D's Adventures: Flying Pig Marathon

Last marathon for me until the Fall. 🙌🙌🙌😁

3 weeks after Boston another marathon.. say what.. ha ... I think we actually registered for this race like a year ago! Before I knew for sure I was going to Boston. 😄 We had all heard such good things about the race and it's even been voted one of the best Marathons in the country. So you know us PPRF girls had to check it out. 💛 Especially with it being a new state for all of us.

We planned for a quick weekend so everyone would not have to miss much work. At first no one but me was going to even take off Monday following the marathon, but after they all got to thinking about our late flight home on Sunday night after the race, everyone took off Monday. I'm so GLAD we did! Our flight was delayed due to weather in Atlanta so we were 2:30am getting home on Monday morning. Just 2 hours short of being up 24 hours. Let's just say it was a LONG night. But I was so thankful to be home Monday in my bed to lay around and rest all day. 😀 Which you know me, I didn't rest all day. I ended up doing several chores around the house along with a nap or two. 😂😁

So how did the weekend go??????........ Well, here's the scoop... We left on Friday night headed to Jackson because our flight out of Jackson was at 6am Saturday morning. I did not sleep much at all Friday night. I could not get comfortable in the hotel bed. Probably anxiety about trip, running on a hurt toe, etc.

notice we all have on marathon finisher jackets from different races...

Did I mention that the weekend prior to this race, I slipped and cut my big toe wide open. I should have gotten stitches, but I used wound seal glue and tape. Here are some pictures:

I had laid off running all week to try to give it time to hopefully seal.... more on that later... 😔

I tried to nap on our flight, but didn't really. We arrived in Ohio around 12:30 ... lunch time. and we were greeted at the airport by a pig..

headed to find Uber to hotel.

We were able to check in our hotel, find lunch and walk across the street to the expo. I love having hotel and expo close together. The expo was really big with lots of vendors. It was also very crowded. I have a feeling many had waited to come on Saturday prior to the half and full marathon on Sunday.

so many cute pigs at the expo

Side of our hotel!

race shirt

Race outfit.. Michelle had the shirts made for us.

Group pic!

Cookies at Expo

We were all tried from lack of sleep so as soon as we got our packets and shopped a little we headed back to the hotel to crash for the evening. We ordered pizza for supper in our hotel and did not go out again. We all said we were taking something to sleep at 7:30pm so maybe we would all be asleep by 9pm.. hee hee It was nice to just lay in the bed and chill. I actually did sleep after I took my Advil PM and when the alarm went off at 4:45am, I felt rested. 😍

got this text during race from race director... HOT>>> HUMID>>>

Look at all those runners lining up!

There is always going to be some glitter involved!

Race Start line... 6:15am

The race started at 6:30am, which I'm so very thankful for because guess what... it was HOT and HUMID! I could not imagine waiting again till 11:27 am like I did for Boston to start. Our hotel was very close to start and finish line. The race was VERY crowded until the half marathoners turned off around mile 8. Did I mention that there were like 10,000 half marathoners and only 4,000 full marathoners. 😏 I should have turned with the half marathoners due to my toe, but you know me... I couldn't.. especially after we got our race shirts and the full and half had a different shirt that said either 13.1 or 26.2 on it. I thought how can I wear that 26.2 if I don't do it. I loved the course. It had lots of hills. Would have been perfect if this race was prior to Boston. The crowds were incredible. Not many marathons have great crowd support. Flying Pig has GREAT crowd support. People were out everywhere cheering the runners. 💗

We all started together, but Penny soon left us by mile 1. 😂 I tried to stay with her for a minute or two, but knew my toe would not hold up. So I converted to my jog/walk intervals. The downhills were really killing my toe, but I pressed on. I had not ran any real distance in 19 days! I took off a week after Boston and then started to start back and bam cut my toe open and had to take off again. A guy at the expo had told us that if you get past the first half the second half is easier, so I kept telling myself that. 😁 I was running alone separated from the others. Michelle, Candy and Felicia were behind me and it was so crowded in the beginning I could not turn back to look for them. I was afraid of falling with all the crowded people. I had hoped when I stopped at the water stops or at the bathroom that they would catch me, but they never did and I never saw Penny again. We text a few times and for a long time she was like only 1-2 miles ahead of me..... But by mile 19-20, my toe said no more. By this time my other foot hurt badly also because I had been over compensating for my bad toe on my good foot. 😖😞 Yep, that foot is now bruised on the side. So I starting walking at mile 20 and walked the last 6 miles completely. 😠 At mile 25 I even took off my shoes and walked in my sock feet. Other runners looked at me like you are crazy. I can not even begin to tell you how much my feet hurt. I was angry because other than that, my body felt good. I was not feeling sick like I was at Boston. So of course I was mad that my time was going to be so LONG.

Had a grab a pic with the pup that runs marathons!

around mile 8 after a long climb up! I think this is the Ohio river in the background.

First time marathoner...

Finish line finally!

Penny finished with a sub 5 hour marathon and it was her 50th marathon! I'm so proud of her. She's been dealing with PF in her foot for months.. but she pushed through. As I approached closer and closer to the finish line I started really noticing the people around me. So many first-timers (they had special bibs for them 💓) and also so many walking and struggling just like me. People in the running world always amaze me. People you've never met will encourage you. It's like we are a big family! I stopped to try to put my shoes back on to walk across the finish line and this young kid around 20 or so was bent over stretching on the side of the road. He said he was cramping so bad. I told him to just keep moving so as I got my shoes on he walked with me and we chatted. We'd laugh about how the race was really sucking for us at that moment, but we would not quit. That's what it's all about... NEVER EVER GIVE UP. 💗💗

As I crossed that finish line with a time of 6:09! way off from my normal time... .I shrugged and thought oh well, those tracking me can just get over it. I was glad to be done and also felt like I had been out there FOREVER. And then it hit me I had to walk uphill almost 3/10 a mile back to the hotel 😢 Penny was already in the hotel getting her shower. We had a late check out of 2pm and a flight to catch at 6pm so no time to hang around at the after party... which looked big! Lots of people hanging in the park area after the finish line. I could not wait on the others to finish since they were still a couple of miles out so my dreaded walk to the hotel had to start. I took my shoes off again and walked back to hotel. I was able to get my shower before the others finished and got back to the room. I think we all struggled in our own way that day except for Penny, who pushed through her foot pain, and Candy who was still on a high from her steroid shot for her sinuses. 😎 Candy was the energizer bunny all weekend! We will never forget it. 😍

Penny took pictures of us as we walked back into the hotel. She was all fresh and clean. 😂😁

notice I have my shoes off!

I had to literally peel my sock off my split toe. All the bandages had come off inside my shoe due to the sweat. I almost cried as I got in the shower. It was so painful.

Everyone was able to get a shower in time for our Uber pickup to head to airport. 🙏😍 I can't imagine sitting at the airport like we were prior to our showers due to delays all sweaty and stinky! Like I said we had delays due to weather, but finally made it home at 2:30am!