If I can say one thing about my experience running the USA Fit Marathon in Sugarland, Texas on January 29th, it is that I did what I set out to do. I spent five plus hours catching up with Caitlyn, one of my best friends, I ran for the better part of 26.2 miles, and I got back to my pre-preggo weight along the way. Check, check, and check. But still, there were a few things that didn’t meet my expectations.

For starters, my last marathon was one of the biggest days of my life – right up there with naturally birthing my daughter Evelyn. The Marine Corps Marathon was more than just 26.2 miles.  It was the mob of over 20,000 other runners surrounding me throughout the entire race. It was the shared pain and triumph with that many people, many of whom had pictures of people they were running for on the backs of their shirts. It was marines at every water station looking at us in awe of our efforts. It was the crowds excitedly cheering us on at every corner. It was running with Ryan and Caitlyn – the person who inspired me and encouraged me to start running marathons in the first place. And of course it was the scenery as we wove through all of the major sites in DC. It was pretty freaking amazing.

The USA Fit Marathon, in comparison, felt more like just 26.2 miles. There were only 128 marathon runners along with about 1,250 half marathon and 5K runners. We felt like part of a race for about 13.1 miles and then suddenly it was just me and Caitlyn. It was a very weird feeling – especially since the turn around to start the second 13.1 mile loop was literally feet from the finish line. With maybe one or two other runners in our view at any point in the second loop, and because we were basically running through some large neighborhoods, it felt a bit like just another long run.

The big let down was an ill timed stomach ache around mile 16 that lead me to stop consuming calories and eventually lead me to stop and walk around mile 20. I made the rookie mistake of changing my diet during the race from what I had trained with. Instead of drinking water along the way, I drank gatorade. This upset my stomach and led me to stop consuming calories. Around mile 20, 8 miles after I stopped eating my energy shots, I started to feel really sick.

The true test of a marathoner’s resolve is an injury along the way. For Caitlyn, I think it was her knees. For me, it was the stomach ache and nausea that got worse around mile 20 and continued through the end. We walked for a good part of miles 20-22. Then our resolve kicked in. I told her my stomach wasn’t going to get better and quitting was never on the table for either of us. So we decided to just suck it up and run. We were both hurting, and I was using all of my mental techniques not to think about my stomach. We just ran.

And then we were done. The finish line seemed almost abandoned except for a few steadfast volunteers and my loving family. Caitlyn’s family was out on a lunch run and found us a few minutes later. I cried, we hugged, and then it was over. Even the “after party” area was mostly abandoned. We were bursting with pride, thrilled to have overcome adversity and run through pain, but more than a little underwhelmed by the finish line experience.

Personally, I was also more than a little disappointed in our time. Going in, I was hoping to finish between 5 and 5 1/2 hours. I ran a half marathon in November in 2:33 and felt confident I could keep up this pace for a whole race. Our half time during this race was 2:37 and by mile 15 I was confident we would finish between 5 and 5:30 hours. Caitlyn never once complained about having to walk for me, or even considered pushing me to run when I could not. But I do wish I hadn’t been the reason we finished almost 30 minutes slower than we had hoped.

Regrets aside, our weekend in Texas was overall a great time. We ran, we spent quality time with our families, and we had fun. I got such a kick out of seeing our “big” kids having so much fun hanging out with one another.  The last time we lived in the same state, Faye was 2 and Caitlyn’s son was only a baby. Now, even Gavin and her second child are old enough to hold hands, giggle and play together. It is a beautiful sight.

All things considered, I have so much to be thankful for.  I am thankful for a body that can run 26.2 miles in under 6 hours. I am thankful for an amazing husband who supports me in any way he can along the way. I am thankful for the Kano’s, who we can come back to after years apart and pick up right where we left off. And I am grateful for so many friends and family who gave me their love and support before and after the race. To all of you, I give my thanks.