My Marine Corps Marathon 26.2 Recap

As promised, I finally have been able to gather all of my thoughts down as I look back on my journey to achieving 26.2. It has been exactly one week since the marathon and I'm not really sure where to start. It has been an incredible 18 week journey to prepare for my first 26.2. I'm speechless and I have been having some mixed emotions as my training comes to and end. I do have some more races planned for the rest of 2015, but for now I am focusing on recovery and getting back to a (somewhat) normal life. 

Looking back, there are SO many people that I want to thank for being an incredible support system throughout this entire training cycle. You all know who you are, and from the bottom of my heart, I am truly grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. Thank You! 

I've been constantly asked....How do you feel, how was it, are you going to do another one? To be honest, I feel pretty darn good for running 26.2 miles a week ago. My quads and feet were a little sore but that's what I expected. I've been extremely tired and am looking forward to taking things easy for awhile to allow my body to recovery. Marathons are tough on the body. Muscles, hormones, tendons, cells and almost every physiological system is pushed to the max during a marathon.

I'll give you quick recap of my preparation, but if you are interested in seeing more check out my Insta-takover on the Gundalow Juice Instagram account. I posted lots of pictures during Marathon weekend. 

Here we go...

Saturday morning breakfast: 

• A giant bowl of Love Grown Foods Super Oats
• A Gluten Free Nature's Path Chia Plus Waffle topped with Peanut-Free NuttZo 
• A banana

I ended up eating this same exact meal the morning of the marathon (minus the waffle). It's my go-to and gives me the right amount fuel to cover the distance.

I also spent some time at the gym foam rolling and stretching.

I LOVE sweet potatoes so I made sure I had plenty on hand for snacks on the days leading up to the race. I love topping sweet potatoes with NuttZo or almond butter and a little cinnamon. Trust me...it's good!

I always rounded up all of my food to pack for race morning and my fuel for during the race.  It's better to have too much than not enough. These are all of my go-to's for long runs and races.

The night before the race I ALWAYS lay out my outfit and make sure I have everything I need. I knew I wouldn't be able to get much sleep since I had to be up around 4:30am in order to get dressed and get over to the start which was close to the Pentagon. I allowed a lot of time in the morning order to ensure I had plenty of time to get through security to make it to my corral on time. 

RACE DAY...

In my corral just seconds before the start. I tried not to psych myself out at this point and the fact that I was about to run 26.2 miles. The opening ceremonies were a bit emotional and they allowed time to pay tribute to all of the men and women that have served and continue to serve this country. 

 Aside from the start and the finish, miles 18-20 were my absolute favorite and most memorable. I can't even put into words what I felt when I saw my family somewhere around miles 18-19. To see them with matching T-shirts and signs cheering me on is a moment that I will never forget. To have them there and get to experience my first marathon with me was absolutely perfect and I am so incredibly grateful. The hugs, high-fives and kisses is just what I needed as I was about to take on the toughest part of race. 

After seeing my family I knew it wasn't too much longer until the NovemberProject DC cheer station where I knew I would see a lot of my NovemberProject Baltimore friends. The NP group has become my second family and I couldn't have made it through without the amazing people I had the pleasure of training with over the course of these 18 weeks. This group has changed my life in so many ways and I thank you for your part in my journey.  

And yes...there was a miniature pony at the NP DC cheer station.

AND

THE FINISH LINE

This moment...so emotional for so many reasons. I DID IT...I RAN A FREAKING MARATHON. I could not agree more with the quote: 

"the person who starts the marathon is not the same person who finishes." 

This is true in so many ways and for those of you you've run marathons I'm sure you would agree.

I wish I could describe what it felt like when I stopped running. My legs felt like jello, but I didn't care at that point. All I could focus on was walking to have my finisher medal placed around my neck by a Marine and to see my family.

I was so excited when I got to see my running budding, Julie, who also completed her first 26.2. We embarked on this journey together and met through November Project.

I wasn't super hungry at the end of the race (probably because I was still in complete shock), but knew that I had to hydrate and get food in me ASAP. I drank some blue Gatorade and ate a banana after crossing the finish line. They also were giving out watermelon which was awesome so I ate some of that too. I knew it was going to be awhile before getting back to the hotel so after meeting up with my family in the family link up area, I ate a Peanut Butter and Banana Bonk Breaker bar. Oh and we snapped a ton of pictures!!

After returning back to Baltimore, the meal of choice was a Vegan pizza from Verde. I'm pretty sure that anything would have tasted amazing, but this pizza was spot on. I think I probably could have eaten two. Even the days after the marathon, I was still eating lots of carbs and protein to help repair muscle damage.

I spent the rest of the evening relaxing in ProCompression socks, eating, soaking in Epsom salt, and just reflecting on what I had just accomplished. 

Even a week later, I'm still on such a high from the whole experience. My advice to you is to believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable. The only limits in life are the ones you didn't take. 

Emily