I ran another marathon. It hurt a lot. The end.

Kidding…..There’s more to it than that.

I finished my 19th state. It was my 5th full marathon and the one I’ve struggled with the most.

I chose this race based on the recommendation of my sister. She brought it up at the finish of another race (Little Rock Marathon) which for some reason is the absolute best time to plan another race. You’re sitting around with some running buddies, fresh off of that runner’s high of accomplishing something pretty great, and you’re already jonesing for the next fix.

The race sounded perfect. It’s advertised as a fast downhill race in the picturesque Sandia Mountains. (Fun fact, sandia means watermelon in spanish. I love watermelon). I digress. So me and a friend signed up for the full marathon.

I arrived the afternoon before the race and went to the packet pickup. They had great swag bags which included a unique tank top and a trucker hat. It’s nice getting race gear that you will actually wear. I was really nervous about the race but seeing the beautiful area was a bit calming. It starts at around 10,000 feet and drops to around 5,000 feet by the time you’re done.

The next morning it was cool but not too cold. It was a small crowd of less than 300 full marathon runners. They had included gloves and a foil blanket in the swag bag which came in handy at the beginning. All of a sudden the race started. My buddy and I were the last to start as there wasn’t a countdown, the race just kind of began.

The first 4 miles were great, I was moving fast, enjoying the downhill and the beautiful scenery. Mile 5 was uphill so I took that at a slower pace. Around mile 7.5 I felt it. Blisters. Crap. I stopped and put on some bandaids to try to prevent the demise of my foot. I knew I needed help but they had advertised the first medical tent at mile 10 so I busted it to get to mile 10, figuring I could get patched up before they got too bad and keep on keeping on. I pulled up at the mile 10 table and asked for medical help and they informed me that they didn’t have any medical help now until mile 17. Tears literally pricked my eyes. I think the poor guy at the water stop could see the struggle on my face and he offered to run to a house and get bandaids but I just shook my head and sat down to look at my right foot. It was getting worse. I got back up and started running but that was the start of my demise. I don’t think I have ever felt sorrier for myself while running than I did between miles 10 and 11. At mile 11 a friend gave me some tape t wrap my toes and that helped some but it wasn’t padded enough for blisters. I slowed down a lot and started walking more than running. I finally made it to mile 17 and went to the medical tent but the damage had been done. They taped me up really well to prevent any further blisters but my big toe and my pinky toe were bloody and done at that point.

Alas, I don’t have a lot of quit in me so I kept going. It’s weird how in a marathon 9 miles can alternate from not sounding like that far to feeling like an unmanageable distance. To give you an idea of how much I faltered, it took me 1.5 hours to run the first 10 miles. It took me 4 hours to “run” the last 16.2. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Also, this downhill race had a surprising amount of uphills. It is probably the most hilly race that I can remember running.

There were some positives though. I got an otter pop at mile 22. You know those tube pops they give to kids in the summer? I swear it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. They also had water with crushed ice at the last few stops. Crushed ice is a gift at all times (shout out to QuikTrip, Sonic, and CFA!) but especially in the heat during a marathon.

I finally finished. I got to enjoy some chocolate milk and a Chick-fil-A sandwich and candy. I love candy. I also love chocolate milk and Chick-fil-A so I was very satisfied with my post race meal.

I got back to the hotel and assessed the damage. Lots of blisters on my right foot (9 total), chaffing all over my back and rib cage and a sunburn just for fun. The sunburn was my fault. I didn’t wear sunscreen because I didn’t think it would get that hot (it went from the 40s at start to the 80s at the finish). My legs, especially my hamstring, were pretty sore too. They stayed sore for almost a week.

The rest of the trip was nice though. I ate a lot of good food in Albuquerque. Lots of things with green chilies. I had some 26.2 brew beer (because why not) and we also took the tram up to a peak for some sightseeing.

Special shout out to our race support, Jordyn. She was amazing and supportive and I appreciate her so much more than I can express. She’s the one who hooked me up with toe wrap at mile 11 and clapped for us all along the way.

Next up? I’m doing two back to back half marathons in a couple of weeks in Maryland (Saturday) and Pennsylvania (Sunday). Really hoping the blisters stay away.