Twin Cities Marathon

Whelp marathon number 9 happened and it was awesome! On a side note, if someone asks you what number marathon this is and you can't remember without looking at your blog have you done too many? 

I highly recommend the Twin Cities Marathon. Even if you don't have your own cheer committee (I had my own cheer committee!!), there are tons of spectators on the course, it is beautiful and everything was perfect. Unless you don't train very much and then you will have full body melt down at mile 20. But we will get to that. 

Just take all my money.

The expo is a nice size. It is not super huge but has enough stuff to be interesting and plenty of items to throw you bills at. My favorite part was the dressing room I used. Runners, we love the john. 

Smelled better than the ones on race morning.

My friend was super nice and drove me through the entire course on the way to the expo. It was fun to know where I was in the race and know when the turns and hills were coming. Less fun maybe when you think 'oh god, I have insert mileage here to go'. Knowing the course made me more calm on race morning. Plus it is a beautiful drive.

The goal. I am coming for you finish line!

Other fun marathon tip- BUY A BALLOON. One, balloons are freakin fun. Two, they make it super easy for you to find your friends! That balloon was like a magnet. Way easier to see than an actual individual on the crowded streets.  Plus look at the jellyfish, so cute! 

We named her Jemima. Jemima the jellyfish. Yes we are adults.

Curb side service was provided cause I am kind of a big deal. Oh and my friends are super awesome. Thanks guys for schlepping me around all weekend. This marathon is a super nice size. Around 11,000 participants, though for some reason I thought it was bigger. But this size meant easy to get to the start, you never felt too crowded, and you were never out there all on your own.

Thanks New Balance for all my swag. They sent me a box of gear and I discovered you can buy my love. I love you New Balance. 

I started in the second corral out of three. They had pacers and I stuck around the 4:30 one for quite awhile, not really on purpose, he was just always there. Well until things got real slow towards the end.

Just hanging out downtown with my running friends.

The course is pretty flat, which I would recommend training for. This summer I have just been running a lot of hills and trails with hills so not a lot of flats. My hip flexors got a bit disgruntled after awhile. But no worries cause miles 20 through 25 are all pretty much uphill. Not steep, just enough to chip away at your soul. At first the hills felt good but then burnt me out.

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The entire course is beautiful. Trees, and lakes and a river and gorgeous houses and friendly spectators. The ugliest part of the course is through downtown and it isn't ugly at all.

I am totally not fake smiling. Running is fun. 

Marathon runners

I was excited to run where there were trees and the temperature was not 90 degrees. The weather was perfect.

Hey more marathon runners.

I got weirdly sweaty for the cool temps, and then realized that it was humid cause there is water and trees. Not used to that living in the desert.

Hey look more runners and trees.

The first 18 miles went by at a good clip. Keeping it in the ten to eleven minute mile range. Nothing crazy but nothing super slow. But at some point the fact that I have done not so much running this summer and not so much marathon training (whoops my bad) became evident when my body was just tired and sore and stopped listening. Legs I said go. Legs would not go. The walks through the aid stations got longer and slower. The 4:30 pacer disappeared, followed by the 4:45 pacer. Then it was the slow and tedious uphill climb up Summit Ave. Just chip, chip, chipping away at the miles.

Two thumbs up for marathons.....or making it to mile 18 without pooping your pants.

But then after about an hour of that I saw the big church at the top of the hill that signaled about a mile to the finish and it was freaking go time. I passed 109 people on my way to the finish. Apparently I had had enough of that pedestrian slow running shit because all of the sudden my ass was on fire. Fastest mile of the whole marathon was the last one. So you know, finish strong.

Spectator finisher chute view.

During my dash to the the finish I saw my friends in the stands, or to be more accurate, Jemima and then my friends. A quick smile/grimace and wave and then I was across the finish line in 4:51:47. Not my fastest and not my slowest.

I love you Jemima

Overall I really loved this marathon. It was a nice course and well done but it also had my friends out there which made it really special. Every time I saw the cutest baby in the world (I am not being biased just because it is the baby of my best friend, I mean look at her, SO FREAKIN CUTE) it just perked me up. Every time I saw them on the course it gave me fresh energy so it was really nice to have them out there cheering me on.

Just the cutest. I can't even deal.

I didn't have any goals for this marathon. Originally I was looking to PR here. That was before I realized I lived in a summer time inferno hot box of hell and the raging case of posterior tibial tendinitis. I really just wanted to go out there and finish this race and have some fun doing it which I did, so goal accomplished.

A huge thanks to my friend, her husband and the cutest baby in the world for putting me up and being the best spectators ever. I really just wanted to spend time with them, it was an added bonus to do this awesome race.

Overall I would highly recommend this marathon. It is a great course to PR on (try training that will help you PR), it is a super friendly first time marathoner course and really with various distance races throughout the weekend is a great event for anyone who loves running. Minneapolis and St, Paul are fun cities to visit. The races are well done and the swag is top notch. 

I will be back next year for the 5k, 10k and ten miler cause I somehow convinced my friend she should do it and we are going to do it together. Maybe less me and more the inspiration of watching marathon runners. It is hard to watch something like this and not be inspired. Heck I was inspired and I was participating in the actual race. Good thing cause I have two more marathons to go this fall.

Now on to the next thing. A half marathon on Sunday....cause I just got feeling back in my hamstrings and can now go up stairs without crying so why not destroy that with a half that goes up and down a mountain? Runners, we are so crazy.