*this post has been a few days in the making*
Well since I'm sitting in the airport trying to stay awake, I think now is a good a time as any to at least start this race wrap up. First off why does no one else look as broke down as I look/feel at the airport right now. Anyways...
So race day with Team In Training always starts with a super early wake up. In this case my first alarm was at 3:30. Since Zett was rooming with me I tried to not do the standard 5 snoozes. Stuff was laid out and I made the (really good) decision to carry the hand water bottle. Great idea.
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| Zett and I! Pre Race |
Went to race start and waited, and waited and waited. This is the weird uncontrollable thing about huge events and the part that sucks. But in the end waiting around for a few hours, peeing, meeting Zett's friends and family and considering peeing again made the time pass. Around the time our corral approached the start line I finally, truly started to panic. Actually it was when the corral before us started. Probably a new record for least amount of panic time at an endurance event.
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| Note Creepy Blake in the back |
And we're off! One tenth of a mile in my decision to not pee a second time seemed like a bad idea. So moments after starting we totally hit up the first port a super gross portapotty. Ugh.
Ok and we're off again! I have to say it was totally perfect weather for a marathon. Overcast and cloudy, I never used my sunglasses. It was also pretty cool and unlike anywhere in Texas, not humid. First couple of miles are usually where I completely feel craptacular and then it gets better. This time was no different and I got nice little side stitch thrown in there for good measure.
We managed to run up on Coach Christa which was a nice surprise. She was manning the marathoners hill at 21ish, which was pretty close to us halfers first couple of miles. Fun.
Then ugh it started to suck much faster than it usually does. The 3 in the 3:1 running plan felt like forever pretty early on so that got me a little worried. Zett, fueled by the awesome course and excitement of the day was going faster than usual and I couldn't keep up without sprinting to catch up. Luckily I did have a secret weapon.
The. Best.Music.Mix.Of.All.Time.
Seriously I may devote a separate post to my mix, but I totally outdid myself. It was a perfect representation of me, rock, hard rock, pop, dance and a little country. All shuffled randomly. Best one ever. Clearly.
Somehow by this point we were probably around 5 or 6 miles. Lillie popped up at some point, eventually power walking away (I'll never be able to keep up with that power walk). I was looking for Ginger Matt aka Dan at TNT to amuse me around 5.5 but I didn't see him. I also wanted to give him my heart rate strap since it decided to come off somewhere around mile 4. Ended up holding that the rest of the run.
Miles 6-10 were a blur. I think somewhere in there I lost Zett up in the crowd, which was cool because I knew she was feeling better than I was. The crowd, spectators energy was very much like going through the small towns during the MS150. Some of the signs were hilarious and blessedly distracting.
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| This is the best pic I have running. |
There were people with tequila shots, signs about beer, signs about mimosas....clearly I focused on a particular type of sign. There were also hills *cough* *cough* Christa who said it was mostly flat. No ma'am. It was like Oprah was there shouting
You get a hill and
You get a hill and
You get a hill! I mean they weren't heinous, but they were there. I also remember somewhere in there the relay transition area, which made me think for at least a half mile...
why didn't I sign up for that!?! Those people are so much smarter than me. I remember mile 8 because I'd been looking for that sign forever. It'd become my beacon of hope. 6.5 is only half way, but magic number 8 means something big. Like its almost over. Except for now, while I'm sitting and can add and subtract like a normal person...8 is 5 more freaking miles. But anyways.
Mile 9-ish/10. It's going downhill. It meaning life. We are in uncharted running territory and everything is starting to hurt. I'm really missing cycling at the point. Giving the side eye to every person on bike I see and really missing SAG stops. Seriously running, get with the program SAG stops are awesome. Devil went down to Georgia comes on ipod. This is my Tanya song. Crap.
For background purposes this is the ONLY song my friend and cycling coach Tanya could remember in Vegas last year. Like seriously she had two seasons to prepare. Nonetheless she sang it, complete with fiddle sounds, going up a particularly awful hill somewhere around Lake Mead on that ride.
So yea. Can't disappoint Tanya even though: my feet really hurt, running is clearly a stupid sport and all the people around me are insane. Insane I tell you. I keep running. I also repeat the song a few times. Ironically I pass a guy in LSU gear who is in the front of his house spraying runners with his sprinkler/waterhose set up. I did yell 'Go Tigers!'. Clearly this is also a sign.
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| This is the point where you remember why you're running. |
Somewhere around here is also LLS's mission mile. It is somewhere in Balboa park where we started so I a) knew the end was near-ish since we dont end in Balboa and b) was really touched by it. I did consider crying approximately 3 times during this run, and this was one of them. It kinda hit me there, around 2:45 in, that I was gonna finish this. I was gonna end this day really happy crossing this finish line. As much as I love TNT, I haven't done that before. And a Kanye superblock of music starting playing. I think my eff it surge is beginning...wait wait, j/k.
By this point my interval 3:1 strategy was out the window. I was still doing intervals because I refused to walk the rest and walking hurt more than running, but I knocked out a few 4:2's at the point. Also around Mile 11/12-ish a LLS coach started running with me. Clearly she knew I needed distraction because for some reason mile 12 was approximately 9 thousand times longer than any of the other miles that day. Approximately. We talked and ran for like what felt like 10 mins....but this mile still wasnt done (not that I run 10/miles in perfect conditions.) But she was great. Can't remember her name but she was from the Northern Cal chapter, had done several marathons and I think it was her 4th year coaching. She was great. I need to find her and send her a thank you note.
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| I'm sure I was thinking: Next marathon don't forget to pack capri running pants. #Packingfail |
On the flip side some nice things happened towards the end up mile 12-13.
-it was like ALL downhill. Praise the baby Jesi.
-I met two sisters who were super nice. One was on her second half, and the other one had done many more than her, and a full (which she said was stupid and she'd never do again) They were doing it in honor of their mother. They were really nice older ladies. And I thought about continuing to walk with them but I wanted this godforsaken race to be over. Plus the next song came on. Lose Yourself by Eminem. Sorry little old ladies I gotta go.
"You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime"
My eff it surge is happening. Anyone who knows me during this foolish endurance sport phase of my life should know two things. One. I love all Kanye West. Two. I just may love Lose Yourself more than that. It's my goto song to sing in particularly hard portions of races.
"Success is my only motherfucking option, failure's not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's lot
So here I go it's my shot.
Feet fail me not, this may be the only opportunity that I got"
Runkeeper splits for mile 13 - 10:52. Um, I'm pretty sure at my best in training I've run 12 min miles. This was the end. Next song: The Offspring - You're gonna go far kid. The universe is clearly now speaking to me.
"And now you’ll lead the way
Show the light of day
Nice work you did
You’re gonna go far, kid"
I'm almost at the end. We're in town. I'm seeing TNT people that I know. Right before I pass Dan and Katy on the sidelines cheering like crazy. My playlist shuffles switches to final song of my first half marathon.
"I gotta get through this
I gotta get through this
I gotta make it, gonna make, gonna make it through
Said I'm gonna get through this
I gotta get through this"
Gotta get thru this-Daniel Bedingfield. *drops mic*
I know everyone should want this mix.
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| Worst Picture of All Time, but whatever there's the finish line! |
Official time 3:31. (Whatever it was totally less than 3:30 if I take off that bathroom break!)
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| Team HurricaneHouston! |
Go Team.
And if you're feeling generous, donate to Team HurricaneHouston! 
