Twenty-Six Point Two

I just started work on a new novel project, and I think I've discovered a new natural law:

Computers will work fine when you are doing nothing important, like games or Netflix, but as soon as you are hard at work on a new manuscript and haven't saved for at least fifteen minutes, the freaking computer will shut down without warning and you'll have to rewrite all that material all over again!

Yes. It happened. Why does it always happen when I'm writing and never when it's convenient?

In weekly news, this week I will be on a panel at the Writing & Illustrating for Young Readers conference.

My panel will be the new authors panel on Wednesday, June 13, from 4-4:40, and I may also be present at the book signing the next day (I think I'm invited to that, but I hate to impose if I'm wrong).

So, if you're going to WIFYR, I'll see you there!

. . .

Guess what?

I did my marathon!

The Utah Valley Marathon. Here's me, at the end, with my chocolate milk in hand and medal around my neck.

I got to ring the PR gong because I got a personal record. (Which is a given, since this was the first time I'd ever run 26.2 miles.)

My roommate met me at the finish line, and my three youngest siblings came and met up with me after I crossed.

It was a good experience. It was a hard experience. I learned another natural law: If the hot, hot summer weather is supposed to break over the weekend and drop to highs of pleasant low 80s, then there's no way it's going to happen before you run your marathon. The highs on Saturday were up in the high 90s, and it was probably about 80-85 degrees when I finished the race.

So, what's it like to run a marathon? I'm going to tell you. Doesn't matter if you asked.

The day before, I got my bib and shirt and stuff from the race expo. Where there were many people selling massage machines. That was new. I haven't seen those so much at other, shorter race expos. They also gave me a couple of flyers, with my shirt, for nearby hospitals and clinics, so that was considerate if a little concerning.

I got up at 2:45 am after a restless night. It's not easy to go to bed at 9 pm, though I tried, and even then, I was antsy. It took a while before I was able to fall asleep. But I got up okay, and made a light breakfast of oatmeal and a banana and packed my bag for the race.

I parked at the finish line and took a shuttle up to the starting line WAY up the canyon, where it was cold but they had firepits ready to warm the waiting runners. I had sweats because I knew it was going to be like this. When I got off the bus, the speakers were playing "Takin' It to the Streets" by the Doobie Brothers, and since that's on my running playlist, I took it as a good sign.

As I waited, I prepped. I drank a sports drink and lotioned up with sunscreen. I also took measures to prevent clothing chafing. You may notice that in my picture I'm not wearing a race shirt. The Spider-Man shirt comes from a company that makes light, soft, motion-friendly shirts, so that's what I wore for my first marathon. It's also encouraging to dress like a superhero.

The race started at 6 am. The sun was up, but we were still in shadow and the canyon was cool. The speakers played "What Doesn't Kill You" by Kelly Clarkson, which I thought funny, but not as funny as later when it was the song I finished to and the song on the radio as I went home. I had a theme for the day.

Running is interesting. I definitely had a stream of thoughts as I went, and they'd repeat. Here's a taste:

- Dang, the sun is out again. Where's the next shaded area?
- I thought this race didn't have hills.
- Where's the pacer? Oh, there she is.
- Did I fuel at the last mile mark? No? Better do that.
- WATER GET WATER
- I think I already passed that guy.
- Didn't that guy pass me already?
- Who the heck wears a backpack filled with marbles on a marathon?
- Wow, the scenery is gorgeous!
- Who dropped their socks? How did they leave their socks behind in the middle of a race?
- *new song starts on playlist* Ah, yesss! This is my jam.
- I've been running next to this person for a while. Should I say something?
- Nope. No need to talk.
- Breathing feels okay. I think I can do this!
- Um, legs are starting to hurt. Maybe I can't.
- If I see one more sign that says, "Smile! You paid for this," I'll make them pay and see how they like it.
- Another mile down. Just make it to the next water stop.
- It's getting hot....
- These last 6 miles in the sunlight are going to hurt.

They did. They did hurt. I actually threw up at mile 23, due to dehydration. Not that I was missing water stops; I hit every single one. But a marathon plus stupid heat equals loss of fluids.

I walked a bit of those last 3 miles, but even so, I made my time goal. I'd been hoping to finish between 4 hours and 4 and a half, and I finished around 4:15. So, right there in the middle.


After the race, I got lunch at Zupas with my family and then a Dole Whip because it was tasty and needed. Then I chilled and slept well at night. The next day? Well, this video should accurately depict what the day after a marathon looks/feels like:

Right now I'm feeling somewhere between "I can run 26.2 miles in less than 5 hours FEAR MY POWER" and "Sitting down is more of a controlled fall at this point please help me stairs without banisters would be impossible."

I'd do it again. I'd do another marathon some day. Maybe a fall one, because that would be pretty and a bit cooler than this one, but the Utah Valley Marathon was a good race. It had a beautiful course and it was well-organized. And now I am officially a marathoner.

But for now, I'm content to rest, regain my nutrients, and look forward to much more relaxed running schedule for the foreseeable future.