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Posted 19 September 2006 - 04:37 PM
Saturday night:
I was up later than I planned to b/c my mom flew into town and suddenly didn’t feel too well. She said she was getting a UTI and had experienced it earlier in the year so she knew what she had. Luckily my BIL is a doctor and could prescribe meds but he needed to know the med name and dosage info. We called her pharmacy back in TX and they had a record of what she had taken so BIL was able to call in her prescription. It was 7:30 PM and I rushed to finish dinner so we could get her meds. By the time we finished getting her meds, picked up cranberry juice and filled up the car with gas, it was almost 9 PM. DH gave the boys a bath while I was away and I finished our bedtime routine with them. I still had dishes to do and stuff to get ready for the race. We decided to take the SUV instead of the minivan b/c we needed to fit 8 people and the minivan only seats 7. I asked DH to put the carseats in the SUV but he promised to do it in the morning. I didn’t think that was the best idea so I got the first seat in without problems but the second seat didn’t have a lap type of belt that goes across and I could not figure it out for the life of me at 12:30 AM how to get it done correctly. By the time I finished up with dishes and putting things away, it was 1:00 AM. I get to bed, DH woke up and we had a little argument w/ DH so I couldn’t sleep right away. I set my alarm on my cell phone and planned to wake up at 5:00 AM. DH asked me at the point if I was still going to run the race and I said that I normally don’t get much sleep the night before b/c of the anxiety and excitement.
Sunday:
6:38AM • Cell phone rings…I pick it up and my cousin’s fiancé, Mike, says in a calm voice, “Winnie, where are you?” I jump out of bed and realize OMG, I should be LEAVING now!!!!” The race starts at 7:45 AM so we had planned on leaving by 6:45 since it takes 30 mins on a good day to get into the city. I don’t really remember what I said at that point except that I apologized a million times and told him I just woke up! My cousin, cousin’s fiancé, and friend were all waiting in front of my house. I yelled to DH, the kids and my mom that we all have to get up and leave ASAP. I ran down to open the door and let everyone in and proceeded to tell them that they could go ahead without me but they insisted on waiting for all of us. The boys were angels and didn’t complain about being rushed out the door without breakfast. We had dressed them in their race clothes the night before so all they had to do was put on their socks and shoes. I proceeded to wash my face, brush my teeth, throw on clothes and I was thankful I had laid everything out before I went to bed or who knows what I would have worn. DH had to crack a joke which wasn’t very funny at the time and said, “This is like being late for a job interview!” I didn’t have time for my normal breakfast so I ate a mini bagel and some water. I grabbed some food for the kids and we were off to the car. I think I must have ran back and forth 10 times forgetting this and that.
7:05 AM • All 8 of us are packed in the car and on the road. I was hoping we would get there before the race started and I felt so bad for everyone who had to wait for all of us. Traffic was not bad and on the way, I was still out of sorts and my friend, May, who runs races with me said that when she didn’t see any lights on in the house, she thought something was strange because I am always waiting for her and NEVER late for a race. I munched on a bag of Jelly Belly Sport Beans (very yummy!) and drank some Gatorade hoping I would not get cramps from eating so close to race time.
7:40 AM • DH dropped the 3 of us (Me, May and Mike) near the start line and I was hoping I could remain calm for the remainder of the race. Mike started towards the front in Corral 4 because he runs about 7 min miles and May and I were in the back in Corral 15 since our only goal was to finish the race.
7:45 AM • Race begins and we have to walk for the first 10-12 mins to get to the start line. I talk to a woman next to me who is in her 50’s and is with Team in Training • the organization that raises money for Leukemia & Lymphoma research. She was planning to WALK 13.1 miles and had walked 4 marathons, the last being in Alaska which took her 7.5 hours. I was like WOW, I don’t think I’d have the patience to walk almost 8 hours…lol! She said the half marathons take her about 3.5 hours so I was really impressed!
Miles 1-4: The beginning took us through downtown streets and I could see the Elite runners making their way out of the city which was amazing since they run so FAST! Every once in awhile we’d smell trash which was just lovely you can imagine when you’re trying to breathe in and out properly. There were live bands, high school cheerleaders and strangers cheering along the route which was cool.
Miles 5-8: May and I kept the same pace together through the city but then I needed to go pee and saw the potties nearby around mile 5 around where the race started. I told May I need to go and told her to go on without me. I wasn’t sure if I would see more along the route and there weren’t any lines. I got into one and thought of you Rachel in AZ with your marathon sunglass story…lol!! I took EXTRA care of my sunglasses to make sure I didn’t drop mine. I got out and started running again. Eventually I met up with May again and we ran together until about mile 8 when I started to run faster than she did. I saw a man juggling a few balls while running which was interesting…I don’t have that much coordination I’m afraid. We also passed some farm areas which didn’t smell that great so that made me run faster. I saw some potties along the way but each one had lines formed so I was glad I stopped earlier in the race!
Miles 8-10: Don’t remember much except I was happy to have made it to 10 since 10.5 was the longest distance I have ever run.
Miles 10-12: Legs started to get tired but I was breathing okay. I just kept going and enjoying the scenery of the river and trees. I tried calling my mom on my cell phone while passing mile 11 but she didn’t answer so I called DH to tell him I was only 2 miles away. He said the children’s race was starting so he had to go.
Miles 12-13.1: Seemed like an eternity before I could finish. Strangers were all cheering that we were almost there. I had to take walking breaks along the way but about a quarter of a mile before the finish line, I sprinted as fast as I could and was thrilled to be done!
I got my medal and chip cut off from my shoe and waited to the side for May. She finished about 10 minutes later and we got some bananas, water and goody bag of Spenco slippers. Forgot to mention that I stopped at every water station to walk so I wouldn’t trip over the wet cups all over the ground. Being as clumsy as I am, I did not want to take any chances. We found everyone and Josh had fun running the children’s race. Christian got scared and had to be escorted along by a race volunteer. DH took video and pics. I’ll have to post them later.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far!
ETA: I forgot to also mention if you ever see a sports drink called Amino Vital, skip it. It tasted awful! They provided it during the race and it was nasty. It made Mike's stomach hurt. Water was much better tasting. I had thoughts of all of you in my head cheering me on so thanks again for the good luck wishes! They worked! My legs feel really sore today like I just did Gunnar's Core Secrets Bun Battle workout for the very first time...lol! They didn't hurt as much until now. Oh and I forgot also that Mike and May both saw guys taking a leak along the route in trees. One person even took a photo of their friend...great blackmail pic, eh? I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go!
This post has been edited by bblessed: 19 September 2006 - 05:30 PM
Posted 19 September 2006 - 09:53 PM
