Once again, in theory, it should have been great weather. However, Friday, the day before the marathon, there was an extreme flood warning for Houston. It started to rain, a lot, and I was beginning to question the quality of running conditions that next morning. I received an email from the race coordinator who assured us that there would still be a race and that weather on the beach is different than in Houston and it could be a nice day for a run...LIAR! This was not a nice day!
Okay, it was not as bad as the above picture (I pulled that picture from an actual hurricane!) But, it felt like that was the weather while running!
Marathon morning I woke up at 4:00 am to a soggy Houston. I got dressed and made my way down to Surfside Beach. Once I got there, I was encouraged by a light breeze and very little precipitation. I checked in and got prepared for the race, and as I watched the sun rise, I thought, this could be a great day for a race.
At 7:00am we lined up at the race started. The first mile was rather enjoyable with little to no rain. I thought the next 25.2 miles will be great. Then the heavy rain started. We could only see about 25 yards in front of us and within seconds, I was completely soaked. We ran 2.5 miles and reached the first turn around point. As we made the turn, I realized I had been the benefactor of the wind. Once turned, I came to the depressing realization that I would be running the next 13 miles into a strong headwind blowing the rain right into my face. At that point, I was not "grateful for the moisture"!
I began to push through the rain and wind determined to try and enjoy myself. As I looked at the ground I realized the rain was starting to create large rivers of runoff moving towards the gulf. I was not going to enjoy myself. Not only was I soaked but now, thanks to these runoff rivers, my shoes started to fill with sand and dunes developed between my toes. Not the most comfortable feeling. By mile 12 I was convinced that I had made a bad choice! There was lighting and really loud thunder. I began to see emergency vehicles running up and down the beach. I only later found out that those were picking up runners who were not willing to run in the...less than ideal conditions. Erin got a call from a friend who was running the half. They had delayed the start of the half for 90 minutes due to weather and lighting storms. Good thing I had already been running for 2.5 hours! There were also vehicles stuck in the wet sand as people tried to drive the beach to cheer on those still running.
It had rained pretty steady as I reached the 15 mile turn around point. I decided that I needed to stop to empty sand out of my shoe as I had a substantial amount accumulated around my toes. As I resumed running, life got much better as the wind was now at my back and my feet were much more comfortable. Mile 15 to 22 were pretty much a blur. That is my favorite part of running a marathon. Completely zoning out!
As I passed mile 22 I was encouraged by the thought of only having 4.2 miles left. This mile marker was also the turn around point for those running the half marathon. As I passed this point I received an additional boost from a friend running the half. She gave me a big high five and told me that she hated her life! For the first time all race, I smiled! Thanks Ruth!
As I came up to mile 24 it became very real that I was going to finish! And, in a cruel twist of fate, the sun came out and it stopped raining. I hate to admit this, but I got pretty emotional at this point! The final 2 miles were ideal, with the exception of the fact that I had already run 24 and my body knew it. As I approached the finish line, I saw Erin, Nate, and Scarlett, soaked and cheering me on. I also noticed some surprise friends cheering as I crossed the finish line. I was grateful to be surrounded by a great family and close friends. This was, by far, the hardest marathon I have run--I would gladly run the St. George again!
As I crossed the finish line, I told Erin I was done running marathons. That lasted about 3 hours as I am thinking I want to run some more. In good Texas fashion, I was able to consume some BBQ after the race and once I got some sugar in me, I was rather jovial!
See, pretty jovial!
We had a good group of friends running. There was one more person who finished and left too quickly to get in the picture. Yes, all my friends..."supported" their wives in running!Surprisingly, I have not been that sore... I do have some legendary blisters thanks to running with wet socks and shoes. Overall, it was a bittersweet experience. I am glad I ran it, but I wish the conditions would have been better. I was most grateful for my close friends and sweet family who made the experience that much more meaningful.
