5. Getting high fives from the Marines in Camp Pendleton
(2014 Shamrock Marathon)
 |
| No photos from Camp Pendelton (mile 8-9), but here's one from mile 18! The half marathon course is the same as the second half of the full, so even though I had run the half twice, when I ran the full for the first time in 2014 I had a whole new 13.1 miles to cover before getting back to familiar territory. They first half of the full course really isn't that scenic or exciting, but one of the best parts of the whole race does occur during that first half. Miles 7-9ish go into Camp Pendelton, |
4. Having my first do-or-die moment in a race
(2013 Shamrock Half Marathon)
The second time I ran Shamrock was also my second go at the half marathon, and I wanted needed redemption from my first one. It was the first time I had trained for a PR and had a goal time I was hoping to see on the finish clock. I was able to keep my pace pretty steady and right on target, but at 10 miles in I started to get tired. I made it to mile 12 and then I hit the wall HARD. I finally allowed myself a walk break and saw my goal time slipping away on my watch. For the next half mile I mustered up enough energy for a walk/run combo until I reached a now-or-never point. My super reach goal (2:10), the one that at the beginning of the day seemed impossible but over 12 miles started to become a reality, was still in play. But in order to keep it in play, I had to start running NOW, as hard as I could, and not stop until I was over the finish line. That was the first time I've ever had to make that decision in a race, and as much as it hurt, I went for it. I technically finished just over my goal (2:10:14), but I was proud that I gave it everything I had.
 |
| 2013 Shamrock Half Marathon finish line |
3. Grabbing my dad's hand at mile 26 and running in to the finish of his first marathon together
(2014 Shamrock Marathon)
My dad is the reason I started running (even though he started a few years before I did), and even though we never really talked about it, I think we both thought that if one of us was ever crazy enough to run a full marathon, we'd both do it together. In 2013 I started thinking about running the Charleston Marathon (our hometown) in January 2014, and I thought I could get my dad on board...until he tore his Achilles 7 months before the race. He spent the next 5 months rehabbing and was at least able to run the Charleston Half Marathon (his longest run in almost a year), so he was with me for the first 10 miles of my first marathon. As soon as I finished Charleston, we both knew that we had to do the Shamrock full in March. I remember being in the car on the way home texting him my training thoughts, and how to get him from recently-injured to marathoner and to get me from my first marathon to my second in just 8 weeks.I had a hard time at Shamrock that year, for a whole host of reasons, but my dad and I stayed together throughout the race. I struggled more and more as we got closer and closer to the end, and finally during mile 23 I told him to just go ahead without me. I was having a hard time keeping up and felt bad that I had already held him back so much and made him miss his 4:45 goal, and didn't want to be the reason he didn't make his sub-5 goal either.
So on he went and I watched as he got smaller and smaller the further away he got, until finally I couldn't even see him anymore - and then I panicked. We had come all this way, and I couldn't imagine not seeing him cross the finish line. We'd been averaging 10:30-11:00 minute miles all day (thanks to my many walk breaks) but for the next few minutes, I somehow found the strength to run at a 9:00-9:30 pace until I caught up. It took me about half a mile, but I did it. I finally caught him around mile 24, and I didn't let him leave again. We crossed the finish line together in 4:56:58 with our hands clasped together and my dad fist-pumping with the other and yelling, "YES!" It's not just one of my favorite Shamrock moments, it's one of my favorite moments of all time.
2. Seeing the ocean as I made the turn onto to boardwalk to the finish
(2015 Shamrock Marathon)
My 3rd time around at Shamrock proved to me that the 3rd time is the charm. As much as I had struggled running the full in 2014, it was that much easier in 2015. A lot more things went right for me on race day than they had the previous year; most notably, for the first time in my 3 years of running Shamrock, the weather was perfect. It wasn't cold, there was no horrible headwind...it was beautiful out, and it just got better as the day went on. The last few miles have you run on a road parallel, then you jump on the boardwalk for the last mile or so before the finish line.Since the beach road and the boardwalk are only a block apart, there's a short stretch when making the turn from one to the other when for a few brief moments you're actually perpendicular to the beach just beyond the boardwalk. Now, last year was my 4th time running this course, so this wasn't exactly new to me, but something about how great I was feeling and how perfect of a day it was (not to mention the 30+ minute marathon PR I was minutes away from) made that turn when the view opened up to bright blue skies and the ocean gently crashing one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I distinctly remember thinking that I should take a photo but not wanting to mess with my phone, which was fine because I knew that image would somehow be burned in my memory for the rest of time. It was such a quintessential Shamrock and Virginia Beach moment and perfectly encapsulated everything I love about the beach and running and Shamrock.
1. Crossing the finish line of my first half marathon.
(2012 Shamrock Half Marathon)
I've run over 60 races since that March day 4 years ago, but none of them have affected me so profoundly as this one did.
No comments