I dug deep – and I pulled out a marathon that I didn’t even know I had inside me.
How deep did I dig, you ask?
I slammed through 26.2 miles in 4:22:38 – a full 32 minutes faster than my first marathon and 13 minutes faster than I hoped to run this race. Smashing my goal of 10:35/mile pace, I pulled out a 10:02 pace for the race. This was my 30th race and BY FAR the best one I’ve ever run – I ran hard, I ran smart, and I totally surprised myself!
It wasn’t easy! In fact, it was the hardest race of my life.
Started like all the other races! I woke up at 4:25 AM, drank two coffees, and ate PB toast.
Then, DadHTP, the Husband, and Nicole piled into our car and we began the 2-hour journey to Greenville, South Carolina. I sat in the back and set up a “hydration station.”
I drank a Gatorade on the way to the race, ate a banana, and I ate a Clif bar. I also drank two waters. I did NOT feel like eating 800+ calories before 7:00 AM but I knew it would benefit me during the race. If you want to run fast, you better fuel up!
We arrived in Greenville a little later than I would’ve liked, so I booked it to the baseball stadium (the starting line).
Luckily, we had enough time to grab my bib, go to the bathroom, and say hello to a group of bloggers + readers who were also running the race! There was also a 5K (which Nicole ran) and a Half Marathon going on.
Jen was also running the marathon, but we didn’t run together because she is much faster than me!
Before I knew it, it was time to line up at the start. This race was smaller and SO different than the Disney Marathon. Although Disney had its benefits (more aid stations, better spectator support), I loved Spinx SO much more. It was more personable, less of a hassle, and more relaxed.
Elvis did the 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… GO countdown! And then we were off.
It felt so strange to be doing a race by myself. I can’t even tell you the last major race that I did alone (probably a Half Marathon in late 2008?). But I really WANTED to do this marathon alone. I wanted to see what I was capable of when I was dictating when to run and how fast and when to take walking breaks.
The first few miles flew by! I was using Nicole’s Garmin because mine died on the way to Greenville, and I didn’t realize she didn’t have AutoLap on (which automatically tells you the pace each mile. But I did the math in my head each mile was pacing 9:10 – 9:50 per mile.
I was feeling GOOD!
The course was beautiful for the first Half. We went through a lovely park and along a Greenway with a rubberized (and therefore knee-friendly) sidewalk. I was smiling SO big by Mile 6.0 as I realized that I WAS RUNNING A FREAKING MARATHON. I was so, so, so happy and grateful as I remembered that I doubted for a long time that I’d ever be able to run a marathon, and then that I doubted I’ve ever run a second one.
The course looped back on itself around Mile 7.0 and I got to run by Jen, which was awesome!
I also started to fuel early into the race. I took a Gu at Mile 4.0, Mile 9.0, Mile 16.0, and Mile 22.0. I had carefully reviewed the course map and knew that aid stations were spaced 2 – 3 miles apart, so I carried my own water bottle and would fill it with three paper cups worth of Gatorade or water at each station. I have no idea how much Gatorade I drank, but I never got hungry.
The other way I ran a smart race was I really focused on running the tangents to run the shortest legal distance (I ended up only running an extra 0.1 mile, which is NOTHING for a marathon). Fueling right + running right = an awesome marathon!
And although the spectators weren’t amazing in numbers, the people who were there had such fun signs! They made me laugh with messages like, “Only 5 more miles until yummy nom noms” and “Chuck Norris never ran a marathon.” And this one, of course!
Don’t worry – I didn’t! 
At Mile 12.5, I came up a top of a hill and saw Nicole waiting for me! I was SOOO excited to see her. We ran together for another half a mile and then I saw my Dad and the Husband!
I was feeling SOOOO good! I screamed to the Husband, “I’m on pace to run a 2:07 Half Marathon!” And he yelled back, “I’ve been Twittering from CaitlinHTP this whole time!” Only when I got back to the car did I find out he was tweeting stuff like this (and everyone thought that I was tweeting while running!):
It’s like he was reading my mind!
At Mile 16, I realized that I could hit the lap button manually as I passed each mile marker. So from this point out, I have mile splits. I ran Mile 1 – 15 in 2:27:44, which is an average pace of 9:47.
The excitement of running the marathon began to wear off around Mile 16. I was definitely beginning to feel the distance and began to take walking breaks. I have written many times before about how much I LOVE walking breaks, and I am happy to report that I used the walk/run method throughout the second half of the marathon! I walked every mile, and for the last four miles, I walked every half mile. I walked during Mile 25 about 4 times and still had awesome times. Walking RULES. I also took a few stretching breaks to do downward dogs.
- Mile 16: 9:59
- Mile 17: 10:06 <—my first 10:00+ mile
- Mile 18: 9:51
- Mile 19: 9:35
- Mile 20: 10:18
I was so excited to see Mile 20 – the furthest I ran this training – that I stopped to take a picture of the mile marker!
Also, around this time, I came up alongside the 4:15 pace leader. He said he was a little behind his goal pace, but I could barely believe that I was even TALKING TO the 4:15 pacer. I told him, “I NEVER though I’d see you!” I did some math and quickly realized that I might be able to run a 4:20 marathon. I began to FREAK OUT. I was so excited that I was doing so well!
But then… I hit Mile 23.
Mile 23 was the death march during the Disney Marathon. During that race, my pace shot up because I literally could not do anything but shuffle. It was an excruciating mile. When I passed the Mile 23 marker during this race, I became so scared. I really was waiting to get hit by exhaustion. I knew I was pushing my pace and really feared that I would crash and burn. I put on Eminem’s “Til I Collapse” and walked/ran my way to glory.
- Mile 23: 10:51
- Mile 24: 10:31
- Mile 25: 10:13
Also, side note: I had to stare at this guy for Mile 23 – 25. I wanted to kill him. I felt like he was mocking me. 
At Mile 25, I really started to get ITCHY!!! I knew the marathon was almost over, and I really wanted it to end ASAP. That’s when I saw Nicole’s smiling face again!
Nicole was SO awesome and ran Mile 26 with me! I really needed her there, too. I couldn’t hold a conversation (I really felt like death) but I reached over and squeezed her arm to say, “Thank you. I cannot talk but I am so glad you are here!”
- Mile 26: 10:38
- Mile 26 – 0.2: 1:55
Nicole said goodbye as I entered the stadium for my victory lap. I began to cry the minute I hit the field and literally openly sobbed as I crossed the finish line. I had big tears running down my face. I was exhausted, my legs hurt, and I was so proud of myself.
Pain is temporary, pride is forever.
When I looked down and saw my time – 4:22:38 – I was FLOORED. I never, ever thought I had a sub 4:30 marathon in me. But I’ve spent the last three months training right, eating well, and doing lots of yoga. Three cheers for what another 10 months of healthy, happy living does for a girl – it knocked 32 minutes off my marathon personal record!
The cruel irony was that I had to climb the stadium stairs after running 26.2 miles – and it hurt.
Jen also ran an awesome marathon, and Nicole kicked butt on the 5K! Check out their blogs for recaps.
I stumbled over to the food display and grabbed some Pumpkin Bread (obviously).
And after sitting down for a few minutes, we piled into the car and headed for my personal version of heaven – Whole Foods hot bar.
I piled my plate with 1.5 pounds of macaroni and cheese, tofu, sweet potato casserole, black beans and rice, and veggies. I also had a coke.
I pulled on my compression socks (which really do work) and we drove home! When I arrived, I pulled out the blender and made a protein smoothie (2 cups spinach, 1 cup almond breeze, 2 tablespoons protein, flax, and a banana).
There is MUCH more refueling in my future.
This race was a wonderfully amazing race. I don’t think I’ve set a PR in over a year (at least), and it was absolutely glorious to do it on the biggest, baddest race distance I’ll ever tackle – the marathon!
Thank you SO much for your support!!!
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{ 327 comments… read them below or add one }
CONGRATS !! that is an AWESOME time !!
and I *LOVE* that Elvis was there… <3
26.2 in 262 minutes! Your awesome!
That is especially awesome!
OH MY WORD AMAZING.
No way! I never noticed that – neat!
Congrats on an amazing race!!! I’m so stoked for you
http://www.bishella.blogspot.com
Incredible!! Congrats Caitlin! What an amazing feeling!!
Yay! Congratulations! You’re AWESOME!!!
congrats on a great marathon!! this is an awesome recap, i am impressed you are capable of even posting this today:-)
Awesome!!! Super excited for you smashing that PR!! Way to go Caitlin!
YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR!!! So proud of you – wish I’d been there to cheer you on!
xoxo
AMAZING JOB!! Seriously- way to smash your expectations! You are so strong and should be so proud of yourself!!
wow!! YOu did so well!!! So proud!! Good job. Really, good job. I so would have wanted to throw a rock at that guy during the race too!! I bet he was just within your reach during the whole thing!
Again, congrats, girl. You SOOOOO deserve it!
congratulations! you are my inspiration!
Sooooooooooooooooo proud of you!!
Caitlin I am so, so, so proud of you and happy for you. This is amazing and makes me excited to run my own marathon (next YEAR)! Happy you decided to run this one, it was perfect for you. And I need to see if my Whole Foods has sweet potato casserole now, that is my favorite dish!
Congrats! It was great to meet you and the other gals briefly! …the restroom was calling our names!
We wanted to prevent that whole pants popping thing. And yes, that was def my favorite sign of the day!
What a great recap and incredible time! So happy for you and you looked great in the pics! Fun to follow your training and see a really happy ending. I ran 9.3 miles today and hate the stairs when I get home. It was my longest distance and I thought about you running a marathon at the same time. Hope you will be resting your legs tonight! Such a great accomplishment. Congrats!
Congrats on running a 15K!
Such an amazing feeling to PR by so much and totally surprise yourself!! Really happy for you
I have tears in my eyes!!! That is so amazing Caitlin, you ran practically even splits!!! If I run what you do next weekend at NY, I will be so happy. That was so inspirational and absolutely amazing. So so proud of you!
Awesome race recap! I’ll read this before my half in a few weeks. I’ve trained hard, I’m running fast, and just because my training run hurt today, doesn’t mean I can’t kick ass during my race.
I’m also a fan of run/walk. I ran a marathon using that method a few years ago.
Congratulations!!!! You are truly an amazing and inspiring woman!
I’m embarking upon my first marathon on January 30th. I just read your recap and even though I don’t know you, I’m smiling from ear to ear with pride for you! That is an amazing accomplishment and just goes to show how hard work and dedication pays off! I’m going to keep reading this whenever I have my doubts about my own race! You rock! =D
I just teared up reading that because I can tell how happy you are. You did amazing! I hope the rest of the weekend is filled with relaxation and good eats. And PRIDE!
congrats girl!!!! i was thinking of you this AM and am SO happy to read how WELL and STRONG you did- thats freaking fantastic! be so proud of yourself, get lots of rest and fuel up!!!!!
Wow! Congrats on an awesome race!
You are such an inspiration!
WELL DONE!!!
That was AMAZING and so INSPIRATIONAL! Yet another medal to add to your amazing collection! 
That is a really awesome time, so CONGRATULATIONS again!!
You are awesome – and you inspire so many (including me)!!! Congratulations!
Congrats!!! So inspiring! Brought tears to my eyes!!
*sniff* You are AMAZING girl! I”m so incredibly proud of you! You inspire me so much! You constantly remind me of what we are all really capable of if we work hard and don’t give up! I heart you!
Get some rest!
Okay, I started to tear up reading this – congratulations! I was actually thinking about you today. I had a 10 mile training run for my first half and this was the first time I hit double digits. I have some friends running half today so I thought about you all running the spinx and my friends doing races around the country – it gave me such a boost!
Congrats on double digits!
Congratulations Caitlin! Thanks for sharing your journey to Marathon #2! Awesome!
Congratulations Caitlin, you are amazing!
Congrats!!!! You are amazing and so inspiring! Great race!
You ran a smart and very, very strong race! I thought of you this morning. Wishing you many more PRs :>
You are amazing!! CONGRATS!! =) XOXO
What an amazing recap! Congratulations on your new personal record. And thanks for the info on tangents, I read that article and didn’t know that until now- good tip
Awesome job. Reading this makes me excited about doing my second Marathon by training and fueling smarter than the first. I did a 5k this morning after doing a month of core training, something I lacked in Marathon training, and felt so good. Can’t wait to do my next Marathon next may!
Wow!! That is so great! I am so happy for you!!! Congratulations!
Super duper epic OMG marathon congratulations!!!! Way to go!
Holy crap speedy! Your recaps always make me cry.
So proud of you!!!
I enjoyed reading this so much! Congratulations! You are AWESOME!
Congratulations!!! A race well run!
Two weeks ago I ran a 4:22 as well… a 32 minute PR for me, too! It felt SO amazing to run the race I knew I had in me (or even better than I thought!). I’m so happy for you!
we’re marathon twins!
How wonderful! You did such a great job! And you kicked marathon ass and had a great time! Thanks for the motivation today
<3
Caitlin, you are so cute. Congratulations on running such an awesome race. You really inspire people like me!
I am so happy for you – what an exciting accomplishment! I saw some of your hubby’s tweets and for a bit I wondered if you were actually tweeting while running. LOL.
Congratulations Caitlin!!! It sounds like you had an amazing race and wait to go on smashing your marathon PR!!
Congratulations! Reading this has me so excited for my own upcoming marathon. You are inspiring!*
Great job Caitlin! I feel weird being so happy for someone I don’t know, but I truly am! I’m about to go for a run myself, and you are definitely inspiring me
.
Fantastic job Caitlin!! This is so inspiring!!
Good job!!! I thought about you today when I was waking up bright and early for my half marathon. Congrats on your awesome PR!!!
Congrats Caitlin You sound so happy in this recap, and I am happy for you!
You seriously improved so much, and it sounds like you ran a really smart race. That is the best feeling in the world — running a smart and a fast race!
Keep up the awesomeness!
Woohoo! Congrats to you on your awesome time and three cheers to feeling fabulous after your race. I would have needed a piggy back up those stadium stairs. You rock Caitlin!
Congratulations on an AMAZING race and an amazing day!! Now eat up and rest!
)
That is so amazing!!!
Wow! Congrats girl, for all your hard work. YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR!!!
Congrats and what an amazing accomplishment! You are so inspiring-I need to remember this post for when I need some motivation! Pamper yourself for the next few days-you totally deserve it!!
Congrats! I’m going to make sure to come back and read this again before my marathon next week
good luck on your marathon!
You rock!!!
AMAZING!! I cried reading the whole thing, what an accomplishment, and I can’t believe you knocked THAT much time off your PR!! Way to go!!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS! You did SO SO well and it’s so inspiring and amazing to see just how much your training paid off.
What an incredible outcome! You’re my idol
Hells yeah!!! Awesome job Caitlin!!!
I can’t believe they made you climb stairs afterward! What the heck?!
Congrats on the PR!! There is nothing better than a post-marathon high, and you earned every bit of it. I hope you’re not too sore tomorrow and recover quickly.
Uh-mazing. Shaving 32 minutes off your time is unbelievable!! Congrats Caitlin!!!!!
Bytheway, I had no clue it was your husband tweeting this morning. I thought you were just going wonky from the running
You rock, girl! Great job.
Congrats! That is amazing!
What a great race recap! Great job on your marathon. You are an inspiration to rookie runners like me. Thank you!!
Awesome run! Congrats!!! I am sooooo itching to run another marathon! Especially after reading this!
CONGRATULATIONS! I am so happy for you
Great job!
How did I miss the meet up?
I was looking forward to it!
Congrats on the fantastic marathon! I had similar half results. I smashed my goal by 12 minutes and was 26 seconds away from a sub 2! I had similar thoughts when I had to climb those stairs…torture! (I wrote a recap on my blog) I love setting PRs too! (I had it easy though. It was my first.) congrats on your amazing PR!
congrats on your race! sorry we missed each other
You are so awesome Caitlin! Congratulations on the great marathon
p.s. I totally teared up reading this.
Awesome! Congratulations on an awesome race! I ran my first half marathon today in Minneapolis and the weather and course were beautiful! Plus, automatic PR – yay! It looks like you had great weather too. Did you see a lot of runners in costume?
There were NO marathoners in costume so thank god I didnt run in one.
CONGRATS!! What an amazing accomplishment to run such a strong race with such a great attitude! I love love love reading your recaps (and, well everything else).
Wow! That’s wonderful! Good for you! You’re right – pain in temporary, pride is forever. You look so amazingly happy! CONGRATS!!!
Yay! Congrats girl!
AWESOME! I can’t believe you were able to get this amazing post out after this long and incredible day! I love the way you said “Three cheers for what another 10 months of healthy, happy living does for a girl “. It is a good reminder, and makes me a little sad, because I’ve been less than healthy of recent. Rock on girl!
It’s OK
You don’t have to be perfect to be healthy and the body rebounds ridiculously fast. Start making small changes = they add up!
Congratualtions! Of course you had it in you all along
I loved reading DadHTP and HubbyHTP’s tweets. They really sounded like you! Lol.
So…so… AWESOME!!! Congratulations!
Congratulations on an awesome marathon and finish, you are an inspiration!!
Congrats so proud of you! You totally rocked it! I can’t believe you had to climb stadium stairs after a marathon. That sounds killer!
You’re amazing. A real inspiration, not just for runners but for anyone who wants to achieve something.
And you look so good after running your marathon! All glowy and lovely! That’s pretty amazing too.
awesome marathon finish!
Congratulations on such a great race!! You really are a wonderful example of smart training, fueling, and actual race-day behavior (walking, stretching, etc). You’re SUCH an inspiration!!!!
Congratulations!! I’m doing my first marathon in January. You really kicked butt girl, such an inspiration.
Good luck on your upcoming marathon!
Congrats on the amazing marathon PR!
Congratulations! Your husband’s tweets made me laugh
You are truly an inspiration!
CONGRATS!! I loved reading your recap so much… gave me goose bumps!
What an amazing job! Loved the recap, I found myself getting teary-eyed reading your post. Congrats on such an awesome accomplishment!!
Aw I shed a little tear for you at the finish line part. Congrats!!!
Congratulations!!! I love your recap and am so happy for you. Seriously, the stadium stairs. I’m speechless.
You did amazing! Great job Caitlin! For a while I was wondering how the heck you were tweeting!
Keep on eating!
You’re amazing! Congrats! This is what the MC article should have talked about. You’re an inspiration to us all!
Incredible, congratulations! How do you manage to look so damn good after running for four hours straight?! In that photo of you holding your medal post-race, you look like you’d just been for a leisurely stroll in the park.
I washed my face in the bathroom
That always helps!
Congrats on a great race!! What a huge difference in your pace and pushing through mile 23 and then having negative splits the rest of the way? Awesome!! (Can’t believe they made you climb stairs though afterwards. Now that’s brutal!)
Enjoy and celebrate your awesome accomplishment!!
Awesome recap!! I am so excited that everything went well and your time was better than you expected!! This really makes me want to run another marathon soon!
Woooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for you!!
yay you!!!
Yahoo! You did it Caitlin.. Congrats!!!!!!!
Woohoooo! Congratulations! You make me want to run a marathon!
Congrats Caitlin! Way to kick ass!!
Katie,
I’m so proud of you, I think the best is yet to come.
Love you,
John
Wow, great recap, Caitlin! What a wonderful experience! Congrats!!!!!
Congratulations Caitlin! You deserve every ounce of happiness you’re feeling right now and you inspire me every day!
You are amazing! congratulations
Congrats on your run!
Amazing!!! Congratulations, Caitlin! You’re a total rockstar and a huge inspiration.
Congratulations!! So proud of your accomplishment today, keep eating and drinking!
CONGRAS Caitlin!!!! thats awesome. reading this brought back tears! so proud of you!
I practically teard up reading this- way to go girl!!!
Congratulation!! You are so awesome! I PR’d today at the Wicked 10K and it’s a great feeling.
You totally smashed it!! Congratulations!
You’re an inspiration, I’m looking to hit 4:30 for my second marathon too. Hope you recover well.
Congratulations!! Taking 32 minutes off your time is beyond incredible!!
It makes so much more sense now that I know your husband was tweeting for you. I wondered how you were pulling that off!
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You seriously rock. XOXOXO
wow! congrats reading your re-cap brang tears to my eyes..you have totally inspired me. way to go girl!!!
Congratulations on your awesome finish. The recap made me cry!
great recap!
way to go! you did so great! I am sure I will cry when I do my full in january. I was thinking of you and Jen when I was running my half mary this morning!
You did incredible!
Congrats on a job amazingly done!
Congrats!! You did an awesome job. I hope you are relaxing and then may be treat yourself to a massage soon!
I noticed your hydration set up on the way to the race. Did you drink all of that? I hate to ask, but did you have to go to the bathroom alot?
During my 1/2 earlier this month, I felt like I had to go to the bathroom.all.the.time. I did manage to drink plenty of water before the race. I don’t know if it was nerves or what. I think maybe because I did not hydrate well before the race, I did not do as well as I hoped. Then again I really did not have anything to compare it to!
Again, congrats!!!
I drank it all in the car and went to the bathroom twice during the 2 hour drive. Then I peed again before the start. I felt the need to pee about four times during the marathon but I really didn’t want to sit or squat down in a potty.
So I held it. You could always just pee yourself… I hear that’s what the really fast people do 
You are a rockstar! A deep digging rockstar
I KNEW you had a 4:30 marathon in you and look at you blowing all our expectations out of the water! So proud of you and so happy for you. You are amazing
PS: Your hubs tweets were killing me this morning! LOL
You completely kicked that marathon’s tushy!! So many congrats, you totally earned it!!!!
wow. you’re just incredible…no words, honestly.
I used to run…and I confess, I teared up a lot reading this…my body is suffering from a lot of stuff, and walking is a painful thing to do now. I couldn’t jog 20 seconds if I tried with vigor. So, now I just accept that its no longer a thing for me. At all.
You are just…wow.
AWESOME! Congratulations!!! You totally rock, girl, and should be so very proud.
AWESOME!! way to prove that fueling and training right work!! Congrats!
I ran the Spinx 5K today…at 7.5 months pregnant! I totally understand the rush of emotion at the entrance to the stadium even though I had gone a MUCH shorter distance
Celebrating with you!
i’m pretty sure I saw you at one point! i was like dang get it girl!
Ha! I saw at least 2 other pregnant 5K runners…I may have been the only one in costume though
. Congrats on your race!!
congrats on the 5k and your baby
those stairs were really not fun! but you are a MACHINE and you did so good!! Congrats!
I wish I could’ve been at the meetup before the race, but i was thinking about you after mine ended! :]
CONGRATULATIONS CAITLIN!! You go girl- literally
P.S. Did you see anyone in costume?
nope!
CONGRATS girl!! you are amazing and SO inspiring!!
Congrats Caitlin!! You did an amazing job!
This inspires me to do a race someday!
I know there’s already a million comments, but I have to leave one too and say I am very proud of you! You are an inspiration, Caitlin!
I’m so proud!!! I told you, you had this in you! YAY!!!!! GO CAITLIN!!!! Now, I want to run another marathon… good thing I signed up for that one in December. Also, I want to run a marathon with you please. Just let me know when and where and I’ll be there.
Congrats!!! What a fantastic job!
About fueling up – my dad, stepdad, and uncle all run and race and I asked their opinion on “prefueling,” even for marathons, and they all agreed that they might eat larger the day or two (or week) before but they don’t eat a highly caloric meal right before to “get them through,” just their normal meal. Is this a to-each-their-own kind of thing, or is there a specific reason you think prefueling is the best way to go?
I’m asking just because I’m still working out my own nutritional kinks regarding fueling myself for energy I expend etc and I’d love to hear all sides.
Again mazel tov on the fab marathon!!!
Well, part of the reason that I ate so much was:
Up at 420
Left at 515
Didn’t start until 8 AM
I woke up hungry, too. I think you just need to experiment with prefueling, but I also think you should eat as much as possible because you will need the calories during a half or full.
Girl you’re SO bad ass! Congrats and I’m glad you did not poop your pants
Congratulations Caitlin! so inspiring- I’ve just recovered from a injury and I’m finally out running again after completing my first half marathon in August (1hour 59 mins!) Watching your journey for this marathon has inspired me to find another race to train for again!
This is my goal for next year: http://www.thedual.co.nz/
If you ever make it to New Zealand make sure you come for this race!
like everyone said, congrats!! what a great race!
You are AWESOME! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Love your recap – brought tears to my eyes!! Congratulations!!
congratulations, caitlin! well done! you’re quite the inspiration
have a fantastic (hopefully restful!) weekend!
Congratulations! I’m SO proud of you and I can’t wait to someday run a marathon myself!
What an amazing accomplishment! You must be on such a high right now. Congrats!
I was actually reading some of your husbands tweets and wondering how the heck you were tweeting while running…
Caitlin! I am so proud of you! Way to go! Have a great rest of your weekend!
CONGRATULATIONS, CAITLIN!! I am so proud of you and feel so inspired reading your post. You are amazing. Job well done, sister.
YOU DID SO GREAT! Everything was going so well for you I knew you would rock it. You’re pumping me up for my race tomorrow.
Congrats again, you’re awesome!
Congrats on your marathon. You totally rocked it!
CONGRATULATIONS on your awesome marathon!
Heather and I were wondering how you were tweeting while running… guess it was the husband!
Awesome job Caitlin! I love reading your race recaps!
being proud of you is an understatement. you are such a frickin rock star. can’t wait to see that medal hanging up with the others!!
You are awesome. and, you know, epic.xoxo
Congrats Caitin! You are a machine girl! So so proud of you, you are such an inspiration
You are so amazing for going above and beyond what you thought you could. Have faith in you and you can do amazing things!!!
Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hehe, I love that “Don’t poop your pants” sign
Congrats! This is so inspiring. I’m running NYC next weekend and it’s my first, so I don’t really know what to expect, but reading your post made some of my nerves go away and made me really excited!
Wow. I’m so inspired! You are so right – I’ve been following your program, and all that healthy eating and yoga, and smart training has really really helped!! Congratulations, lovely. This is amazing. Such an achievement!!
Heidi xo
awesome! great job!!
Yes! Congratulations to you! Thanks for the awesome recap, too! I teared up as I read the ending. That is so awesome! I’m pumped for my 13.1 next Saturday. Whoo hoo!
Good luck for your upcoming half!
You are amazing!! Congratulations! I cannot wait to run my marathon!
WOW! So cool! Good for you!!! I am working toward running a 5K and can’t even imagine a marathon:)
Congrats Caitlin! You definitely earned it. You are a true inspiration!
Dang girl you killed it!!! Thanks for showing us all if you train right & you train smart, you do amazing amazing things.
WOOHOO!!
Awesome race report! Looks like you had a great race. Sometimes the smaller ones are less invigorating with the smaller crowds, but you get a more personal experience. Glad you rocked that race. You look pretty happy throughout the whole thing. Oh and it was so fun to have your hubby tweeting things along the way.
Congratulation Caitlin! I didn’t realize you were doing the Spinx RunFest. I wanted to do that race too, I grew up in Greenville. I had a few other friends doing it too. Isn’t greenville a cute city?
You put up a FANTASTIC time! Rock on girl. This is truly something that you should be proud of.
Yay!!! Congratulations! So happy for you…you rocked it.
I was so excited and energized thru the first parts of this post, I was so thrilled for you!!!!! and then you started to say that she met you at mile 26 and you reached your hand out because you couldn’t speak and you brought me to tears!!! You are a TRUE INSPIRATION every single day in my life…my life (esp. my eating habits) have done a total 360 because of you…I used to eat McD’s ALL the time and I now eat fresh raw veggies and almond butter ALL the time hahaha!!!!!!!! Thank you for being you and being such a shining star!!!!!! Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS on your new PR and one AWESOME marathon!!!!!
Yay for healthier eating habits!
AMAZING JOB! Congrats on such a great achievement!
Congrats on smashing your PR. I am so happy for you. You rocked the race!
Congratulations!! You did awesome!!
What a HUGE PR! Congratulations and be sure to celebrate!
WOW! Congratulations, I know you have worked ridiculously hard the last few months and deserve it 500%!!! I definitely was teary eyed reading this. Way to go!
Congrats on your super amazing marathon! That is awesome that you rocked the race! Whoo hoo!
Oh, and making you walking the stadium stairs after the race…just cruel!
Wow, wow, wow! Totally awesome! This was great recap and it sounds like a good race. You definitely rocked it
Congrats on the great race – sounds like you did an amazing job.
Way to go Caitlin!
CONGRATS!!!
What an inspiration you are!
I remember a year ago I never thought I could run more than 4 miles and than 5, eventually 6 and 7……..all the way up to 11 miles now……but I did it and someday I hope to run my 1st 1/2 marathon and full marathon just like you.
Thank you for motivating me to keep challenging myself, it is the best feeling in the world!
congratulations!! That’s amazing! It was so exciting to read your husbands tweeting as you during the race. WAY TO GO!
Great job! Your post is so inspiring!
I have been reading your blog for a while now and really enjoy it. Even though I don’t know you, I found myself anxiously awaiting your recap and reading twitter to see how things were going! Yay for you – congrats on such a fantastic race! I am feeling so motivated after reading your recaps (and also some of your long run posts)!! My last marathon was in 2005 and I am definitely getting the itch to run another!
Thanks for the inspiration
thank you so much!
I’m so happy for you Caitlin! SO SO HAPPY! Just enjoy and bask in your epic-ness!
Congratulations! That is totally awesome. I hope my second marathon will smash my first’s time as much as yours did!
Also, vain: I love the shirt you’re wearing in the race. It’s really hard to find long-sleeved v-neck running shirts! Where did you get it?
It’s a brooks shirt!
Amazing! I got teary reading about your stadium victory lap. Yay for you girl!
What an awesome accomplishment!! You must feel like you’re on cloud 9! Congratulations, Caitlin! You are an amazing woman!
you rock! CONGRATS!!!!
Way to go!! Enjoy every second of this achievement! You’re an inspiration!
Congrats girl!! You’re a rock star!! You really are an inspiration!!
congrats lady!!!!
What are the compression socks for, and where did you pick them up at?
They are http://www.recoverysock.com/ and yes they work!
I don’t understand the purpose? Is this supposed to keep your ankle swelling down after a race?
They reduce overall inflammation. Check out the website for more info!
Congratulations!! I am so inspired by your race and training that I want to run a marathon one day… But since I have only been running for a few months a 5k in December will have to do for now!!
You are such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your life!! And congrats again on the awesome marathon!!
Way to go Caitlin!!!!! I knew you had it in you;-) I was at my son’s district cross country meet this morning and kept checking twitter to see how you were doing! Interestingly, he finished 26th and qualified for state! 26 seems to be the runners number of choice today. Enjoy your post marathon high…even 3 weeks later I still find myself giggling every once in a while saying “I ran a freaking marathon!!” Hugs and congratulations to you!!!
Yay 26
a good number!
Well done Caitlin! That’s fantastic. I find your posts so motivating and it’s obviously rubbed off…. I ran my first half marathon here today in Auckland! Beautiful weather (it’s Spring in NZ) and a great run, including the harbour bridge. I kep saying to myself “Wow – I never thought I could do this!” – but obviously I could! Perhaps you should come over for next year’s Auckland Marathon?
Yay! I want to!
Loved following the tweets today, you are so inspiring Caitlin!! Congratulations on an amazing race!!
Caitlin, I don’t even know you and I am so proud of you! I ran my first ever race today and beat my PR by 5 minutes, so while I’m on a huge high right now, I can’t even imagine the pride you feel for what you’ve accomplished. Thank you for being an inspiration to women and girls that we are strong and can do more than we even know!
Congratulations! I was thinking of you today and wondering how your marathon went. I’m glad it was a success!
Way to go, Caitlin. I kept thinking about you all morning. You KILLED it!
CONGRATS!!! So glad that you were able to run your second marathon…AND kick its ass!
Wow you are AMAZING!!!!
Wow, you really busted out an AWESOME TIME. I’m so damn proud of you now, it’s insane! I’ve been watching you train, and you’re literally the first person I’ve watched train all the way from the first announcement (“I’m running a marathon!”) to the recap! I love this! You’re so amazing. CONGRATULATIONS!
I love the picture of you at the top of the stairs
I loved reading EVERY SENTENCE of this race report- what a well run race, and a fantastic result to prove it
AHHH!!! Congrats! So cool!
YOU GO GIRL! Great recap! What a great race! You deserve to celebrate!!
Wow! What an amazing job! You are EPIC! and INSPIRING!
Congratulations! What a huge accomplishment!
I was SO excited for you when I saw your race time on twitter! You rock, girl!
Totally awesome..by the time I finished reading this post I was all in tears..YOU DID IT!!!
Congrats, Caitlin! Loved your recap — way to beat your goal and you made me SUPER excited for my Philly Marathon
SO PROUD OF YOU I HAD TEARS IN MY EYES READING THIS!!!!!!! Best recap EVER. I think I say that every time, but I promise this time!
Also Chuck Norris never ran a marathon almost made me pee myself.
Caitlin, I am with Angela above, I cried reading this! I am so proud of you and I’m getting goose bumps and tears again as I type. You are SUCH an inspiration!!! I first got tears when you said the hubby was tweeting for you! That’s so awesome. so, so awesome!!!
Seriously you inspire me every day but this brings it to a whole other level! YAY! But honestly the wiked(yes I’m from New England!) quick Recap? unbelievable and very much enjoyed! haha
Hi Caitlin, you are an inspiration. I just got into running half-marathons and aiming to do my first full one next year. I know I’ll be rummaging around your archives for your other marathon experiences to get tips.
I am so HAPPY for you Caitlin! You are a running MACHINE! Way to go on taking off over a half an hour off your previous marathon time. I was thinking about you this morning as I knew you were running. And I was waiting patiently for your recap.
yyyyyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!
so so inspiring.
i want to start running someday!
i was also inspired by your lunch at whole food
I’m so proud of you!!! YOU. DID. AWESOME!!!
That is so incredibly awesome! I feel like words can’t adequately described how amazing you are. I feel a deep sense of pride even knowing you! (well at least I know OF you,
)
Nothing anyone can say can you bring you down from something like that. You went out there, you rocked it, and better yet you can continue on your healthy living journey. Way to go!
Yahoo! I was thinking about you today! You killed that marathon.
Question. What do you run with? iPhone to take pics + water bottle? I’m glad you take pictures along the way so we can live vicariously through you after!
GET SOME SLEEP!
point and shoot camera in my spibelt and water bottle in hand!
Yahoo! I was thinking about you today! You killed that marathon.
Question. What do you run with? iPhone to take pics + water bottle? I’m glad you take pictures along the way so we can live vicariously through you after!
GET SOME SLEEP!
you are EPIC!!
You are SO inspiring. I can’t wait for my run monday morning so I can kick some ass like you
xx
You are amazing and I think you are awesome! Congrats on your fantastic PR! You’re the best!
Congratulations! You are A-MAZ-ING!
Congratulations Caitlin!! You did so well!! Thank you for your inspiring post. In an hour I am leaving for a race myself, something totally different: 4k in fields through mud and water. I normally only run on roads, but thanks to your story I feel inspired to kick some serious butt there!
how was the 4k?
It was great! I had so much fun! I ended up all soaked and muddy. We had to run through fields and empty corn acres and cross about 8 ditches with water in them. Recap coming very soon on my blog, I am still waiting for pics.
I’m so proud of you Caitlin!!!!!!!! You are EPIC!!!!!!!
Congratulations on such an excellent race! Isn’t finishing on a ball field fun? (I did it for my last half and loved it.) You sort of make me want to do a full
That is so so cool! I know I told you in person last night, but you really did awesome! That recap made me emotional! I’m inspired
You. Are. Awesome! CONGRATULATIONS on an EPIC marathon!
You are, in one word, amazing. ROCK on! You’re such an inspiration.
YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Enjoy basking in your sub-4:30 glory and don’t forget the victory beer!
Congratulations Caitlin!! Amazing amazing. Way to go, you should be so proud and I hope you are celebrating big this Halloween weekend!!
I figured out around midway that you probably weren’t tweeting – I’m a bright one!
I had a very average (at best) training run for my half yesterday. I was doing my best to not get down on myself – but your recap set me straight. It’s hard to be discouraged with running when you look so happy doing it! Congrats!
I’m so proud of you, Caitlin!
not gonna lie i got a little teary-eyed reading this. you are AMAZING
I am SO proud of you! Your recap made me tear up!
Way to go! An awesome race and an awesome recap
Great Job Caitlin! I was so looking forward to your race recap and it didn’t disappoint…it brought TEARS to my eyes! Getting Stronger Every Day!!!
Congrats!!!! I love reading your recap!
Amazing and totally inspiring!
Congrats, Catlin!! I also like smaller races. It feels like there isn’t as much pressure, and I do much better that way.
Congrats Caitlin!!! You should be SO proud!!
I’m sitting here absolutely bawling … you are so impressive and such an inspiration. Congratulations!!
Congrats!! You did an awesome job! And that’s so cool that you came in under your time goal. It really was an amazing marathon, and it was great to meet you
Congratulations!! That is awesome!
Congrats! Enjoyed reading this! I was mentally rooting for you as I read, like I was there with ya.
Seriously amazing!!! Congratulations on pulling off an amazing race!
Congrats! Awesome recap
So happy for you! Really awesome job, Caitlin. You deserve it.
Congratulations! So happy for you! That’s an amazing time!
Great job Caitlin!!!!! Very inspiring
I’m so proud of you!
Congrats on your second marathon! You did a great job and your time is awesome.
Enjoy refueling!
Congrats on an awesome race!!!
So happy for you! You are amazing.
Hi there!
I came across your blog after googling (2010 Spinx Run Fest Photos). For starters, CONGRATS on beating your PR for the marathon! That’s awesome! I ran the half (my 2nd) and beat my time from my first (which I only ran 3 weeks ago) by 14 minutes!! I really like your blog and I will bookmark it and check back often.
Secondly, I saw your sidebar comment about a Marie Claire article and was curious so I clicked through to see what you were talking about. I am stunned. How dare they write such a scathing article! After browsing your blog, there is nothing unrealistic about your exercising/eating and you are most certainly not encouraging women to be unhealthy. Whatever you do, don’t take anything that article had to say to heart (I know, easier said than done). Keep on blogging!
This girl will definitely keep on reading!
Thanks,
Katie
katiemkey@gmail.com
Greenville, SC
thanks Katy
I appreciate the support. Did you run the marathon too?
I did not run the marathon, but I did run the half marathon! I plan on running the Rock N Roll New Orleans full marathon in February! Woot!
Congratulations on your race! You must be so proud!
Congrats on a great marathon. I live in Greenville SC and ran the 1/2 yesterday. So nice to hear how much you enjoyed our small city marathon.
congratulations! I usually never read on Sunday, but I had to check out how you did. So Happy for you!!!
Caitlin- this is unbelievably amazing! So impressive and inspirational! I want to run my first full next year- any tips?
I think Hal Hidgon has really good starter plans for novices, but tweak it according to what you know works for you. And do yoga!
Hal Higdon’s programs are fantastic! And for each distance, he offers novice, intermediate, and advanced programs.
Yes, yoga is awesome! Your body will thank you for it!
WOW!!!! AMAZING!!!! I am tired just reading your review of the race though haha
Caitlin – you should be SO PROUD of yourself! I am so amazed at how you tackled this marathon and even exceeded your goals! I’ve learned so much from you and your blog and you’ve challenged me to try things (running and non-running) that make me “nervous” but in the end create character : ) congrats!!!
Courage is the best thing you can have!
so true… it takes hard work though sometimes for me at least. great race
Congratulations! Great run and and race report!
This didn’t come through on my reader for some reason? Congrats! You soooo rocked it! Marathon recaps always choke me up!
Congrats on your PR marathon! I loved reading your update. Go Caitlin!
Congratulations! You are awesome : )
WOW!!! Way to go Caitlin!!! YOU ROCKED IT!!!
I had tears in my eyes reading your recap!!!
Soooo happy for you.
this is such an awesome recap!
i’m bookmarking it for inspiration when i don’t feel like going out for a measly 3 mile run.
congratulations!
you’re so strong!
what a great recap – bask in the glory today and enjoy it! congrats.
“Fueling right + running right = an awesome marathon!” – no better way to put that! SO SO happy for you, Caitlin! The hardest races are the ones we learn the most from – about running, but more about ourselves. All that speedwork + yoga + healthy eats did wonders
as did your dedication to endurance and pushing through! Congrats, girl!
congrats caitlin on an amazing race! you must be so, so proud. i loved your recap too!
What a wonderful race Caitlin- congrats!! You should be so very proud!!!
Congrats! You’re awesome and so inspiring
What a great race! I stumbled onto your site while looking for reviews of the race. I think we ran a few miles at the same pace until maybe the 18 mile mark or so. This was my first and, while it hurt, I finshed!
What a great recap! I seriously did think you were tweeting during your marathon. I’m kinda glad to hear you weren’t. LOL Congrats on beating your record!!
Congratulations Caitlin! I will be running my first half-marathon (ever) in 3 weeks. You are so inspiring! Great job!
Congratulation Caitlin, you did amazing.
you are so freaking awesome.
Congrats girl!!
Seriously. So. Inspiring.
When I got to the part where you were doing the victory lap, I cried right along with you!! Many congratulations, how amazing!
Congratulations CaitliN! Super proud of you hard work and dedication! You are stronger then what you think
Congratulations on finishing with a great time! Oh- I’m from Greenville and run on that trail all the time (The Swamp Rabbit) and there are unicyclists on it every time. It always irritates me, too (not sure why), but I laugh about it when I’m done!
What an AWESOME achievement! Well done Caitlin!
congrats caitlin!! that is so amazing!
Congratulations! You are an inspiration.
I’ve only run two 5ks, and cannot imagine ever running a marathon…but maybe I have one in me too, for one day.
So proud for you, you did great!
Ohmygosh, now you have ME crying! You are such an inspiration. AWESOME JOB!!!!!!!!!
amazing job Caitlin!!!!! CONGRATS!
Well done on this race! I’m so happy for you.
Isn’t it amazing what you can accomplish when you take care of your body?!
You’re kind of awesome.
Congratulations! What an amazing accomplishment. You make me feel much better about marathons that might possibly be in my future. hehe
Congratulations Caitlin!
Amazing how much you improved your time over your first marathon!
I loved following your progress through the husband on twitter.
LOVE this recap
I’ve read it a few times and am just so excited for you! Congrats!!!
I know I’m a little late in saying this but — CONGRATULATION!!
It was really fun tracking your progress through the hubby’s tweets on Saturday morning. It sounds like everything came together for you on race day and you had a great race!! Congrats on smashing your old PR — that’s amazing!! 
Hope you ride this marathon high for a long time!
I am super late, but oh my gosh!!! CONGRATS girlfriend! I knew you could do it! I am so proud lol and I’m just a blog reader. You must be on top of the world! You go girl!
Finally had the chance to read your race recap… YOU ROCK!!! Awesome finish & congrats on breaking your PR! Woohooo!!!!!
Just getting caught up on blogs from when I was away on vacation, and I just wanted to echo all the congrats!
This recap was great. I will likely never run a marathon and it was cool to experience this from someone else’s eyes.
Really great work!
I’m just NOW catching up on my blog reading – I am SO far behind! – and finally got to read your race recap. Can I just say how amazing I think you are?! You are incredible. I had tears in my eyes when you wrote about the tears in your eyes. I am SO happy that the marathon went so well for you. I was cheering for you from a distance while I was walking in the 3-Day for the Cure that weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the race tweets! I was definitely one those people that thought you were actually tweeting while you were running.
Congrats again! You’re so epically fabulous!
I’m so ridiculously behind on my blog reading but just had to comment and say that I found this post so awesome and inspiring, and it brought tears to my eyes!! I’m trying to get back into running and hope to be able to run a marathon one day. Reading this post helps to give me more hope that I will be able to do it.
Amazing! I just started reading your blog today and was dying to read your story about the marathon! Nice job!!! I ran my best marathon in exactly the same time as you. (Baystate in Lowell in 2006). I feel like you took the words right out of my mouth in your story about your race. I had such a similar experience and to boot, had to run a lap around a baseball stadium at the finish! I thought I was going to die when I ran into the stadium realizing I had to go around the entire thing. Thanks for the great story!!!
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