18 seconds!

Seconds don't mean anything in a marathon. When people ask me my marathon time I don't even tell them seconds; it's either a 3:11 or a 3:08. A little over a year ago I was at a family reunion and my uncle asked me if I thought I would ever be able to run under three hours in a marathon. I had recently run the Ogden Marathon and tied my PR (personal record) of 3:11. I told him no, 12 minutes was too much time to take off of a marathon but I thought a sub 3:10 was within reach.

It has always been a dream of mine to run the Boston Marathon so last fall after Jason and I had both run qualifying marathons I signed us up for the 2010 Boston Marathon. I had met several runners in the area who were being coached by Paul Pilkington, the Weber State coach and elite distance runner in the '90s, and decided if I wanted to do my best I'd try working with him for a while. I trained harder than I had in years, doing track workouts, tempo runs, and 3 hour distance runs through the cold winter months and it paid off with a PR and top 200 finish on a difficult Boston course. This was enough of an accomplishment but I realized at that point that on the right course in perfect conditions I would have a chance at running a sub 3 hour marathon.

I knew that the St. George Marathon was my chance but was disappointed when Jason and I didn't get picked in the lottery. I trained hard all summer and through persistence I was able to earn a spot in the elite division. I was frequently asked what my goal was and was always careful to respond that I wasn't set on breaking 3 hours, just running my best race.

As race day approached the weather forecast seemed to be working against me with record high temperatures in Southern Utah. At the starting line it was announced that it was the warmest start in the history of the marathon. I ran a conservative first half knowing I would get a lot of steep downhill in the second half. I came through the halfway point at 1:32 and started to think maybe I wouldn't have a shot at under three hours. After several steep downhill miles in the 6:20s I realized that it was still within reach. I was passing a lot of people and getting closer with every mile. With two miles left glycogen depletion and the heat caught up with me as temperatures climbed into the 80s. I turned the corner to the last stretch, looked at my watch and realized it wasn't going to happen. I finished in 3:00:17.

I can't say I'm disappointed even though I missed a sub 3 hr marathon by only 18 seconds and a top 10 finish by 30 seconds. My goal all along was to run the best race I could. I've taken 11 1/2 minutes off my marathon time in the last year and come so close to something I never thought was possible. I have sacrificed a lot to do this: time with my family and friends, countless hours out on the road early in the morning when I would rather be in bed, and a significant amount of money paying my coach, registering for races and buying running gear. My husband and kids have been so supportive of all of this and I could never do it without them. I had the best cheering section in the world (with cowbells and signs) when I was hurting so bad with two miles to go! I've learned a lot the last year but most importantly not to doubt myself. Hard work goes a long way and after all, I'll give it another shot and next time I'll answer yes, I can do it!