It’s Monday morning. I’m sitting with my morning coffee, anxious about the reality of my everyday routine. I feel like I’m still on the roller coaster of my whirlwind DC weekend. The days were filled with so many emotions that it’s difficult to articulate them in a single blog post. My thoughts are swirling, but I want you to experience what I experienced. I want to relive the weekend with you. Let’s go!
On Thursday evening, I arrived safe and sound in DC. I made my way to Capitol Hill and my best friend’s apartment. She graciously hosted me and kept me sane during those anxious pre-race days.
As soon as I settled in at Meg’s place, a sense of calm washed over me. I felt comfortable and prepared for the race and excited to share the experience with friends.
I enjoyed the expo, organized my gear, put up my feet, ate pasta and awaited the early morning wake-up call on Saturday.
Race day!
The alarm sounded at 5 AM. It felt surreal. It seems just yesterday I was driving through a snowstorm to complete a treadmill training run. How did time pass so quickly?
It was cold and I had butterflies in my belly, but I went about my routine, ate my bagel, and made it to RFK Stadium and Corral 7.
After saying goodbye to Meg, I pushed through the crowd in search of the 4:10 pace group. I saw plenty of pacers – 3:50, 4:00, 4:15, 4:20 – but one was noticeably missing. I stayed calm, sure that my pacer would appear. Then the crowd began to move. The race started. The pacer never came. It shook me a little.
I looked at my Garmin and thought, “It’s you and me, partner. We got this!” And I was off.
The early miles were a blur of excitement. They were full of energy and fun. Crowds lined the streets as the wave of runners rambled through the nation’s capitol. My body felt strong and my thoughts were positive. Running bliss!
During the early miles, I only had one concern – water. You know how I feel about hydration. I cannot survive without water and with each water stop, my worries increased. The stops were a clustered mess of Powerade (not a fan!), empty cups, and annoyed runners. Water was scarce. I found myself waiting in line for a sip. I had to pick up the pace as I ran to make up for the time I was losing at each water station.
I told myself not to worry and continued on, sticking to my goal pace. At mile 10, I saw a friend on the course. Theordora was running the half-marathon and came up from behind. I recognized her immediately and yelled her name. Seeing a friendly, familiar face put me at ease. Together we can and chatted for more than a mile, my favorite mile of the entire race!
It wasn’t long before I said goodbye to Theodora and many other runners. The half-marathon split came and I followed the instructions, “FULL MARATHON – STAY LEFT.” I stayed the course as I ran through the back lots of RFK Staduim. The crowd thinned and the course was quiet, but I was on point. I crossed the half-marathon mark at 2:05 just as I planned. Perfect!
I was so happy. I was halfway done and feeling amazing! I continued at my goal pace, looking forward to mile seventeen. I knew my family would be waiting and I was so excited to see them again. I ran back through Capitol Hill and the National Mall towards my mom.
I hit that mile with gusto! My family cheered. I was on pace and got a little boost from their love. They make all the difference! I kept running strong until mile eighteen…and something changed.
Somewhere during the eighteenth mile, my body began to break down. I felt pain in my stomach and I needed water. I knew I had a problem on my hands. By mile nineteen, I found myself darting for the nearest bathroom. Stopping was my only option, but it made starting back up VERY difficult.
Upon exiting the bathroom, I hit my stride running towards mile 20, but my stride was off. I felt an intense pain in my right foot, something I’d never felt before. I hobbled and shook my foot trying to make it stop…to no avail. I slowed my pace and had a chat with myself,
“Why is this happening? Dehydration. I didn’t want to wait for water, so I didn’t drink enough of it in the early miles. My foot is cramped. Can I continue? Yes, albeit slowly. How should I adjust my plan? Go slow, stay calm, and drink lots! Forget about pace.”
So that’s exactly how the final miles went. I ran slowly, drank two waters at every water stop and watched my goal time slip away. I thought about the first nineteen miles. They were amazing! I didn’t want to let the final seven bring negativity to the race. I continued on my journey.
In those final miles, I never wanted to quit. In fact, I felt quite the opposite. I wanted to finish more than anything in the world. I occupied my mind with math. I calculated that I would finish somewhere around 4:20 and felt really good about that. I pushed up the hills of Minnesota Avenue and smiled as the miles ticked away. 24, 25, 26…
My Garmin chirped. The finish was so close! But where? I thought I would be able to see the finish line from the Mile 26 marker, but it seemed so far off.
26.1…
26.2…
26.3…
I ran and ran and ran. It seemed like forever. 4:20 became 4:21 then 4:23. Where was the finish line? Finally, I saw it!
I raced with everything I had, willing myself towards the cheers of my friends and family. I finished!
Official Time: 4:25:10 – a two minute PR – I’ll take it! My Garmin says I ran 26.68 miles.
I set a personal goal to finish in 4:10. I didn’t reach that goal on Saturday and I have mixed emotions about it, but I don’t want that to take away from the experience. I left everything I had on that course and I proud of how I ran. I made mistakes, learned a lot, and cannot wait to do it again.
A million thanks to every single one of you for the support and love! Your tweets, emails, texts, cheers, and hugs mean the world to me and I truly appreciate our amazing running family. So many amazing, inspirational stories came out of that race. Congrats to everyone who rocked DC on Saturday!
CONGRATULATIONS! You PR’d, you’re SO strong and it’s especially impressive that you did all this considering you did so much of your training on the treadmill. I’ve loved following your journey and am so inspired.
Also, I’m so glad we finally got to meet! You are adorable and hopefully we’ll get to run again SOON.
Rock star. You’re amazing.
It was so great to meet you, too! I am looking forward to some NYC shenanigans in June!
Congrats Becky!!!!
I loved reading this!
Congrats Becky!! You PRd and that’s an amazing accomplishment!
I’m so so so so proud of you Becky. You fought a hard fight and you never gave up. Your sheer determination is so inspiring. You totally have a 4:10 inside of you and I know for a fact the next race you do, you will get that time.
PS- Dear Beckontherun Readers, Becky also stayed out past 12:30am the night of her marathon. She is seriously a rockstar. And a damn good time : )
GREAT JOB! You are such a rockstar, and we both have come so far! Running with you was my favorite part of the race, too, and I’m so proud of you for still PR-ing, despite your bathroom issues. That’s pretty amazing. I’m going to find a race for you, me, Lizzy and Ashley to run soon because I need to see your pretty face again!
I am tearing up reading this recap – your determination is so inspiring! Thank you for sharing your race and CONGRATS on your PR and finish!! I really love that you figured out what was working and what wasn’t working for your race, and ran according to your body – you are so strong, Becky! If I ever run a marathon, I want to it be just like this
Congrats again!
Thank you! You will be hearing from me soon. I talked to Evan and we must plan an RI meet up sometime in the near future.
Congrats on the race! It was definitely a tough one. Seems like a lot of people had trouble with it considering it’s the “fastest loop course”. The part where you realize you’re off pace is the hardest, but how you responded afterwards sounds like the smartest option. And any PR is great!
I can totally relate! I cramped up in my marathon at mile 21 when I got over confident and skipped a water station. Hydrating got me back and check and I was fine to finish, but I know it cost me some time. Anyway, I think you did GREAT! Awesome job and way to PR Becky! Great seeing you at the blogger meet-up on Saturday too
Becky, I’m so happy for you for getting a PR!! The marathon is such a tough race, for so so many physical and mental reasons. And there are always about a million unknowns and potential things to go wrong, from random pains to stomach problems. I can totally understand the reluctance to stop for water if it’s not available, especially when you feel good and you want to keep your pace. Dehydration definitely sneaks up on you, and it sounds like you definitely did the best you could to deal with those effects and still finish strong! I think the marathon is both the most rewarding and most frustrating distance. I can understand your mixed emotions and disappointment, but I hope you don’t stay there too long, but you ran a great race and it really speaks to what you’re capable of in future races! Congratulations again, Becky! You are an awesome runner – both with your ability and your attitude. You are SO enthusiastic and you run because you love it, and at the end of the day that is so much more valuable than a time.
Becky – great job sticking it out in the last tough miles! I didn’t make my goal time either, but I think with a marathon it is even harder to predict your goal because so many things can go wrong. But the point is that you have another marathon and a new PR under your belt! How is your foot feeling?
Thank you, Liz! My foot is still a little sore. I’m just resting it for the week. Marathons are so emotionally and physically draining!
Also, I am so sad that we never had the chance to meet this weekend. I may return to DC soon for a visit, but you are welcome in RI anytime!
Congrats on the race! I’m running my very first marathon in October so I love reading recaps. It sounds like you did a good job and congrats on taking the PR and learning from your mistakes.
Nothing says “true marathoner” more than battling through obstacles with a drive and determination to finish. I am so proud of you and thank you for being so inspirational to me and everyone else in your life. Keep smiling…and running. Love you Beck!
congrats again!!! you got a PR. you’re a bad ass. end of story.
SO glad I got to meet you! can’t wait to see my fave on the run girls again in Beantown! (where we will hunt down the senior leadership of the BAA and tell them that they made the biggest mistake of their life rejecting the most rock star girls ever.)
Seriously. They better be handing water out like it’s liquid gold on that course or I’m writing a letter. I learned a thing or two about race organization this weekend. I would be happy to volunteer for Team Emily on April 18th. You need something, the {ontherun} team will be at your service.
I echo that! We will be your personal assistants. Let that BAA even TRY to keep us away….
Way to go! A PR is a PR and now you know you totally have the power to do it even faster with better circumstances next time! My Garmin said 26.6 too. I think the tunnels messed it up!
Great job! You’ve come so far since I started reading your blog.
Becky, oh my goodness, my heart was breaking for you on mile 19 as I read this! I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2009 and I had a similar breakdown, scrambling looking for portopotties, water, weird pains I had never felt before, eek! Not fun. I am so proud of you for staying strong and soldiering on, even though it wasn’t exactly what you had in mind, I think you did amazing!!! Marathon blues or heartbreaks are sometimes necessary because it forces us to refocus and learn to love running again. Great job and get some R&R this week and I hope your foot feels better!!!
A PR is a PR! Even if it wasn’t your ideal goal time. Congrats!
still managing to PR under those conditions is so awesome! way to go! I know its so hard when a race doesnt go as expected. When it happened to me others said “there will be other races” and they are so right. if anything, it gives me evern MORE motivation to train even harder than before. you can do it!
It’s hard to believe that this is only your 2nd marathon because you have this ability to adjust like the pros. You’ve been such an inspiration through your training and I am so thrilled that you have a PR for all your struggles with this race. This experience is just another layer making your the best Beck On The Run you can be. Congrats girl, I am glad that we got to hang out a bit in DC.
Becky! You seriously did amazing! I know what a horrnedous time you had training so just making it to the start was a huge success. And then PRing when you were dehydrated? Nothing short of remarkable! I hope you’re celebrating girl! You deserve it
Ahhh you’re awesome!! Congrats on the PR, Becky
You did great.
Congratulations on your PR, Becky!!!! You are an amazing runner!! Love that positive attitude, even when things don’t go according to the plan.
PS. I missed you next to me on the treadmill last week!!
Congratulations! The crazy thing about the marathon distance is that you just never know what your body is going to give you during those late miles. It sounds like you toughed through them and finished strong – still setting a PR!!!
It is brutal to see that you ran over 26.2…my last marathon was 26.6 and I didn’t want to run a step past 26.2!
Enjoy your recovery, girl! You have certainly earned it after all of your hard work this winter!
Oh beckontherun….I can’t believe we haven’t had the chance to talk about this yet. It’s literally KILLING me (am I co-dependent or what?!). I’m so sorry to hear about your struggles with this race, and I have to say that I do feel slightly responsible. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been happily running with your camelbak and things might have turned out much differently. So I am really sorry – please feel free to tell me to “shove it” next time and just do what makes YOU feel most comfortable!
Despite all that, I am SO proud of you for pushing through and finishing!! You may not believe it, but you are a much stronger runner than you were even 6 months ago. You pushed your body through an awful race and still PR’d! Plus, it sounds like you learned a lot about racing…and just how much you can handle (which is a lot!!). The marathon is such a tricky thing. You train and train through crappy weather and many long months for just one day – where anything can happen. It’s both frustrating and addicting. I definitely think this course was much harder than advertised, so you should be extremely proud that you persevered. And like I said before, a PR is a PR (is a PR!!). So you wear that new time with pride!
As far as your foot goes, I hope a few days of rest is all you need to feel better. Where is your pain?? I honestly feel like the top of my foot is broken too and I have no idea why! It’s my left side though – I was having problems all through the race and by the end I was running on it weird just to try to make the pain stop. Walking around in shoes now is painful. I don’t know if it was the way I was running on the course or just over-use…but it’s weird that you have something similar.
Congratulations again!! Can’t wait to have an {ontherun} celebration
Beautiful, inspiring recap of your experience. You’re tough! No pacer but you adapted. The aid station situation was unfortunate – that shouldn’t be – but you prevailed anyway and took care of things towards the end! I loved your description of the elusive finish line. You get the feeling that someone is moving it back as your try to find it. lol
I feel like every race challenges you to improvise when things don’t go as you expected, but nothing daunted you and you were able to literally, “think on your feet”.
Anyway, once again – congratulations!
Amazing job, Becky!!
You are a rockstar and you pushed through for a PR…awesome!!! Way to stay positive…you did great!! 
That is amazing Becky!! Congratulations!! Some obstacles and still a PR. I agree with the above; you are a rock star!
Congratulations!! I have loved following your training and seeing that it led you to a PR is icing on the cake!!!
Way to go Becky, I’ll certainly be carrying my fuel belt now! Our karate school calls your outlook being a “good-finder.” finding the positives in an otherwise negative situation. i run my first @ cox on May 1!
Congratulations Becky! Not only for the PR, but also for staying strong and pulling it out of the bag under such tough conditions! I’ve encountered serious problems at mile 18 in a marathon, and it’s a LONG way to go in pain. Lots of respect for that!
You did amazing!!!!! CONGRATS on the PR and leaving it all on the course – can’t be disappointed about that
hope you are recovering well!
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Dehydration is really serious. You did incredible, especially given the circumstances. Don’t take this away from yourself!! Congrats!!!!
Becky!!! I am so proud of you!!! I have been DYING to read your blog post since I left for my trip on Saturday in the wee hours of the morning. I’m just now finally reading it and practically cried at how inspired your marathon story was! I am bowled over by your endurance, by your confidence, by your will to continue – but mostly by your JOYFUL approach to this entire experience, treadmill training and all. I am so impressed, girlfriend! Loved everything about this post. Everything.
Awesome run!! Glad you got your PR! It was a great weekend
[...] back in March, a group of us ran the National Marathon/Half Marathon together. We had so much fun that we knew another group race needed to happen. [...]