Wineglass Marathon Recap (Written on January 6th and edited February 25th)

    When I drove up to Corning, NY with my friends, I was in a weird place mentally. Months of hard work- early mornings, money spent on nutrition, shoes, and finding the exact Lululemon shorts that feel perfect for miles and miles- all felt like it was coming to a bitter close. Something had happened to my calf on my eight mile run the weekend prior and I didn’t run all week. How could I ever do this again? It made me feel bad that my family had to endure the training, and probably for nothing. But, I had to be focused on my friends- they trained too and had so many goals that I wanted to be as supportive as possible!
   Our first night was quiet- some hot tub time (even though it was warm for upstate NY!) and early to bed. At the expo the next day, we all got our bibs and goodies- wine glasses and champagne! It was a small, quaint expo. Much different than the Broad Street Run or Philadelphia Marathon. These expos have now become my favorite- it’s so personal and special. I bought sunglasses there- in case I ran. I didn’t prepare as properly as I should have. 
   We ran a two-mile warm up around beautiful Corning- the leaves on the trees were gorgeous in early October. We ate lunch outside and then went to Wegmans to gather last minute dinner and breakfast items including some specialty made Wineglass Marathon Cookies! I picked up some local beer for Sean and me to try the next week. We were in Bill’s Country and the store was radiating with the energy of their season! 
​    Around the island of our brand new, beautiful Air BnB, my friends looked me in the eye and said- why not? Leslie asked- what is the worst thing that can happen? (Well, besides not injuring it more) You don’t finish it? Nobody will think less of you (Will I?) Lara mentioned a time she completed a marathon injured. This is what I trained for, I would be giving up the chance to try. The race is supposed to be the fun part! 
The next morning, we all gathered and became part of each other’s race-day routine (always amusing and yet SO IMPORTANT!) Bagels, certain kinds of peanut butter, coffee. The gathering of the fuel, discussions about when to take the caffeine, etc. We packed into our friend’s mini-van (complete with random legos like Harry Potter).
     It was chilly-in the 50s- but oh so perfect! Of course, I had no throw away garb because I didn’t fully expect to to be at the start of the race, about to actually run. I had expected to cheer! Barb and I did a warm up and got to the bathroom right in time. I called Sean- this was my 1st marathon I ever took my phone with me just in case I needed to stop. If I did, I would call him and let the others know. This was the moment where Sean felt so conflicted- he was struggling with the role of both husband/partner and coach (He would ask to coach me in the near future- I respect it, but really miss him as my coach!). He told me to run and have fun. 
I lined up with Barb and Kira. Their goals were loftier than mine (they are fast and mine was to hopefully finish without hurting my calf even more). We were off!
      Bath- where we started- was great. The towns are all so cute and it was such a beautiful time of year with the foliage. Mile 1: 8:24. Oops. How did that happen? I ran a little with Kira, who planned to pick up the pace in a few miles. As for me, I kept moving at that pace. What was happening? The sun was out and it was warming up-fast. I was struggling to rip open the Maurten gels (this happened in training, too) and just started taking the Clif gels on the course and stashing them so I could take one every four miles. Luckily, one was caffeine!
     I didn’t bring a hydration vest because I hate running with all the gear on me, but I also knew there was so much water on the course. I did start with a plastic bottle that I could dispose of in a trash can along the way.      By Mile 18, I knew I needed to take some of the salt tablets I packed. At 20, at the water station and just chugged from the cup and ate more tablets. I saw Kira’s adorable family after the station, which was so inspiring. My pace at 20 was now 9 minute miles. I kept that pace (a little slower) for the last 6. It was so hard. I need advice on how to keep pace for those last 6 miles. Because I know I can!
      I felt like I was crawling through some winding neighborhoods the last 3 miles. The end- I could see the finish through the beautiful streets of Corning- felt SO far away! But inside me, a voice said just GO! Why not?!
       I finished with an 8-second personal record that I did not know about until I was home that night. It was so hard- all my friends did not have the races they deserved to have. The ones that loved me and supported me were left with the exact opposite emotion I was feeling. 
       My takeaways from this race: Just do what you can. You might surprise yourself with what you can do if you just try! The marathon is humbling. I feel so supported and loved- friends and family will be with you if you make your goal or not <3

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