Gasparilla Marathon Recap

This was my slowest marathon (and the only I had to walk a considerable part of the race), but it will always be one of the best.

The night before the Gasparilla Marathon Meghann called me and volunteered to pace me through the race and get me to the finish line under my 4:45 goal. I was thrilled to have her and it definitely got me more hyped about the race.

I had been sick for the past few days and tried tons of natural remedies. On race morning I was feeling better, but definitely still under the weather.

Meghann, Derek, Melissa and I headed to the race start together. Melissa ran the 15k and 5k the day before with Meghann and spontaneously decided to run the first 7 miles of the marathon with us!

I was sad to see Melissa go!

Two years ago I ran the Gasparilla 5k (pre-blog) and last year I ran the Gasparilla half marathon. This year it was fun to take the marathon course!

The first 14 miles went really well. Meghann challenged me to keep a fast pace and she kept it fun! I lived in South Tampa for a year and worked there for three so it was neat to run in my old home. Those roads will always hold a special place in my heart!

At mile 14 the sickness I had been fighting hit me. My stomach went nauseas and I felt dizzy. I tried to fight it, but more and more often I was telling Meghann we needed walking breaks.

Meghann and I slowed down our pace to try to accommodate my body. Unfortunately my body had other plans and said no. I forced Meghann to go on in hopes that I could take a break, refocus and trek on to a decent finish time.

Meghann didn’t want to give up on me but I finally convinced her to run fast ahead ;) I visited the restroom and stretched out my body. My stomach was killing me and I felt like I was going to pass out.

Discouraged by my pain I reluctantly rejoined the runners with a slow jog.

Nope. My body didn’t like that either.

The next several minutes were filled with short jogs, walking and complete stops. I had never had my body rebel so much. It was tired and sick and telling me loud and clear it did not want to run another 10+ miles.

I cried. I wasn’t thrilled with my finish at the Disney Marathon and I was hoping this one would make up for it. Instead my body rebelled and a sickness I couldn’t get rid of was trying to take away this race. I felt helpless. I thought of quitting.

Stepping aside and being escorted to the finish line seemed like the only reasonable option. After all, my body was working against me and it was not even an option to endure walking more than 10 miles.

Then I thought of what I’d feel after doing that. Quitting just because the situation wasn’t going my way? No siree! I work so hard to spread a message of positivity through this blog. I needed to choose happiness in that situation, no matter how hard (or long) the choice was.

So I walked. I talked to two guys walking behind me. Turns out it was their first marathon and they had only run one time before- a 2.5 mile run! Those guys were fun. My belly didn’t hurt so much.

Then I started talking to Andrea, another first-timer who was walking near me. She and I became instant friends. We even keep in touch with Facebook now! We talked about dogs and running and her job as a nurse. We finished the rest of the race together!

I stopped at all aid stations and thanked the volunteers for making it possible for me to do the race. It turns out a lot of volunteers are runners themselves! Normally I run past them with little more than a quick “thanks!”

The last few miles were the best. So many runners get discouraged and tired and walk the last few miles. I’d been through it before so I encouraged many of them to join Andrea in me in jogging for a few minutes at a time. It was incredible having a small group of struggling runners all pushing one another closer to the finish line. Loved those new friends.

Before I knew it we were almost to the finish line! Walking 10 miles wasn’t bad at all when I was having so much fun! Then I spotted Melissa running toward us! It was incredible to see a familiar face! Melissa ran the last mile or so with me!

I finished the marathon with the biggest smile on my face at 5:38:44. I was sick and almost quit, but instead I had a fun and meaningful race. And I completed my 3rd marathon in 3 months! PR or not, choosing happiness at mile 15 of a tough 26.2 mile race is something to be proud of.

So next time you’re faced with something big, think of the worst thing that could happen. It’s probably not that bad and probably won’t happen. But, if it does happen, remember you can always choose happiness and make the best of the situation. And in the end that’s all that really matters anyway.Thank you Meghann and Melissa for all of your encouragement! And thanks Meghann for letting me steal all your photos!

Have any of your toughest moments turned out to be your greatest?