The Shit is Bananas

I had imagined this blog post to be different. Written with excitement and courage that I had ran marathon number four in such crazy weather conditions. That whatever time I crossed the finish line in, I would be proud of my achievements.

This however, was not meant to be. I woke up Sunday morning with all intentions of braving the storm to run CIM. It’s a rarity that I get sick, and wouldn’t you know I got a bad cold just days away from the marathon. I did what I could to fight it, as well as taking meds up until two days before the big race. I was feeling better, but I could tell it was still there weakening my immune system and depleting my energy. The morning of the race, I was excited and scared, but ready and still a bit stuffy from the cold. I took the bus to the start line, used the restroom, and headed toward the gas station awning for shelter. Did I mention it was raining? And it wasn’t just a little rain. It was severe. In my attempt to find a dry area, I bumped into a banana. That banana just happened to be Katie! I was so happy to see her. I will admit, that I was a bit emotional that morning of and Katie really helped to lift my spirits. Especially seeing her in a banana costume.

The Banana and I made it in the SacBee

Soon we were lining up at the start line along with Jana and Renee. It was so fun running with these girls, and the first few miles I was happy and strong. The rain poured and the wind blew in our faces, but we ignored the conditions and trotted on. It wasn’t till around mile five that I started to fall apart. I experienced chills, a heavy head, nausea, and a lack of air. All the cold and fever symptoms I had experienced earlier that week were all coming back to me. I slowed my pace and waved the banana goodbye. I was miserable. The next few miles were a blur. I just wanted to stop. I didn’t want to run anymore. I would alternate walking and running telling myself to just get to the halfway mark. It was a very hard ordeal. As I ran through the flood that was in the Fair Oaks area, it took all my might not to call it quits right then and there.

I was defeated. And then, I saw a banana running towards me after the 13 mile mark and I knew everything was going to be okay. Katie gave me a huge hug as I cried. Behind her was UMM who was limping (he had rocked the North Face 50 miler the day before {more on that later}) toward me. Umm took katie and I to the car where we sat in disbelief. We both DNF’d due to injury and illness. I was sad about my decision, but I knew it was the right decision to make. Running in heavy wind and rains can be challenging and fun, but certainly not ideal when sick. I was happy to have Katie and UMM there who were oh so supportive and well, just plain awesome. This was my very first DNF.

So there it is. I have yet to complete marathon #4 and I am okay with that. It will happen again at some point. And while I had a bad day, so many of my friends had a very good marathon experience. Shout out’s especially to my beautiful friends Meg and Paulette who rocked that damn course even with the horrid weather conditions. Seeing them PR put a smile on my face. And I am so very happy for them and everyone who ran CIM and conquered. I bow down.

I am starting to feel better and ready to run again! Things never really go according to plan. Surprises lurk around every corner and it is all about taking the good, the bad, and the ugly, learning from the experience, and moving forward. And that’s exactly what I plan to do!

Even with a DNF, we can still muster a smile