the rowleys: 2013

On Saturday I ran the Phoenix marathon!! I actually completed 26.2 miles! Ever since I ran a half marathon a couple years ago I knew that I was going to run a full marathon some day. I just told myself I would "in the future" with no definite plans of when. I decided sometime last year that I was going to make it happen because there really isn't a better time while I am young and kid-less. I think 25 is a great age and I wanted to do something memorable. Watching the Olympics was a big motivator for me also and it brought about a desire in me to complete some extraordinary athletic event. So I signed up for a marathon not knowing if I was going to be able to finish it but I was ready for the challenge.

Training for a marathon is actually a much larger part than the actual race because it encompasses months of your life rather than a few hours. My training began about 6 months before the race. I would run mon-fri with a long run once a week. My long run started at 8 miles and I would increase by a mile every week. I really didn't have a strict schedule for the rest of the week but I would run from 3-9 miles on those days. I got through the long runs by listening to music and once I reached 15 miles I began listening to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Those books are required reading for a class I'm taking and so it worked out perfectly. I had to take a week off of training in January because of the flu and I was distraught. I thought that I had undone all of my training and that I wasn't going to be able to finish the race. Luckily I got healthy and was able to run 21 miles the next week. That was the furthest I ran in my training. I was very fortunate that the only injury besides sore muscles I received in my training was one blister.

before one of my long runs. Jason dropped me off 21 miles away and I ran home.

The week of the marathon I was surprisingly calm. I thought about the race a lot though and most of my free time was spent researching various aspects of marathons. I read marathon stories on blogs to prepare myself but they were all so different that I really didn't know what to expect. I read success stories with first marathons and then ones that involved hallucinations or throwing up. Through what I had gathered though my research was that I would hit "the wall" at 20 miles and at that point my legs will turn to jello and I would have to somehow drag them across the finish line. I had prepared for that.

the course.

Shockingly I had an incredible experience with my first marathon. I still can't believe how well it went. On the morning of the race we were bussed out to the starting point at 5:00 a.m. to Usery Pass in the desert. It was dark and cold and most of the racers were keeping warm by the fires and heat lamps. About 15 minutes before the start the National Anthem played and fireworks went off in the sky.

We made our way to the start line passing a bagpipe player along the way. A few minutes later the race started and I felt great. The adrenaline and "Born to Run" on my iPod caused me to run my first mile much faster than I should've. I had to tell myself to slow down to conserve my energy for the second half. My goal was not speed but to finish the race. The first 6 miles were my favorite because the sun was just rising with a pink and blue sky. It was beautiful. I tried to take everything in during the race and enjoy every minute of it. Halfway at 13 miles they had the time and I had run it in 2 hours. I knew I wasn't going to be that fast the second half. I made sure to hydrate at every drink station and take whatever food they offered. I brought my own gel packets and they provided oranges and bananas which made a big difference. Before I knew it I was at 18 miles. The sun was very bright and it was much hotter than I would have liked but I kept on running.

20 miles came and went and I was still going strong. I kept waiting for the wall to hit me hard but it never did. I felt great still and was smiling at those cheering on the sidelines. I had never felt that good at 20 miles during training and so it was very unexpected. I saw other runners around me walking and completely exhausted. When I hit 24 miles is when it started to get harder. I still didn't hit the wall though. I kept thinking positive thoughts and telling myself that I wasn't tired. I did silly things like imagining myself as a race horse or thinking I was running to pull the pigtail braids of the girl ahead of me. Once I hit 26 miles the endorphins hit like crazy and I felt incredible.

I then see Jason who is running alongside the course taking pictures of me. In the last stretch I see my sister Brin and her family holding a big banner saying "Run, Romi, Run!" I didn't know they were coming and it was a great surprise at the end! I crossed the finish line at 4 hours 19 minutes. Not that fast but my goal was to finish- I didn't even train for speed. I couldn't believe how great I felt. I had just run 26.2 miles and I was still standing and wasn't hallucinating or throwing up. I talked to my family for a little while and then went to enjoy the free food. The first thing I ate was a slice of bread and butter- it was the best piece of bread I've ever eaten :). I filled up on as many carbs as I could before I left the runners area. After the race there were food vendors and little fun things to do. I was on a runners high and didn't feel any pain at all. The rest of the day I was in little pain and it didn't hit me until the next morning when I woke up with completely stiff and sore muscles. I felt like an old lady going up and down the stairs one stair at a time. I tried to move as little as possible for the next two days.

It is an indescribable feeling training for and finishing a marathon. During training I would set goals and achieve them week after week. I would break down the barriers in my head of what I am capable of accomplishing and I would set a new distance record for myself each week. I now know that I have more in me than I ever thought. I had to learn to endure pain which consisted mainly of ignoring it. The pain just becomes a part of the process and you know it is necessary to improve. I had to continue running even when the energy was completely lost in my body. It becomes mental strength at the end of a very long run because if it were up to your body it would've stopped miles ago. Your body is hurting and aching to stop but your mind tells you it has to go on... and so you do. There were some long runs when I would think, why am I doing this to myself? And near the end I lost a lot of motivation to run at all. But I still did it. And it is definitely rewarding in the end. I feel like I ignited something inside me because I know this was not my last marathon. I am already ready to run the Phoenix marathon next year and train for a better time!

..a quick recap of the past few months since it's been so long since i've blogged. i plan on not getting so behind this year but no promises...

j u n e

my 25th birthday

j u l y

we spent a week in California on the beach with the family.

Disneyland :)

Jason's sister Ginger is very generous and set up a flight for us with a friend in a 4 person plane to Catalina Island. with my fear of heights it was terrifying at first but ended up being an incredible experience.