14 and 26.2 -- Why not???

Where to start...how about with my dear friend DK?  She got it in her head that she wanted to do something crazy...train for something nutzo...like the 14 miler at Polar Dash followed immediately the next day by a full marathon...but not just any 26.2 - the Waco Miracle Match marathon...It's NOT just any marathon because on their website it clearly states "Toughest Little Marathon in Texas"...and they aren't kidding...

Hills, hills, and more hills...

So, since I was going to need two long runs this weekend, I agreed to do it with her...Now, let's talk marathons and my hatred for them...I have only done 3 including this one. I hate the distance.  My first marathon I had a good experience but that was 6 years ago.  Then again in 2010, I attempted the distance and had a terrible experience. I finished, but I just wasn't mentally in the game and didn't want to run that race.  So, with a bad aftertaste in my mouth, I dismissed the marathon as just not for me.  Then somehow I agreed to do the Miracle Match with Dk before it even dawned on me that I hated marathons. She has that influence on me, crazy I know...

So Saturday morning we headed to Grand Prairie with our girls from our Moms RUN This town chapter and hit up the Polar Dash DFW. We had over 20 ladies doing the race! It was so awesome because they had all different distances and we could all do what we wanted!  

Dk, Lisa, and I in the car headed out on our weekend excursion

Pre-race pic with the MRTT group! Love these ladies!

Polar Dash DFW finish line!!!

It was awesome because the 10k route was the first loop of the 14 mile route, so I got to run 6 miles with my cousin, Tammy and I haven't gotten to see her in a month or so and I love it when we get to run together!

Me, Catherine, and Tammy before the start!

So Dk, Tammy, Nicole, and I ran the first 6 miles together and Tammy finished her 10K strong!  Dk and I ran the last part together and my knee was really bothering me. I didn't really want to say anything to DK because I didn't want to freak her out.  I was a little nervous about the marathon though.  We finished though!

Some of the finishers in our group!

Then it was off to Waco for the second half of our crazy adventure.  We grabbed some lunch at On the Border and made it safely to the Hilton.  The Hilton was right where the race started and finished and it was next door to packet pick up!  So...AWESOME!!!  We got unpacked, headed to packet pick up and back up to the hotel room to chillax for a few hours.  Lisa had scoped out the places she was going to go have a beer at while DK and I were finishing the race. (Lisa was really the only smart one in our group...she ran the half...)  Off to bed at 8:30!  I don't think I have ever gone to bed that early and actually fallen asleep...but it really happened....

Packet Pick Up baby!!!!

Lucky Number 55

OMG...Where are all the people...this is from the back of the start line...this includes half and full and relay runners!!! Slight panic attack....

Trying to not throw up on our way down to the start line...

Start line from our room window...

Pre race jitters...

See that crazy girl in the middle...That's Elizabeth...This is marathon #50 for her.....

We found Elizabeth at the start line, thank goodness...Dk and I had really psyched each other out at this point and Elizabeth just calmly came in and her presence completely calmed us both down.  She is an amazing woman!  She just ran Houston last Sunday and also had run the 14 miler the day before at Polar Dash too!  So she wanted to go and get #50 at Waco!  Dk and I were SOOOO excited!  

So off we go for our "fun run" as Dk had promised me months ago.  Her words "Come on Alicia. We can do it. We will do it as a fun run."  Yeh, okay...So going into my next marathon with the goal of a fun run was much more do-able for me. No expectations other than to just cross the finish line. 

The race was amazing.  The first half of the race Dk, Elizabeth, and I just oohed and awed over the houses and the neighborhoods.  We ran and picked out which houses we wanted, which treehouses the kids would like, swings, trees, locations...it was gorgeous...the first 13 miles went rather quickly.  We knew this was the easy part going into the race. It wasn't supposed to get hard until the last half of the race...and I am not kidding when I say the last half of the race.  We hit the 13 mile marker in great spirits...

Waco has a lake????

Halfway baby!!!

Warning...elevation changes ahead...that is no JOKE!

Then we turned the corner of that street and it literally was STRAIGHT UP then down, then up, then down...for the next 10 miles....

Just came up that...

Aladdin's magic carpet...up and down and up and down....very STEEP

This was at the bottom of a sequence of hills and we figured Ninja put it there...It sounds likes something he would say :-)

More hills....

and more hills...

We found a friend at about mile 18.  Her name was Cyndi and she was from San Marcos.  She couldn't talk any of her friends into coming to do this crazy race so she had decided to be the beast that she is and take it on herself!  AMAZEBALLS!  I couldn't have done that!  She ran with us the rest of the time and this was her first time to do this race too. She had told us about Jacob's Ladder at mile 23.5.  So when we got there we had to do it.  You had to climb up these steps straight up a mountain and if you did a) there was beer at the top and b) you got a cool little ladder to attach to your medal.  So off we were....I mean seriously...who doesn't want to add more bling to your bling!!!

Bottom of Jacob's ladder

Mid way up

Cyndi, Elizabeth, Dk, and I -- we made it to the top!!!

See that pretty red necklace around Elizabeth's neck...She earned that at the bottom of the steps because she ate a jalapeno before going up!  Notice, that I do NOT have a necklace...totally okay with that!

So here we are....23.5 miles in...at the top of a beast of stairs...one beer down...what to do...how about finish this crack head of a race up and be done! Off we went!

We finished just under 6 hours.  In fact, it was within a few seconds of my second marathon time from when I had such a terrible experience...but this one was so much more fun!  This race made me rethink my stance on the marathon and running altogether.  It reminded me that it should be fun...always and most importantly...Did those 6 hours suck? No...they weren't exactly fun at certain times...the conversation was much sparser on those last 13 miles than it was the first 13 miles.  We all 4 had to dig deep and get it done.  And hooking up with Cyndi at mile 18 was wonderful!  She fit right in and was instantly a friend to all of us!  (I am secretly hoping she is able to meet our group for the Huntsville trail run in a few weeks...must convince her!)

Elizabeth finished her 50th marathon, Me, new friend Cyndi, and rockstar DK!

This race was super!  The volunteers at every aid station were incredible and the plethora of food and candy at them was far superior than any race I have been at! I will definitely be back soon!!!!

This weekend was so amazing...so hard...and so something I never imagined being able to do...Huge shout out to my wonderful husband for not only letting me train, but letting me go away for the weekend...Big thanks to DK for always dreaming BIG and including me in your plans...Congrats to Elizabeth for finishing 50 marathons and thank you for being that calming influence in so many people's lives...I sure wish you lived closer!  Cyndi, it was so wonderful to meet and run with you and I sincerely hope we all get to run together again soon!  And Miss Lisa...what would I do without you!  Thank you for coming with us and waiting around for us...You and your crazy half marathon madness always inspires...Thank you for keeping me in stitches and helping me to pick on DK :-)

One parting thought....