TOOT TOOT (that's my own horn)

We did it.

My super cool mum and I completed our first MARATHON.


Friday morning:
9am: Dropped the kids off to school and preschool.  Hugged them extra tight and realised how much I'd miss them.
9.30am: Mini panic attack as I finished packing. Can I actually complete this monstrous task?  Phil talks me down from my panic ledge.
10am.  Folks arrive.  I hand out tags I made for us to motivate us.  My personal favourite?

 The rest of the day is filled with travel, eating and talking.  We find our little rental house in the small 'town' of Granity.  We discover it is sandwiched between the railway and the state highway.  We lay out our gear and try to act casual.

Saturday.
5.30am: The day officially begins.  I've slept well despite the train coming through a few times and two nightmares - both about being late.  You'd think I would be okay about being late to life's events by now as I'm one of those people who can't seem to be on time no matter how hard I try. It's such a part of our life that the other day Taryn and I had a conversation that went like this:
"Are we late for school mum?"  
"No, Taryn we're early today." 
"What's early mean mum?"

Wow.  Obviously we haven't been early for anything up until this point.

5.45am:  I'm excited.  I scoff down my breakfast and bounce around cheerfully.  Mums nerves are so bad that she can barely get her toast down.

6.45am:  Dad gets us to the bus on time.  Notice he is proudly wearing his badge that I made him.

On the bus we talk with some lovely people and eavesdrop onto other conversations.  Some Americans were in the process of doing a marathon on every continent.  That includes Antarctica. Crazy bastards. 

The bus drives for a looooong way before it drops us off.

We fill in the time while in the portaloo line by chatting to another Ashburton woman, Alison. She tells us that she will be starting the run very slowly.  Turns out that when the race starts her 'slow start' isn't too slow at all and we lose sight of her almost immediately.
Half an hour later I reach the most disgusting portaloo that I've ever been in before.

We spend the rest of the time before the race chatting, taking photos and checking out other runners.  173 of us in all shapes and sizes. Jesus was there too.  Well, a man dressed like Jesus.  Robe, beard and sandals.  He ran a marathon in sandals.  

8.30am:  We're off.
9.30am:  I've lost mum but I've started running with an awesome American lass called Andy.  We chat for ages and discuss how we've both been sick recently.  She tells me that she had a parasite (she lives in Bangladesh now).  I'm now thankful that mine was just a virus.

Taken from my phone while running.  

Andy and I.

9.45am: Still running but starting to feel nauseous and like I've got cold chills.
10.15am: I lose Andy so I start my music.
11.00am:  Still running.  But now I feel pretty rubbish.  I let myself walk up some hills.  I decide not to beat myself up for walking a bit.
12.15pm:  Still going.
12.30pm: I realise that if I keep at this pace I can finish in 4 hours 30.  I big gust of cold wind hits me and I immediately start walking.  I decide that 4.30 doesn't matter, as long as I finish.
1pm:  Still running.  The end is close.
1.10pm:  FINISHED!!! 42.2 kilometers!!!  I finished strong and I'm cheered in by friends, strangers and my dad. Then I immediately started to waver.  I couldn't catch my breath.  First aid come to my rescue and take me to their tent.  I started to get the chills and couldn't stop shivering.  They cover me in blankets but my teeth are still chattering and my shivers are out of control.  Friends come in to visit.  I tell them that I'm looking forward to a rum.  First Aid lady helps me to a seat so I can watch mum come in.  I turn my head for a second and miss her crossing the line.  She finished in 5 hours 7 minutes.  I'm so proud of her.  Dad's there with her and so are is Chrissy the lovely St Johns lady as she helps mum get her asthma under control.  Phil phones and I can't speak to him because I'm shivering too much so mum takes over the phone call.

When the St Johns crew allow me to leave we head for the showers.  Everything hurts.  The shower stings as the salt washes over the abrasions I've gained.   But I'm laughing and so is mum.  We did it.  And we decide NEVER to do it again.

The next day on the car ride home we discuss when we'll run our next marathon.  Turns out that NEVER, might just be Not for a few years.

After run reward.

I'm still taking donations for the Neurological Foundation.  
Please help me reach my target of $1000.
You can donate here.

Thank you SO much to all who have donated so far, especially Smitheram & Frew who donated $300.