why i'm happy with a 5:14

I ran a 5:14.20ish marathon last Saturday.  While it's not my best time, I'm pretty happy with it and here are three reasons why:

1. I trained poorly - Going into the marathon, I knew that I did not have any runs higher than a 17.5 under my belt.  As soon as I saw the mile 17 sign, I anticipated the race getting really tough for me.  And it did.  The second half was hillier than I anticipated and by then the temps had gotten up into the high 60's, low 70's.  The race was organized with the potential for this weather so they were prepared...it was me who wasn't.  

2. I was running for a cause - I ran this race as a St. Jude Hero, which meant that I was raising money for the kids/families that benefit from the St. Jude Medical Facility.  While I didn't raise a ton of money, the money that I did raise (above my race fee) was given to St. Jude.  Also, for raising over $100 I was given a special race singlet to wear that identified me as a Hero.  Spectators, patients, families - strangers! - cheered for me by name, looked me in the eye and thanked me for running for them.  Many of them go through tragedies day after day, I can get through a tough 26.2mi run.

3. I didn't give up - Oh, boy.  I wanted to.  I thought about it.  Especially from miles 18-23.  I wanted to find the nearest aid station and wait for the sag wagon.  My knees hurt, I was hungry, I was tired, my hips were sore, even my arms were tight.  But the thought of seeing a DNF by my name and having to come home and tell you all that I quit was terrible.  I resolved to walk/run the last 6miles and cross the finish line with out being a quitter.  I've never quit a race before and I wasn't going to start now. 

If you saw my last post, you know that I didn't quit.  I finished with a smile on my face (mostly because it was OVER!) and grabbed my medal and headed off in search of food.

It's hard to finish something when you have an overwhelming urge to give up.  But being able to push through, grit your teeth and gut it out is something to be proud of, in my opinion.  So while I'm not thrilled with my time, I'm happy that I stuck with it and finished marathon #4.  I'll have a more detailed race report soon - you know, in case you like that sort of detailed account type of thing.  :)