So, yes I completed the McDonald's Half Marathon. It was a great experience!! My official (clock) time was 1:59:50, my chip time was 1:59:02. If you remember, my goal was to come in under two hours...and ladies and gentlemen I did just that!! Considering I was running on a bum foot I did pretty damn well!! Go me, go me, go me!!!
The race wasn't as overwhelming as I anticipated. It wasn't easy but it definitely wasn't overwhelming. The night prior to the race my in laws cooked me a tasty spaghetti dish with whole wheat pasta and ground turkey (yummy). I was carb loading in preparation for the race. My husband also gifted me with a massage gift certificate and an edible fruits arrangement (nice gesture). When I got home I made sure all of my gear was at the ready, shoes (check), bib (check), hat, gloves (check)...I was ready!! I woke up race morning, ate my standard oatmeal, drank a little water and waited for my ride. I carpooled with three other ladies to the race because parking was horrendous. It worked out well because one of the ladies worked downtown and we could use her parking pass and chill out in her building until it was time to race.
As we made our way from the building to the starting line I started to get a little anxious. I wasn't confident that I would meet my time goal, especially with a sore foot. I immediately started to amp myself up, I turned up my Ipod and got focused. At the starting line I was blasting "Monster" by Kanye West because dammit I was going to be a monster and devour that race!! The four of us ladies are standing there as they begin the countdown to start the run. Shirts start flying everywhere from people getting rid of their cold weather attire. Swish, we all take off running. Two in the front, two in the back, blocking out all the thousands of people around. Mile 1, Mile 2, Mile 3...uh oh...my foot is causing pain that is shooting up through my right leg. I slow down but keep it moving. One of the carpoolers whom I was running with tries to stay with me but decides to catch up with the two ladies in the front. Cool with me, she was talking too much anyway. One of the coaches from the training team spots me in my lime green 1/2 marathon singlet and runs about 1.5 miles with me. Just what I needed. He took me over the hill and I would see him again at the home stretch.
Mile 4, 5, 6, 7,8, wait a minute the pain has shifted to the other leg. Can a girl get some reprieve here?!?!?! I guess not. I'm still running through the pain. My carpooling ladies are no longer in my sight, but that's okay. My pace is steady, there are plenty of people yelling out supportive words and plenty of funny signs. One sign read "You are so getting laid tonight" and another "If your nipples aren't bleeding you aren't running hard enough". Hilarious!! At this point I'm thinking I've already gone this far, you can do this, you can do this!!
Mile 9, Mile 10...now I'm thinking why did I sign up for this. The pain has subsided in both legs but now I was getting kind of bored and my music just wasn't helping me any. Then a running angel started to run next to me. He only said a few words then took off but those words rejuvenated that fire to run. I got back in my groove and next thing I knew I was on mile 12. The coach showed up again at about mile 12.5. The clock was in sight, so I knew I was almost there. Once again, doubt started to settle in. I just wasn't sure if I could meet my time goal as I watched the clock tick away. I glanced down from the clock and a few feet ahead of me was a little old lady in a pink running outfit. I thought to myself, there is no way this old lady is going to beat my time. So I made my move...I tripped her then hopped over her body...just kidding...I sprinted the rest of the race!!! I looked up as I crossed the finish line and read 1:59:50 and grabbed my participation medal (that medal broke that same day you know, so cheap)
My husband greeted me at the finish line, I grabbed a banana and some Powerade and took my happy, little, aching body home to rest. What a memorable day it was!
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