Blog Like a Girl

WDW Marathon: The Epilogue

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:42:47 -0600

Devotees will already know that I didn’t run the full marathon, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a race report - it’s just that this time it’s from the spectator’s point of view. Many of my ROTE pals were running it, some attempting their first marathon while others went for the Goofy. While the snow/rain/sleet did make its way out of the Orlando area before the marathon, the temperature dropped even more and a stiff wind came in its place. When I got up at 5:30 on Sunday morning, The Weather Channel said it was 27 degrees - “feels like 17.” Brrr...
I bundled in as many layers as I could scrounge up (none of my coats will button across my pregnant belly these days) and arrived at the Transportation & Ticket Center around 7:30, just after sunrise, with a giant ROTE sign. Just after arriving, I noticed a gigantic patch of ice that extended across about two-thirds of the roadway. Yeah - if there was any doubt left in my mind that attempting the full would be a bad idea, that pretty much settled it. I yelled at every ROTEr that I saw, whether I knew their name or not, as I waited for Katie and Margaret. After about an hour, I spotted them, along with Jen and Annette, and snapped off a quick photo. I then grabbed my sign and walked over to the Polynesian so I could catch them on the back side of the Magic Kingdom at around the 12.5 mile point. They were still looking strong!
Knowing there was no other good place to see them that would also allow me to make it back to the finish on time, I killed some time by going to Mass, filling up my car with gas, and making a quick stop at Downtown Disney. Unsure of what traffic would be like getting into the finish area parking lot, I headed back to Epcot with a good deal of time to spare.
I managed to squeeze (with my sign, of course) into a little gap by the fence (OK, there actually wasn’t a gap there - I just asked a girl with a friendly face if she would let me in) and started watching for ROTE runners to come through. As I studied the faces of all of the participants as they made the final turn toward the finish, I saw jubilation and determination. These were the people who were finishing in six hours, give or take, and while I know many of them were probably hurting, most of them looked elated.
As I continued to search for the telltale red hats, I noticed something. The longer I stood there, the later it became, and the longer the runners had been on the course. The percentage of runners I would have described as “hurting” grew, and the percentage of runners I would have described as “jubilant” shrunk. Seven hours is a REALLY long time to be on the marathon course, and I could see it on the faces of the finishers. The later it got, the thinner the crowd of spectators became and the harder it was to find runners who looked like they were happy and not hurting. I was very relieved to see that although they came in around the seven-hour mark, Katie, Margaret, and Jen had that “happy” look on their faces as they finished.
I walked around to the finisher area to give my friends the one thing I thought they might want - chocolate milk for Katie and Margaret, and strawberry milk for Jen. We milled around for just a bit and then headed out. As I walked back to my car, I had to go back past the finish line. The official clock read 7:40 by that time and there were almost no spectators left, but a few dedicated marathoners were continuing to straggle in. It was simultaneously inspiring and heartbreaking to witness.
I know there are runners out there who look down on those who finish at the back of the pack. I will be gracious and assume that people who feel that way have never witnessed or experienced the back of the pack before - it is a brutal place to be, and I have nothing but respect for those back-of-the-packers.
One of my favorite running quotes is by the late Steve Prefontaine: “A lot of people run to see who’s the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.”
I say it takes real guts to finish at the back of the pack. Congratulations to all WDW marathoners - and a special nod goes to all of you who finished at the back.

WDW RACE REPORT: Most Bizarre Race Weekend Ever

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:25:34 -0600

The longest wog I did in preparation for the WDW Half Marathon was 12 miles - three weeks before the race. I did a 9-miler on back-to-back days with a 3-miler two weeks before the race, then almost nothing until race day. As mentioned on the last blog post, I was also sick the entire week ahead of the race (not to mention that whole 27 weeks pregnant thing). Needless to say, I was not very confident in my upcoming performance.
The night before the half, I was talking to Mr. Andi and had my plan all mapped out. All I needed to do was to beat the sweeper, so I was going to walk 4 minutes and run 1 minute. Done. Decided. End of story.
Of course, I changed my mind at 4:00 a.m. Standing in the runner’s area at an obscenely early hour, it was around 30 degrees. Shortly thereafter, it started to snow, then to sleet. Katie was planning to pace her dad through his first half marathon (using a 2:1 run/walk), and a few other ROTErs, including Tricia and Steve, were tagging along. I decided to do the first 2-3 miles with them until I warmed up, then go back to my original plan. Well, three miles came and went, and I decided I’d keep going to the five mile point. At five, I was needing a potty break but thought maybe I could make it to Magic Kingdom. I figured once there I’d be halfway home and could manage by myself. Along the way, I ran up the full “hill” near the Contemporary (which is really just a viaduct) so I was feeling pretty good.
By the time we reached the Magic Kingdom, the sleet had turned to rain, which was unfortunate because the sleet would mostly bounce off but the rain soaked in. As we turned onto Main Street, I felt sorry for all of the first-timers, because the crowd was much slimmer than normal for Disney races. Margaret and some other ROTErs had staked out a great spot just in front of the castle to cheer us on we made the turn into Tomorrowland. At this point, the only “throwaway” item that I had actually thrown away was a blanket I had at the start; I was still wearing my extra layer of sweats. Tricia and I picked up the pace a little to give me some extra cushion (time-wise) in the bathroom (that belly support band can be rather unwieldy when trying to potty swiftly). There was a line in Tomorrowland, so we kept going and found a virtually empty bathroom in Fantasyland. Tricia (bless her!) helped me shed my extra sweatpants, which she held onto for the next couple of miles before I finally convinced her that I was not going to want them back. Miraculously, we made it out of the bathroom ahead of the rest of the group (who waited in the Tomorrowland line) and once again we were all together - now headed back to Epcot.
I was feeling pretty good, and Tricia and I were chatting it up so much that we actually started to pull away a little bit from the group, though still within earshot of our Fearless Leader, Katie, who was calling the intervals for us. Somewhere around mile 10-ish, Katie’s dad was lost somewhere in the field behind us, although we were able to spot him with another ROTEr, Roger, when we made the turn toward Epcot. By this point, I was cold, wet, and feeling uncomfortable each time I switched from walking to running (and vice versa). With enough time cushion to spare and her dad lagging behind just a bit, Katie (who was doing the Goofy) decided to walk the last mile. I really didn’t think my hips would do so great with “just” walking, so I asked if anyone wanted to keep running with me. Tricia said she would, so we headed on ahead of the others. We actually ran for a bit longer intervals than the two minutes we had been doing, and our walk breaks were timed more to coincide with my being nervous about falling in areas with standing water and uneven pavement than watching the clock.
As we made the final turn at World Showcase back toward the finish, I decided it was time to take off my throwaway hoodie, as I was determined to get at least a couple of identifiable photos of me (my bib was hidden under the hoodie). That lasted all of a minute before I realized it was WAY too freakin’ cold to go without it. We came upon the gospel choir (Tricia and I both got a little bit teary...) and then ran toward the finish. I stayed with Tricia through the Goofy tent, where I waited for them to remove my bracelet and give me a new one for Sunday (sigh). The rest of our group came in just a few minutes later and we booked it on out of there - we were freezing!!!
All in all, I was pleased with my performance. For a Gulf Coast girl who hadn’t run in anything below 40 degrees and certainly not in a cold rain, the conditions were brutal. Although I was slow, I ran more than I walked, so I was happy about that. And of course, you can’t forget that now Baby Nathan has three medals to his credit - a 5K, half marathon, and a full marathon!

WDW RACE REPORT: Expo & Family Fun Run 5K

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:37:46 -0600

I was sick the whole week before the WDW Marathon Weekend. Sore throat, pressure in ears, congestion...not good. I was scheduled to leave on Thursday morning after dropping The Girl off at school, but as late as 3:00 a.m. that morning I was thinking to myself “I’m not sure this is such a great idea.” However, after spending over $300 on an entry fee for a half marathon (remember I was registered for Goofy, but doc said no to the two-day thing), wild horses really couldn’t keep me away. Well, maybe wild horses could have, but some congestion and a sleep deficit couldn’t.
I arrived at the expo a little after 4:00 and met up with Katie and Margaret, my buddies from Maryland that I would be spending the weekend with. I was a little bit sad when I picked up my race packet and was given Goofy 5th anniversary commemorative shoelaces and a beaded necklace, and, feeling like something of a martyr, I dutifully let the volunteer put my special Goofy wristband on my arm (they won’t let you walk away with it in your hand). Sigh. No Goofy for me. Then I headed over to the main floor where the merchandise was - let me tell you, it felt like it was 1000 degrees in there. All of the half marathon merchandise seemed to be white, gray, or an iridescent shade of green (Yuck!), so I only bought a little medal replica keychain (I figured I could clip it to Baby Nathan’s diaper bag). That was about it for the expo - it was so stinkin’ hot in there that I had no desire to window shop (plus all of the cool girlie clothes wouldn’t fit me right now, anyway). I didn’t even bother to go to the RunningSkirts.com booth - Unbelievable! I did end up with one additional souvenir, though - Katie and The FG bought an adorable onesie with “In Training for WDW Marathon 2030” on it (somehow I had missed seeing it in the merchandise area - probably because the sweat was in my eyes from walking around in the 1000 degree expo).
On Friday morning, Margaret and I got up early for the 5K (bless her for getting up to go with me!) She wasn’t running and just came to support me and the other ROTErs. We met up with rest of the ROTE runners and before you knew it, we were off! I had decided just to walk the 5K, as it had been nearly two weeks since my last wog and there’s really no time limit to the 5K (they say there is, but I’ve never seen any evidence of it). Pam and Tricia joined me and we stayed together through Epcot until the last little bit when I decided that a potty break in a warm bathroom in Epcot would be preferable to a cold porta-potty at the finish - Tricia stayed with me and we finished the 5K together. It was in the upper 30s that morning, which would feel warm compared to the rest of the weekend.

Proof Positive I Was at the Back of the Pack

Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:56:03 -0600

Marine Corps Marathon finisher certificates are now available. Now don’t get me wrong - I’m proud that I finished. However....the ugly thing about those finisher certificates is that they list what number finisher you were. How ‘bout this fabulous stat - 21116 out of 21402. That means that out of more 21,000 runners, only 286 people finished behind me. I was in the bottom 1.5% of all finishers. That’s quite a long way from the “A” corral I rated in the Princess Half Marathon in March of this year.
Really, though - does it actually matter? I don’t think so. The MCM, to begin with, is a tougher race with a more competitive field. Walkers need not apply, unlike many of the Rock ‘n’ Roll and Disney-sponsored events. There are very few people who could walk a 14:00 pace for 20 miles. Also, what about the people that didn’t finish? I’m sure there were quite a few who were swept or dropped out due to injury, etc.
So, really, I don’t feel so bad about my way-at-the-back-of-the-pack finish. Like I said in my earlier blog post race reports, it’s a different experience at the back of the pack, and I’m glad I experienced it so that I could appreciate what it’s like.
But that number still causes me to wince, just a little bit...but regardless of the finishing time, Baby Nathan (who had no choice but to run with me), as a first-timer, got a PR.

Heartburn

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 17:36:11 -0600

Anyone that’s been reading my blog for awhile probably is expecting this post to be about things that are causing me heartburn in my life. Those people would be wrong. My last post proclaimed to the world that I would be, from this point forward, blogging about whatever I feel like posting. So, without further ado....
Top Ten Things That Cause (Pregnant) Marathon Andi Heartburn:
1. Eating anything with a high sugar content. Seems to be a good deterrent to taking in empty calories, right? Sort of, but it also applies to fruit.
2. Eating anything with a high acid content. Also applies to fruit - especially those delicious satsumas that are widely available in our area right now.
3. Eating too much at one sitting. This one’s a no brainer.
4. Not eating enough or not eating soon enough after becoming hungry. This one I totally don’t get. I guess feeding my stomach is a way of saying “Down, Heartburn, Down!” but if I feed it too much, it revolts.
5. Drinking too much of anything (this includes water). Kind of a catch-22, because if I don’t stay hydrated the Braxton-Hicks contractions will start. Not such a good thing.
6. Drinking anything with carbonation. I just have to suck it up and deal with this one. There’s no way I could do without Dr. Pepper for 9-1/2 months. Must drink in moderation and never late in the day (see #7 & #8).
7. Sleeping on my back. I know this one sounds like an easy one to overcome, but you haven’t gotten to #8 yet.
8. Sleeping on my left (or right) side. Given my expanding girth, stomach sleeping is no longer a viable option.
9. Leaning over to put on or take off my shoes (or mop the floor, or feed the dog, or....) No, I’m not kidding.
10. Running. Total bummer, but if I am able to take my Pepcid within an hour or so before heading out, I can usually manage.

From This Point Forward

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:08:40 -0600

I’m going to take a different approach to my blog. In the past, I’ve always waited until I felt that I had something “of substance” to say before I would post anything. In truth, though, I rarely (never) have anything all that earth-shattering to share with the world, so my posting has been somewhat random - especially over the past few months. My blog (which, by the way, now has a new address - www.marathonandi.com) is, from this point forward, going to be about....whatever I feel like posting at the time.
I woke up really early this morning. I would blame it on the pregnancy, as I wake up early every morning, but this time I just couldn’t go back to sleep. All week long I’ve been anticipating sleeping in on Saturday, and now that Saturday has arrived I’m up earlier than I would be on a weekday. Maddening.
The real reason I think that I couldn’t sleep this morning? The Rehoboth Beach Marathon. Why would I be thinking of a marathon I’m not running in a state 1,000 miles away? Because my running partner, Robyn, is running it today as her first marathon. And the bad news for me is: they don’t have live runner tracking!
Robyn, her friend Melissa, her husband Scott, and I did our Sunday long runs together all through the summer - right up until the Marine Corps Marathon. Robyn was one of the only people who knew about my pregnancy prior to MCM weekend, as I had to “confess” to her the reason why I was running slower and needing to take lots of extra potty breaks. She is super-speedy (literally running circles around me in an attempt to not get too far ahead) and I know she is going to do great today.
I just wish I could see her progress as she runs...

Run, Walk, or Waddle Like a Girl

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:55:30 -0600

So...my last post was about my brand new WIDE shoes. Some of my foot pain (i.e., the pain that was caused by my shoes being too narrow) subsided with the new shoes, but a lot of it didn’t. My running became really random - one day I could do four miles with no problems, the next time out I’d have to stop and walk before I hit the two mile point. I could feel my Donald (i.e., WDW Half Marathon) aspirations slipping away - not exactly happy thoughts, especially considering that I’ve already had to give up on my dream of a second Goofy (not to mention the extra $$$ I already dished out back in January for it).
It’s time to reevaluate my goal, and my plan. Clearly, I will not be attempting a PR while 27 weeks pregnant. New Goal: Finish (which equals a goal time of 3:30, as that’s the time limit for the race). Now - how to get there? Considering the foot pain I’ve been having, is it possible that I could just walk it? It’s a 16:00 pace, which is pretty speedy for legs as short as mine. Start figuring in pregnant potty breaks and....well, no, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
So here I am now with foot pain that seems to be ever-present but bearable. I’ve got new shoes. I went back for new insoles. Now I’ve got to figure out how much I can run without hurting myself (because, quite frankly, I am just not a fan of walking). Here’s the formula I tried out yesterday:
6 Miles + 4:1 Walk/Run Interval + 1 Potty Break = 15:20 Average Pace
I think I could live with that, if it gets me another Donald for my collection. Of course, you know I’m going to keep upping that run interval, just to see what I can do.

Wide Load

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:58:09 -0600

Earlier this year, my “big” goal for running was to complete four marathons within a six-month window that included my 40th birthday. Clearly, that is not going to happen now. Theoretically, I could still do it, but is the desire still there? Not so much. So now it’s clear than I need to be adjusting my goal, but I’m not completely sure what I’ll be able to do. Hmmm.... I am already registered for the Goofy Challenge, but I can always drop the full and just do the half. I’ve also got a room lined up already for the Mardi Gras Half (I had originally planned on doing the full), but I’m not registered yet. Decisions, decisions.
One thing I do know is that I have finally figured out why my feet hurt so bad (and started hurting so early) during the Marine Corps Marathon a couple of weeks ago. Wide feet. I’ve always had wide-ish feet, but because I always buy running shoes that are too long (so as to avoid the dreaded black toenails that are common among distance runners), I’ve never had to buy wide width running shoes.
No more.
My feet are W-I-D-E now. Crazy wide. Since this blog is entitled “Run Like a Girl” I’m going to talk about girl stuff for a moment. When you are pregnant, there’s this hormone that gets released to prepare you for labor - it allows ligaments and such to stretch and be more flexible (I think that’s enough detail, don’t you?) Well, it doesn’t just work on the parts of the body that are directly involved in labor - it also works on other parts of the body, like the feet. So my previously wide-ish runner feet are now crazy-wide duck feet.
I went for a new fitting last week - very aggravating, as the shoes I wore for MCM only had 50 miles on them on race day, so they weren’t anywhere near retirement - and found that the one and only (very tiny) running store around here doesn’t carry Sauconys. Bummer. I ended up with a pair of New Balance 769s in a wide. And also in orange.
I already miss my Hurricane 10s, and I haven’t even worn the new shoes yet. But if these orange monstrosities get me through my next few distance races, I’ll probably come around.

RACE Report: Marine Corps Marathon - The Last 10 Miles

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:49:12 -0500

Just past the mile 16 water stop, I found myself alone. There was only a smattering of spectators left. It may have seemed like a respectable number if I hadn’t seen the throng of cheering fans when I passed in sight of this point earlier, but for a race dubbed “The People’s Marathon” there sure didn’t seem to be many people left. Just after leaving Katie, one well-meaning spectator called out “Only ten miles to go!” Up to that point, I had only been thinking of how many more miles to go until Katie and I had beaten the bridge, so to hear “ten more miles” when my head was thinking “four more miles” was a little bit deflating. So, too, were the random D.C. Mall tourists pushing their strollers across the street in my running path, oblivious to the fact that I had been on this marathon course for over four hours, with a lot of distance left to cover.
I adjusted my run/walk interval to a 4:1 from the 2:1 that I had followed with Katie, and seemed to be doing alright with that. I started thinking that maybe the jump was a bit much, so I decided to do a 3:2 instead for one interval, but it was just too hard to get started running again after two minutes of walking. Since my pace had picked up a little, I was slowly passing some runners ahead of me. Somewhere between mile 16 and mile 18, I spotted a ROTE sign on the back of a runner just ahead and realized it was Erica. I pulled up beside her and found that she was doing a 2.5:1 run/walk and decided to join her. It was nice to have company again.
We plodded on until we came near the mile 19 water stop and realized we had only a mile to go but an ample thirty minutes to spare before the bridge closed. I was getting hungry (gels are just not enough for a pregnant gal) so Erica graciously did a little extra walking with me while I choked down a Luna bar. Before I knew it, I had snapped off a quick photo of the Mile 20 sign spinners and we were on the bridge. At that point, there were two things on my mind: (1) reaching Margaret and the rest of the ROTE support team, who had promised to have a cold Dr. Pepper waiting for me (and frozen orange slices for Erica) on the other side of the bridge, and (2) worrying about whether Katie was going to make it.
Let me tell you - that bridge was LONG! Crazy long. Painfully long. Brutally long. Finally, though, we heard cheering and could see our red ROTE crew with signs (they had several, but the ones I remember were “ON THIS DAY, YOU’RE MY HERO”, “PAIN IS TEMPORARY, PRIDE IS FOREVER” and “Your Feet Hurt Because You Are Kicking SO Much BUTT!!”) I was so happy to see them! After so many miles with so little crowd support, they were a sight for sore eyes. I also left my waist pack with them - it was squeezing my abdomen in a way that I didn’t think could be good. Erica and I stopped to chat for a moment, then we spotted a long line of police vehicles headed our way - the ones who would be closing the bridge after the last runner came through. We plodded along, buoyed by our friends, and made the turn back into Virginia, just before the mile 22 sign.
We had beaten the bridge, our primary goal, and we debated whether to just walk the rest of the course or try to continue our run/walk intervals. Neither of us much wanted to continue running at that point (especially me - my feet were killing me) but the good thing about running is that we knew the miles would pass more quickly. We had just about decided to continue with the running, but at this point, I was in need of a porta-potty and so was Erica. There was a small line, but since we were no longer under any time pressure, we waited. I finished up first and was trying to stretch while I waited for Erica. About the time she made it out, Katie came into sight. She made it! I ran back to her and gave her a big hug! We started thinking at that point that we’d all just walk the rest of the way, but then Erica and I were walking faster than Katie was and we lost her again, anyway. Crap.
The final four miles passed very slowly. There were very few of us left on the course, almost two miles of it was an out-and-back on a single street, and the spectators were gone. I gained a newfound respect for the back-of-the-pack runners, as I had never been one before. I began thanking people not just for being out there cheering, but for STAYING out there for us. The last 0.2 miles was an incredibly steep (but mercifully short) uphill stretch, flanked by marines on both sides (bless them - they all cheered and high-fived us as we made it up the hill!), followed by a straightaway in front of the grandstand to the finish line. Only a scant few remained in the grandstand, but they all cheered and clapped as Erica and I sprinted ran for the finish. Bless them.
My official time was 6:43:27 - a full hour and a half slower than last October’s Baltimore Marathon - but I learned some lessons about gutting it out that I hadn’t had to face before. Between the first 16 miles with Katie, who began the day knowing she was going to be pushing her body’s limits more than she ever had to before, and the last several miles with Erica, who suffered from waves of migraine pain at regular intervals during the race, I learned how gut wrenching the marathon can be. I experienced how lonely it can be at the back of the pack when the cheering throngs have headed home or to eat lunch and have forgotten about the slower runners, but on the other hand I also got to see how thrilling it is (and how appreciative you are) when there are people still out there on the course, cheering and encouraging you until the very end - especially when those people are your “always faithful” friends.
Semper Fi.

RACE Report: Marine Corps Marathon - The First 16 Miles

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:32:32 -0500

I will be very honest and say that I really don’t have a very clear recollection of much of anything that happened on race morning before the start. I was nervous scared. I had trained in sweltering heat and humidity right up until the end, I had no annoying injuries to fret over, and I had a conservative plan, but none of it mattered. I was attempting a marathon 16 weeks pregnant, and I was scared.
Katie and I had picked up an additional “team member,” Annette, who wanted to stay with us. We started out our conservative Galloway run/walk plan of 2:1, but it became clear pretty quickly that Annette was not going to be able to hold back enough. I also had to stop for the porta-potty so I spent a few minutes catching back up to my group. The first few miles were MUCH hillier than I was expecting, which made the catching up even more difficult. Eventually, though, Katie and I found ourselves back together, keeping our goal pace, and winding our way through Georgetown. Looking back on it, Georgetown was the nicest part of the course. It had some rolling hills, a fair number of spectators, and it was still nice and cool then. I used my iPhone during walk breaks to snap some photos and update my status as we passed each 5K tracking point - I had talked to Scott early on and he said that he wasn’t receiving the tracking info, so I wanted to make sure that friends who were following us knew how we were doing.
About midway between mile 10 and 11, near the south side of the Lincoln Memorial, the course almost meets up with the mile 16 marker. As we approached, there was a tremendous amount of crowd support. Most of the spectators were turned toward the folks at the mile 16 point, with the exception of the enormous line of spectators who were standing in the porta-potty lines (WTH?!?! Those porta-potties are for the runners!!!) From that point on to the mile 16 water stop, things would start to go downhill.
First - the road through the East Potomac area is really beautiful. The fall foliage (which I don’t have here on the gulf coast) was out, the street is lined with cherry trees, and the Potomac is on the right. I’m sure it’s a really nice place to drive through. However, for us on marathon day, it was the pits. There were essentially no spectators (the Hains Point water stop being the one exception) and the number of runners had thinned considerably in the back of the pack. It was eerily quiet, except for the frequent buzzing overhead of low-flying military choppers (which broke up the quiet but became annoying rather quickly). There just was no energy to draw from as we ran. I continued to plod along, watching my Garmin to ensure we were staying ahead of the 14:00 pace. I could tell that Katie was struggling and I was torn about what to do. I had the intense desire to run faster so as to escape from Cherry Blossom Hell, but I didn’t want to leave my wing man. I wasn’t sure if I should talk or be quiet, stay close or pull away. I generally tried a strategy of running a few feet ahead of Katie and then dropping back during the walk breaks. I tried talking every few minutes in a misguided attempt to distract her. We kept going. Around mile 14, she asked me to stop talking (I think she remembers it as telling me to “shut up” but she was really very nice about it - she was probably screaming at me in her head, LOL!) We passed the 25K point and I posted once again on my Facebook where we were and that we were together.
By the time we made it back around to the mile 16 point that we had seen earlier, not only were the spectators gone from the porta-potty lines, most of them were just plain gone. At the mile 16 water stop, I realized Katie had dropped further behind me, and she waved at me to go on. I felt sick to my stomach. I knew at that point that there wasn’t much else I could do for her, and that I might even be making things worse, but I just did not want to leave her. In the last few miles it had gotten harder and harder for me to run as slow as she needed me to, and I wasn’t sure I could even slow down enough to help. I checked the time and did some marathon math in my head. I determined that if she didn’t slow down too much more off of her current pace, that she could still make it - barely. We were only four miles from the bridge at that point, so I just had to trust that her mental toughness would get her there without my help.
So at mile 16, at the west end of the Mall near the Lincoln Memorial, I was now alone.