Revenge is.... sweet!

Revenge is a dish best served cold.  True.  But it's also sweet, so it must be kinda like my post-race chocolate shake. 

I don't really feel like hashing out every step of the 26.2 miles that I ran this morning.  I ran.  I ran fast.  It hurt.  I'll skim through the highlights:

*Race:  IMS Arizona Marathon, Buckeye to Glendale, AZ.
*The race was extremely well organized.  It's small size probably contributes to the flawless logistics.  I hopped on the shuttle bus which took us from the finish to the start line, arriving at 6 am.  They had a warm, indoor holding location for us so we didn't stand outside freezing.  (And I didn't have to pay extra for this!!) 
*Relatively promptly, the RD made a few announcements, a beautiful young girl sang the National Anthem, and at 7:04 am we were off and running.
*The course was flat, but very nice.  I'm not big on flat.  But we wound through some rural countryside for a short time and then through many beautiful neighborhoods in the west valley. 
*My goal was to hold 8 minute miles or faster through mile 20.  I made it through 18 at that pace and then began the inevitable slide.  But I felt decent.  I didn't let my head get in the way of my running.
*At mile 24, my husband popped out of the brush to run with me the last 2 miles.  It was so nice to have him there to distract me from the pain.  He had biked from our house to the finish line to meet me.  His encouraging words helped in a desperate moment. 
*I finished crossing the line in 3:32:28ish (waiting on official timing, but this was my Garmin time).

I didn't tell more than a handful of people (my husband, my PT, a friend who guessed what I was getting revenge at...) that I was running this race.  (In my defense, it was posted the entire time on my blog's event timeline...)  Mostly, I didn't want to disappoint anyone besides myself if things didn't go as planned.  And I had no idea how the race was going to pan out.  After a disappointing performance at PF Chang's RNR AZ Marathon, I wasn't in the mood to talk about racing, I didn't want any well wishes.  Not because I don't like well wishes, but because I didn't want any more pressure than that which I was already putting on myself. 

I am happy that the race is over.  I'm beyond ecstatic that I achieved my secondary goal.  (Primary goal was sub 3:30, secondary goal was to BQ with > 5 minute cushion, tertiary goal was BQ.)  It kinda feels surreal.  I had thought about this for so long, and sometimes I wonder if that's what gets me in trouble.  I had already planned on going back to Boston in 2013, I took for granted the amount of work that it takes to get there.  I won't make that mistake again.

I'm trying not to hold a grudge against RNR AZ.  As my husband pointed out, each time I've raced it and dropped out, I've come back within 8 weeks to have a PR performance.  I can't be upset about that.  And it's true.  But I did feel like I had some revenge to take out on today's race.  And I exacted that revenge with the precision of a sniper. 

I would like to take a moment (since this is my space to do what I choose) to thank a couple of people.  My husband is relentlessly positive and has undying faith in me, even when I don't believe in myself.  I have spent six weeks questioning if I would ever run a BQ time again.  He has never wavered.  Even when I kissed him goodbye this morning, through his sleepy haze he mumbled something about seeing me between 3:25-3:35. 

And secondly, my physical therapist at Endurance Rehabilitation.  He was worked on me weekly for over a year.  I was not born to be an athlete, but with his help I am strong and have learned about injury prevention.  About 3 weeks after RNR AZ, I popped the question.... so, you think I could try another marathon in 2 weeks?  At that point, I'd not run more than 13 miles for a long run, and hadn't attempted anything involving a hill.  He assured me that I could.  I know I could not do what I do, time and time again, without his help.  So thank you, Nate and Endurance Rehab, for keeping me running.  Literally. 

So now I will sit on pins and needles for the next 7 months until I know for sure that my time was fast enough to secure me a spot in Boston.  Based on this years times, I should be OK.... but I won't assume that I am.  I hope and pray that I will be on the start line in Hopkinton in April 2013.  And this time around, I will run it like it deserves to be run.  All out.