Hello! I ran the Revel Big Bear Marathon this weekend! I did a bunch of Instagram Stories on it – make sure you’re following @RunEatRepeat on IG for the updates!!

I hadn’t run a full marathon in a long time so I was stressed and unsure of how it would go. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to run well and get in a strong long run / marathon / mental exercise situation. And I think I did okay with all of those. I still have a very far way to go if I want to run faster, but I feel a lot more confident now! I’m confident I’m capable of running better and accomplishing hard goals. Now I just need to get specific with what those goals are and a plan to go after them. But today… I’m relaxing, eating and recapping my race…

Revel Marathon Big Bear Race Results – Top 10 Highlights

1. My 1 friend and only running buddy Skinny Runner aka @BarlesHambone came all the way from the north west tip of the USA to come run with me!!*

2. Steve biked all the way from Pasadena to Big Bear to watch me finish!!**

3. I saw Elise on the bus, Pam before the race and a lot of followers on the course and at the Finish!!Thank you for saying Hi!!!***

4. Team RunEatRepeat rocked the race!! The half marathon and marathon runners ran fast and strong! (If you want a discount for Revel Hawaii – check out my Race Discounts page)****

5. I wanted to give up at mile 20… and I didn’t.

6. I made 2 bathroom stops during the race. And I wasn’t quick about it.
7. It wasn’t as cold as I thought it was going to be at the start. But we were prepared with throw away gear, ponchos, beanies and hot hands.

8. I wanted to give up at mile 22… and I did – – kinda… but kept moving forward.*****

I felt exhausted and wanted it to be over. I told SR I was done and didn’t care if I did a sub-4 hour marathon after all. I just wanted it to be over. She kept pushing me and encouraging me to suck it up and keep going. At the time I was made at her. We argued like an old married couple. But I kept my voice down (well, it was quiet for me at least). She kept on me trying different ways to motivate me…

SR: ‘don’t you think everyone wants it to be over? that’s not just you…’
Me: (silent anger)
//
SR: ‘do it for the insta’
Me: NO. I don’t care, you know I don’t care about that.
//
SR: ‘we’re almost done…’
Me: I was done miles ago! I don’t want to do this.
//
SR: ‘make it a time you can be proud of’
Me: I’m proud of just doing this! I don’t care about my time.
//
SR: ‘c’mon! we can do this!!…’
(another runner hears her try to motivate me and chimes in… )
Me: (gives SR a look because I’m not happy that now strangers are bugging me when I clearly am not interested in being motivated and would like to call an uber or an ambulance)
SR: ‘we have 20 more minutes. I think you can be uncomfortable for 20 more minutes…’
Me: (thinking bad words) puts in my headphones and starts to run

9. I FINISHED!!
Finish time: 3:50:46! I just wanted a sub-4 hour. And I’m happy with this extra because I really never got in the zone. I felt kinda tired and crappy the whole time. I’m not sure if that’s because of the elevation, my fitness level, me still fighting off being sick or a combination of all of those. But the point is – I did it. I’m back. I can still run 26.2 miles. I’m not as out of marathon shape as I thought.

10. It was gorgeous!! It’s a great course! The views were amazing!

We were so high that it looked like we were above the clouds at some points. And the sunrise views on the mountains – it was so so gorgeous!

We ran on a 2 lane road from Big Bear to Redlands – it’s not somewhere runners can run safely. So it was very special and I’m very grateful that we got to run here and see the mountains in a way most don’t get to enjoy! I really loved it!

It was a great race and I really miss running with SR so it was extra awesome. And now that I think about it… I don’t know if I would have done it if she didn’t come out to run the full! So again, she is nice and I hope she decides living off the grid in Gnome, AK is not that fun and moves back to run with me all the time.

Next post – I’ll talk about food! We ate a bunch of good stuff!! It probably wasn’t the best fuel but it was good!

Oh – and make sure to follow me on Pinterest to find more race recaps & reviews, recipes, workouts and more!

I never talk about Pinterest and forget to mention it until someone contacts me from a Pin they saw and I think I should remind you to follow me there… so, um… that’s what I’m doing!

*Follow Run Eat Repeat’s Pinterest Boards Here*

Notes from my list:

*SR doesn’t live in Alaska, she lives in Washington but I think it’s basically the same thing. I don’t know map-ology.

**Steve was there because he’s a running coach and several of this Soul Runners team members ran the race.

***I forgot why I put an asterisk on this number.

****Yes, I’m working on getting a team discount code for the other Revel Races. I do have one for Hawaii – check on the Race Discounts page.

*****Now that the race is over… I’m super grateful SR pushed me. At the time I was Done. I wasn’t going to quit but I just wanted to walk the last few miles. I felt like crap. But obviously I was able to push through it because I did. If she wasn’t there encouraging me to keep running – I would have walked a lot more! So, yeah she was right that I had more to give.

Coming up: What I ate before the race… What I ate during the race… What I ate after the race! <- Let me know if you have any specific questions on this!