This one's leaking oil...

So, news just in, but the Flying Pig is way, WAY harder than Columbus. Parts of the race were really fun and parts of it were, well, hellish. :-) This is how today's marathon went down, at least for me...

Corral + Miles 1-2
In hopes of reaching my double-secret goal time (3:56), I have seeded myself in front of the 4-hour pace group and behind my Running Spot group. The gun goes off, and BOTH groups take off like bats out of hell. I decide I don't care and hang back, running a comfortable 9:24ish pace. Why does standing in the corral always make me have to pee???

Miles 3-4
I can't see my Running Spot teammates or the 4 hour group. I'm worrying about getting a sub four or even a four, so I pick it up to a 9 minute mile...feels ok.

Mile 5
Yay! I see my stepmom and a few friends and feel like a rockstar. The question then becomes, do I Gu early in anticipation of Gilbert or can I hold out till mile 6? I scrap all learnings from Columbus and down a Just Plain, hoping like hell it will give me a boost of energy. Some guy yells at me "You love hills!" which makes me laugh. :-)

Miles 6-8
Ah, here come the hills. While I definitely don't love them, I don't feel too bad today. Maybe because I ran them 100 times in training? We split from the half marathoners at mile 8.5 and I realize, there is no turning back now.

Mile 9
Oranges! I don't usually like ingesting solids on a run but I'm STARVING so I gobble one like a monkey. My face is a sticky mess from Gatorade, Gu, and now, citrus fruits. I am a sexy thang.

Miles 10-11
Welcome to Hyde Park. The crowd support here is AMAZING and I see three of my co-workers. Two of them are sober and one of them looks ready to pass out from drinking too much alcohol. Ha ha, it is 8:15 in the morning. Awesome.

I finally catch up with the four hour kids and although they are like a brick wall, I manage to get around them. I check my latest split and see that I have run an 8-minute mile. Crap, crap, crap. I'll pay for that later...

Mile 12
Now that I've caught the pace team, it's time to go to the bathroom. I score a Port a Potty with no wait! In fact, the guy coming out holds the door for me. And I thought chivalry was dead.

Mile 13-14
Sweet, sweet downhill then flat. Thank goodness. I peek at my half marathon time and I'm sitting at 1:58...I'm on pace for a sub four...

Miles 15-16
Hello Madisonville and Mariemont! I'm thrilled to be here, as these are my old stomping grounds - the place where I re-debuted as an outdoor runner just three years ago. I run past my friend BG's house and he's sitting on his porch, so I call out to him. He yells back "Are you running this thing?" I respond - "No". I guess that was kind of mean but really? What does it look like I'm doing? :-)

Next, I see my mom, who is beaming with pride and relief. She tells me later that she was expecting me to be in awful shape. Ha.

Mile 17
I'm fading. Fast. I hit the Wall like a Mack truck and pull a Hail Mary. Literally. I start to say the rosary in my head because I need something to take my mind off the damn race, at least until the next water stop.

But then the guy next to me burps so loud that, without thinking, I turn to him and say "8.8". We both start snickering and I feel a little better.

Mile 18
Onto Columbia Parkway. NOT terribly scenic but I get to take another Gu and remind myself that my dad is waiting for me at mile 21. Woot.

Miles 19-21
I see Coach Steve and my friend Megan up ahead, which motivates me to run faster. I catch up to them, excited, until Steve tells me they're shooting for a 4-hour finish. I sigh dejectedly and press on.

I pass the Fleet Feet booth (my dad's running team) and shit! No Dad. I feel like crying, even though I realize I'm acting like a 5-year old.

Mile 22
My friend Robert, who is running people in for the Spot, finds me and jumps in to help. I mention that I must look a mess, because people have been yelling my name + words of encouragement a heck of a lot more than they were in the previous miles. Robert replies "Yeah, you're a little red...". Doh.

Mile 23
Robert takes off (each coach has a specified area they have to stay in) but Coach Christine picks me up right away. She tells me I need to focus on my breathing then offers to get my water for me so I don't have to stop. Nice! We see Coach Ryan on the sidelines and Christine goes over to confer with him. They're coming to the end of "their" mile, but luckily, Coach Frankie is coming towards us. Ryan drops me with her and says quietly "This one's leaking oil". Oh boy.

Mile 24
I run with Frankie for a few minutes and she leaves me with words of encouragement - "You're almost there." I usually hate this phrase but today, I desperately want it to be true.

Mile 25
The crowd picks up again, hooray! I see a bunch of friends who ran the half marathon and am excited to hear them cheering. Ok, ok. I think I have one more mile left in me.

Mile 26
The finish line is just ahead and I discover that the faster I run, the faster I'll be done (duh). Go, baby, go!

The announcer calls my name and I smile because it means I'm finally FINISHED. My friend Jule and her dad are waiting for me after the timing mat and I hug them, forgetting that I must smell like Body Glide and other nastyness. We try to have a conversation but I'm not making any sense and also, I want to vomit, so I wander into the finishers' area to collect my medal and some fluids.

After the Gatorade, I make my way to the Running Spot tent and find Anne, Laura, Maren, Chris, and Virginia waiting for me. They help me onto Serpentine Wall and eventually, my mom and dad find us. I am a happy camper. :-)

Official finish time? 3:56:48, roughly a 9:03 pace. Not sure how, but I beat my Columbus time! Cheers to that.