The Ogden Marathon-- The Good and The Bad!

The Good:
1. The course was absolutely beautiful

2. It was very well organized and staffed

3. Good weather

4. I finished it!!! (4:14:58)

5. Great family support

6. Made new friends

7. Medically staffed

The Bad:

1. Got a blister

2. Heart Break Hill mile 14

3. Sore muscles

4. Developed dehydration

The good and bad list sums it up, but I put some extra pictures on here for you to look at anyway while I tell my story. This is a picture of me at mile 13. Giving my family a thumbs up meaning I am doing great!

After mile 14 "Heart Break Hill" named after the Boston Marathon, and the hill at the end of mile 15 my quads were pretty shot. My right hamstring pain that developed around mile 5 went away at mile 8, but my left leg numbness was now going away and I could feel a blister on the bottom of my foot developing because of the cheap Walmart socks I was wearing because my good running socks got holes in them when I did my last long run. And for the very first time about mile 20 I got lightheaded. This picture above is at mile 23 when I am walking over to my family to get some Vaseline to put under my arms for chafing. They told me I looked white. I told them I felt like I was going to pass out. I felt like I needed to sit down to raise my feet above my head to make the feeling go away, but I knew if I stopped running I wouldn't be able to finish the race.

The best thing in the world then happened. Kaleena, my sister-in-law, ran the next few miles with me. Many times I told her that I was going to pass out and she just kept saying, "you're almost there!" or "just run to the next orange pole, then stop light." Then she said she could see the finish line. I couldn't see it anywhere, but I heard Josh on the side line saying, "Cheryl it's just 1/2 mile."

Running the final stretch. When I crossed the finished line at 4:14:58. A medic ran over to me and took me to the tent. I told her I was going to pass out. I laid on a cot and was covered with a blanket and Dr. Graham came over and checked me out. He said I was pretty orthostatic. My blood pressure was pretty low. After the recovery he talked to me and told me I had developed dehydration. I'm not sure how this happened because I stopped at every aid station for a drink. The only thing I can figure that I did different was that I drank water at the first 3 or 4 aid stations instead of Gatorade (because I thought I would get sick of the Gatorade).

Well, I tell ya, I learn something new every time I run a race. I'll just have to run the Ogden Marathon again next year!