FOOT. WAS. ON. THE. GAS.
I can say it: I’m a 2:30 marathoner 🥹
PR by 3 minutes, 5 seconds.
8 and a half minutes faster than last year.
And an OTQ by over 6 minutes.
TLDR part 2 (I’m a yapper so buckle up):
This race was “berry” wild from the start. I found myself leading the women’s chase pack for almost 20 miles. Pressing, pushing, dropping people one by one as the hills just kept coming. Nothing felt smooth. Nothing felt easy. It was full send from the gun. And I’m unbelievably proud of that. I kept my foot on the gas until my body physically said “no more.” That’s the kind of effort I’ll chase forever. It’s the only effort that makes myself satisfied. It brings so much adrenaline and satisfaction.
Did I run like an idiot? Absolutely. But sometimes you HAVE to run like an idiot just to find the edges of your fitness. Mentally, when it got dark, quitting wasn’t an option. The mental conversation was to crank it up a notch. Every step was past the point of no return, so I just kept sending it.
I controlled everything I could, except the last stubborn 5%. Coming up and over the bridge, the hamstring I’d been nursing finally gave out. Watching the group pull away could’ve broken me. Instead, I locked in and went to war with myself. “Every step is with purpose, every step is with passion.”
And that’s why I’m so proud. I tested new workouts, new limits, new gears. I swung for the fences, and I gave every ounce my body had left. I had so much freaking fun. Seriously. Putting yourself through hell and back and finishing realizing you just did that, nothing beats it.
I’m just a girl, with a full-time job, coached by her husband. Just doing what she loves and getting a rush of adrenaline time after time again.
The marathon is cruel, and that’s why I freaking love her and will come back to her time and time again.
At the end of the day, it’s just me, the streets, the fight, and the best effort I’ve ever given.
Photos by the INCREDIBLE
@jason_casady &
@pkaphoto_
#marathon #runner #race #cim
