Checked it off!

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” -Anatole France

Run Big Sur Marathon

Do you have a bucket list? I do and for some reason running the big sur marathon was at the top of the list. I am not sure whether it was the crazy hilly course that motivated me to sign up or the wine adventure to follow? #RunNowWineLater

I would say it was the latter of the two, because man was that course HILLY!

For those of you that read my blogs regularly, you know I don’t typically write about personal experiences; but I wanted to share a little bit about my adventure doing the Big Sur Marathon. I am not sure if you have heard the quote by Lori Culnane stating “everything you ever wanted to know about yourself, you can learn in 26.2 miles” but that is SO TRUE!

I have completed several half marathons, but this was only my second marathon (and I ran the first one with my brother). Also, this was the first race I have done without motivating music or podcasts. It was challenging to say the least!

Running 26.2 miles with no music, no podcast, no friends (I made some along the way), no family, and no crowd support. Yes, the views were gorgeous (and the piano man, organic strawberries, and drum line were worth it) but the course was challenging. It took all of my mental strength to push myself to the finish line. I started out strong, pacing 9 min miles (which is good for me) for the first 13 miles, but after hurricane hill it was hard to stay on pace.

I started trying to figure out ways I could “gently” injure myself to get picked up by first aid and brought to the finish line (kidding… kinda), but then I thought about WHY I was doing the race.

I wanted to do the race because I CAN. I am incredibly blessed with working legs and heart that can keep up. I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. I wanted to run on highway 1 through Big Sur. I wanted to breathe in fresh air. I wanted to prove to myself that I CAN DO IT! And I did, but I couldn’t without YOU ALL!

I have never felt so cared for- I received multiple text, voicemails, care packages, encouraging words, and support. When I wanted to give up and get picked up by first aid, I thought about you all. I could not give up on you, so thank you, THANK you for that.

Whether you are running marathons or not, we all have life challenges. Some days you may feel like you are running a marathon, just trying to keep up with life’s demands. We all need support, motivation, and a community that believes in us.

Here are a few things I learned:

When you feel like you can’t take another step forward, you can! It is absolutely amazing what our mind and body is capable of, never sell yourself short and never say you can’t; because you can.
Talking to yourself and being your own cheerleader is okay! Its actually GREAT; be your own motivator, always push yourself to do and be your best. Because at the end of the day, you are your best competition.
Prepare. Whether it is for a marathon or an important meeting, always prepare. Go into everything knowing you gave it your all.
Dream. Come up with a bucket list. Create a wish list or life goals and chase them.
Travel. For some reason I am all about quotes today, but I love this one “travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer.” Cherish every moment.

Here are a few things that were crucial to my success:

Carbs. You have to have them for energy during endurance training. period.
Huma Chia Energy. For some reason, I did not feel well on GU so I used these instead. Huma Chia Energy is a great (more) natural source of energy for long runs.
Hydrate. Drink plenty of water with electrolytes before a long run. I love ultima replenisher. I also got a myer’s cocktail IV from CentreSpring MD before we flew out.
Sleep more. I found that the harder I trained the more sleep I needed to help with recovery.
Take epsom salt baths. This helped keep my muscles relaxed and prevented cramping/soreness.