I ran a marathon the weekend before last. I haven't posted about it because I have been BUSY fixing up my Dad's house and settling his estate, but also because I've been feeling very - 'flat'. I mean, you guys know me. Normally, I'd post something like WHOO HOOO!! I ran a marathon!!!!!!!!!!! But lately I've been feeling more like, whoo. I ran a marathon.

I had to move the date and place of my marathon so many times because of my upcoming move, then my father passing away and the indefinite delay of that move. But I had trained for over six months through a record breaking hot summer, and put in about five 20+ mile runs, so I still wanted to reach the goal I set earlier this year.

Because I've been ill and not able to eat much since my father died, I decided I wasn't running it for a time, so it was fairly uneventful. The marathon was small, which I prefer, and probably also better for my mental state lately - I couldn't handle a bunch of fanfare right now. It was on a flat course in Northern Ohio; great distance running weather - overcast and around 40 degrees.

The lack of eating affected my run. Even when I tried to eat a normal amount at the pasta party the night before the race, my stomach just said NO and I got sick later that night, depleting not only calories but hydration and electrolytes. The day of the race, I took in a GU carbohydrate pack every 45 minutes to try to help the situation. It was all my stomach would allow. So the last 5 miles were very tough for me due to the carb and electrolyte depletion.

I ran the whole thing with my dog, it was his first marathon. I guess it's not so common around here for dogs to run marathons, so he got a lot of attention during the race.

I drove up the night before the marathon, stayed in a hotel, then had to drive about four hours after the race to get home, which was hard but not as bad as I thought it would be, I think due to all the caffeine in my carb packs, LOL. No one in my family is very interested or supportive about my running for whatever reason, so they didn't come to watch my run, which hurt a little but wasn't unexpected, either. It was sort of an emotional run for me, too. It was within driving distance of my Dad's town, so I wished he could have been there to see me run it. I kept thinking that he was there watching me run it, that he was now healthy and following me along the course, no longer riddled with cancer and disabled.

I was sort of OK with being alone though. Since Dad died everyday my sister and I have been working on things related to his estate, fixing his house, etc etc. It's been exhausting, so it was also nice to focus on something outside of that, if even for just a day.

I only ran twice in the pool this past week after the marathon. By the third day after the marathon, I felt recovered, but I'm not sure how much I will run this week. First, it's not like I am just sitting around. I have been working on my Dad's house and for those that know my renovation work in the past, you know I WORK on houses. So I'm still active. Second, I've been so tired and drained from the whole situation. Third, I have been eating somewhat better but still probably not enough. Lastly, I'm also still sick going on FIVE weeks now, since the day after my father passed away. It's finally been slowly going away, in part I think because I've been trying to rest when I can, versus forcing myself to workout when I am tired.

So anyway, a subtle marathon this year, if you can call it that. It was my 10th or 11th marathon anyway, so I was OK with just being out there, and the fact I was even able to run a marathon with all else that has been going on was a small feat in itself. I'm sure next year, I will run a better one. A friend is trying to convince me to run Pike's Peak Marathon with her next year, but I'm so tired right now... we'll see...

Hope all is well with everyone-
-Tri Babe