Jacksonville Marathon

Kevin and I went to Florida this past weekend for the Jacksonville Marathon.  We flew out on Friday night, and then returned Sunday.  Kevin did fantastic in his race!  His final time was 2:53, which means that he qualified for Boston!  Our flight left about 5 hours after he finished.  He says the flight home was the worst part of the trip.  I made him run from one connecting flight to another in Atlanta.  (We were at different concourses, and our landing time was the same as our boarding time.  Kevin still says we could have made it without running.)  This made his side hurt for a few hours.  I feel bad about it, but I get way to anxious when I travel, and I was doing so much for him that I was needing control over something for me.

The race was very organized, and it was pretty easy to get around.  I was able to see him 5 times during the race.  The cops were all very nice to the spectators, helped with directions, and just told us to park in the grass to see the runners.  It was so strange though, because they didn't close the roads, so there were still a few cars in the neighborhoods.  (The busier roads had lanes closed.)  Even though it was hot and humid, a decent portion of the race was in the shade.  (Not enough, but a lot.)  I was always too nervous to get pictures when he was running, so I only ended up with a few.  For those who have not waited to see your marathoner run by, and know how he is doing on time/pacing, it is anxiety-inducing.  My mom has only been the one at the finish line with me, and I am pretty much a wreck.  This race ended in a stadium, around a high school track.  As soon as I saw Kevin enter I just yelled his name.  Then I started screaming him on.  (He heard me!)  When he finished I was in tears I was so proud of him.  This is is 3rd marathon, and he has been training for this specific marathon for about 10 months.  No late-night weekends, long runs on Saturdays, running when the kids go to bed, all of it is unreal.  Not to mention that Kevin took a UMR class this semester that had an intense workload.

It is surreal now that it is all over.  Afterwards, he took an ice bath, a long hot shower, and then I had to get him in the car to get food and to the airport.  We got home, got kids, put them to bed, and he returned to work the next day.  It doesn't feel like anything is different.  It went by so fast, and so different from his previous marathons, which were both in St. Louis.  But he did it, and his family is extremely proud of him, even if he is acting like a runner about it.  (Which means, he is rethinking the race constantly, thinking about what he could have done to shave time off here and there.)  This means he is not really satisfied, and is frustrating to me.  He did so much work, took about 20 minutes off his 1st marathon time, easily qualified for Boston, and still is disappointed in himself.  I learned years ago that it would be this way, but for a wife it is perplexing, and a let down.  The kids and I want to celebrate and be happy, and we miss out on that with him.  But he knows we are proud, and that we love him, and that we will support him again.  Just don't run a marathon for a year or so.  (Please?)

A lot of the race looked like this, through neighborhoods.  In the very back is Kevin, I think. 

Only a person who ran 26 miles can sleep comfortably like this.