Go! St. Louis Marathon Race Report...

So, I ran a marathon a few weeks ago!  I had high hopes to really train and set a PR, but I ended up really slacking off in the long run department instead.  I spent my time studying and running with Kya instead of running long runs.  Guess what I learned?  Long runs are an essential part of running a marathon.

We arrived to St. Louis on Friday night and met up with some friends.  On Saturday, we made our way to the St. Louis Zoo!  We had not been to the zoo since 2004, so we were thrilled to be able to spend the beautiful day walking around.

The giraffes are always a favorite at the zoo!

We spent some time with Ken's parents and then with our friend Nolan.  Soon enough, it was time to go to sleep for the marathon!

Ready to roll!

I woke up on Sunday and was ready to head out the door.  I walked a few blocks to the race start, lined up in my coral, and was ready to head out.  I met a sweet lady named Sheila, that was running her first marathon.  She was very nervous and called me an angel.  She could not wrap her head around me being so calm, but I tried to explain to her that after jumping into the Ohio River, running a marathon did not scare me at all.  

The cutest thing she did was point to her headphones and tell me she was listening to Christian Rock.  If you know me at all, you know that I listen to dirty rap music when I run, which is quite the opposite from Christian Rock!

We took off and I knew it was going to be a long day.  I managed a 9:09 pace for the first half, but my legs felt like bloody stumps at mile 14.  The best moment of the day was around mile 15-16 when I saw an aid station with Stag Beer.  I stopped at got a picture for Ken.  

Ken  used to drink Stag back in college and let's just say that his taste in beer has evolved since then.  The guy passing it out called it Steak, Taters, and Gravy in a can.  Yeah, it is that bad.  

The last several miles were a sufferfest.  I vowed never to run a marathon without training again.  I crossed the finish line in 4:34, which is 17 minutes faster than my first marathon, which I trained for.  It is funny how  your body adapts over time.

After the race, I cleaned up and Ken and I headed out for a drink.  We had heard of Urban Chestnut, a brewery in St. Louis, and wanted to try it out.  We enjoyed a few drinks and then started our drive home.

Enjoying a beer and celebrating marathon #10!

Enjoying the Spring day with my #1 fan

We had a great little get away to St. Louis and cannot wait for our next little trip!