Bold Moves

Marathon #5, Prairie Fire in Wichita, KS is in the books! And, it was definitely an adventure!
I knew the weather forecasted for a warm day so I had already adjusted my pace goal accordingly, which meant no PR. Heat + humidity = slow going for me. So….I wrapped my brain around the goal of finishing and stretch goal of breaking five hours.
It was 61 degrees and 86% humidity at the start, which wasn’t too bad. The course was nice and wound through the city, parks and residential areas of Wichita. It was a huge change from running Chicago last year with less than 700 running the full marathon, and about the same number running the half-marathon. I knew this going in but it was still a stark contrast! By the 13.1 mile mark it was definitely heating up.
A beautiful sunny day with a slight breeze is awesome for boating and grilling but not as nice for running when the temps start to soar. By mile 17 I was starting to feel the effects of the heat but was still keeping to my pace target. Things started to become a struggle at mile 20.

From miles 20 to 23 I managed to hang on to my pace target by drinking more fluids. But my body was starting to succumb to the heat anyway by mile 23. This was a really weird thing to experience because my legs felt great and I didn’t feel exhausted or tired. I credit this to the Vespa fueling that I transitioned to in this training cycle. No leg pain or cramps, no bonking! Yet there I was, struggling to keep moving just three miles away from the finish! I know the signs of heat exhaustion so I knew how far I could push myself before I needed to slow down to what must have looked like a bouncy walk, to allow my heart rate to slow down. Mentally, this was getting frustrating…five months of training, transition to a new fueling strategy…for naught. I vowed to finish and willed myself to keep going. Of course, I promised myself that this would be my retirement marathon!
The sun was so relentless; I could feel the temp rising with each passing minute. My goal had shifted from breaking five hours to finishing without collapsing! I have never seen so many people walking in a marathon; the heat was taking a toll on everyone. I started dumping water on my head at the aid stations to cool down. As I exited the last aid station at mile 25, I was greeted by my smiling Hubby! He had been tracking me via RaceJoy and grew concerned with my slowing pace so he came out to run the last mile with me! I was so surprised! He ran alongside me, chatting and encouraging me to keep going. Just having him near me gave me new life and I kept moving along, taking a quick walk break only when I felt dizzy.
As we approached the bridge for the last 2/10 of a mile he peeled off to meet me at the finish. I kept running, passing others who were struggling to walk. I heard the announcer call my name as I approached the finish and I was never so happy to complete a race!! Even now, I am so in awe of my Hubby, to run that last mile with me. And the race itself remains a bit surreal in my memory.
So am I retired from marathons as I promised myself at mile 22? Of course not! Already thinking about what my next marathon will be. Such is the life of a “crazy runner”….never quit; finish strong!