhythm of my feet and I pressed on with the speed as best I could.  It was hard to keep running at that point but fortunately I had a timely drive-by from some friends of mine with a "GO YOU GOOD THING" out the window which gave me a HUGE lift - I got determined, put the pain in it's place and I kicked it up a notch.  During that final loop my run buddy was my biggest asset for sure, when either of us was lagging a bit we would ask the other how we were feeling and if the reply was 'tired' or 'sore' we would pep talk each other through the rough patch until we got back into that comfortable state.  At about 18kms she took off up ahead, and I was happy to let her go, I knew the end wasn't too far away and I was hurting pretty badly with my knee, there was no way I could have kept her pace but I still amped it up a bit so that I could catch a few people I could see up ahead.  At 19km's I took two of those people, and I started sprinting.  At 20km I took another one and in my final effort, giving it all I had to the finish line I passed a couple more.  My run buddy came in about 3 seconds before me and I only missed out on catching one person but I was totally freakin' stoked with my time.    1hr and 58min for 21kms - that would be 22 minutes under my target time!!!!!!!!!!

I had to really suck it up once I crossed the finish line - I was good but as soon as I stopped running I could feel the extent of the pain in my legs.  I was prepared for the muscular and joint soreness especially knowing what I knew from the physio - what I wasn't expecting was the stomach pain and gastrointestinal issues from the dehydration.  Within 30 minutes of the race finish I had the overwhelming urge to sleep while waves of cramps killed my upper stomach.  When I got home I spent a good 20 minutes on the floor in the shower trying to find some comfort, but there wasn't going to be any so I got out.  When I finally was able to pee it was vivid red with blood, this freaked me out a bit until we consulted Dr Google and discovered it is common place in marathon runners.  I made the executive decision to not worry about a GP unless it continued into the night and I just kept trying to get the water into me.  Every mouthful led to another wave of cramping but I drank it. At 1pm I fell asleep and I slept for almost 2 hours.  When I woke up my stomach was still agony but I kept drinking my water.  I was telling myself that if I could just get enough into me I would feel better and the cramps would stop.   It took about 4.5 litres of water before it started coming through my system again, and I couldn't eat until about 3.30pm.  Little by little I bought my body back, having little bits of food and keeping up with the water and it paid off.  By 6/6.30pm (and a good few chewable Disprin later) I was mobile, eating and ready for my first vodka.

The after party rocked.

I got shitfaced

The End

Comments

[tracy]

now even I want to start running :)

well done :)

wish I could have been there
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Linda]

Oh my word! That last paragraph has convinced me that my form of exercise will do just fine. A big book, a comfy chair and, of course, a vodka. I figure lifting the glass of vodka from the table to my mouth - with an occasional turn of the page - is about as bad as I want to sweat. LOL

[nat]

You should be ever so proud of yourself luvie but then you have always been a legend in my eyes!
Luv and miss ya,
The "other" TG.

[Essie]

You look so good, skinny girl!

On ya!

[Donna]

You should be really proud. :)