The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. I have run this event for 8 out of the last 9 years, either running the 5k or the half marathon. This time, it was game on, all the way. My first Full Marathon. 26.2 miles. When I finished my first half marathon back in 2010, I said there was no way that I was going to run a full marathon… but this year, I ate those words.

Expo and packet pickup:
Held in the atrium of Lambeau Field, runners, family and friends have the chance to experience at least a small part of the great football history in Green Bay. This year I opted to not jump into line right away when they opened at 3pm, instead I wandered the expo to do a little shopping. Everyone else was heading to packet pick up so it was nice to shop early, without the crowds. I have noticed that, over the years this expo has gotten smaller. There is not quite as many vendors as there used to be, but it is still a nice expo for the size. Packet Pick-up is up on the 3rd level and as you take the escalators up, if you look quick, you can actually catch a glimpse inside the stadium to the field! Getting your packet is usually pretty quick and easy, as they have things very well organized. think I was in and out in 15 minutes, only because I stopped to talk to a friend of mine for 10 minutes! :)

When race day arrived, we were blessed with some beautiful spring rain showers. Thankfully, it was still warm enough that I didn’t have to worry about making any changes to what I was wearing, just added the windbreaker to wear at the start.

The Atrium at Lambeau Field was full of activity with runners getting themselves ready to run and groups gathering for photos before the start. Usually most of this activity takes place outside on the plaza, but with the pouring rain, everyone gathered inside. We also were waiting for the official announcement to see if we would actually be starting on time! Don’t worry tho! I was not alone! I had several friends that were running the marathon relay, so they were all hanging out inside with us! We had some laughs, shared some photos and helped motivate each other!

Finally it was time to face the rain and head to the start corrals! Running in a rain poncho is not really my idea of of fun, but when you have 26.2 miles in front of you, getting wet before you even start is usually not the best option. Thank You Cellcom for giving away rain ponchos at the expo… and thanks to the new friend I made that morning that gave me her extra one… since I left mine at home on the kitchen counter!

I decided to join up with the 5:30 pace group for the start of the race. I knew that they were running at the same run/walk interval that I had been training at, but I wasn’t completely sure how their planned pace was going to work for me. I knew that I needed to make sure I kept this as my race and my pace if I was going to prevail.

Before I knew it, I was at mile 8.5, which was aid station #1 for me! My family was hanging out at a friend's house waiting for me to run by. This also was my first personal aid station! I had packed a cooler with refills on my Tailwind, Honey Stinger Waffles, chews and Kwik Trip Pickles! I never know what I am going to want to be hungry for when I run, so I decided I’d rather be over prepared! A quick stop to refill my Tailwind and grab a bag of pickles and I was off! I'd see the boys again just past the halfway point.

Now I could sit here and go into all the details of the 26.2 miles from the start line to the finish, but that’s not what we are here for… and that could be enough to write a book. There are some key things that I will forever cherish about my first marathon.

Every so often I would see John and Darrin along the course and was excited to see that our friends Holly and Caitlyn had joined the party. I had my own personal buffet on a lawn chair each time that I saw them, but usually only needed a refill of my tailwind. I did have snacks tucked into the pockets on my tank, so I was set on food!

I went into this race with two goals. 1. To finish on my own two feet 2. Finish in under 6 hours. I made a promise to myself that I was going to run my race and taper back my pace when and if I needed to. Today, that was about mile 16. I let the pace group travel on ahead without me, as I changed up my intervals a bit. I still had quite a few miles to go and needed to make sure I could finish.

Somewhere between miles 16 and 17 I met Carol. Carol was also running her first marathon… and had decided that it was going to be her last. She was going to finish, but this was a one and done, check it off the bucket list and move on. We shared a few laughs about ice, and places to stuff it during a race and then proceeded to cover the remaining 8 miles together. We kept each other moving forward, motivating each other to reach that goal of finishing in under 6 hours.

When we heard the 6 hour pace group a few blocks behind us, we tried to pick up the pace a bit, but between my blister and her legs, we could only do so much. We ran when we could, but did end up walking a good portion of the second half of the course. But we kept moving forward. finally, the inevitable happened. At mile 24.5, the 6 hour pace group caught up to us. But they didn’t just pass us up and move on. Paul, who was leading that group commented that he heard that we wanted to finish in under 6 hours. He was going to make sure we got there. He wasn’t going to leave us behind.

Run a minute, walk a minute. That was the current plan of attack.

I walked, I ran, I pushed forward.

One of the fun parts of being a slow marathoner for this race is that when you are running through the stadium, there are only a handful of runners there with you. You can just get lost in yourself and soak in the moment, as you run through legendary Lambeau Field. It also means that you can get some pretty sweet race pictures from the photographers since you are not surrounded my tons of other runners! (which I still need to order!)

Finishing this race 6 hours after the start means a quiet finish line area. Most spectators are gone, the crowd of runners is diminished, so you can savor that finish for yourself!

Paul and the rest of his crew were also right on our tails! There were high 5’s all around as we had to stop quick for a group photo at the finish line. I say quick photo because none of us wanted to stand still for too long, the legs were stiffening up quick… and we still had to get our medals and then walk to find our cars… wherever they were parked!

The jury is still out on if I will run another marathon. Don’t get me wrong, the experience was amazing, but part of me really enjoys the trails. There is nothing that beats running through the trees, pounding the mud and dirt instead of the pavement. No matter what, I have no intention of slowing down!

Overall, I enjoy this race because it is so close to home for me (the start line is less than 5 miles from my house) but after running this event for 8 years, and now completing the trifecta of medals from the series they did over the last 3 years, I think this MIGHT have been my last Cellcom Marathon. There are other races that have been on my bucket list that need to be explored! But overall, I love this race, I love the environment and I love the people that I have met because of it!

You can catch my complete recap with photos here: http://crazyhamster.run/2017/05/one-of-the-toughest-things-i-ever-did-cellcom-marathon-recap.html