Chicago Marathon

It's been a few days. Things are sinking in. Trying to fall asleep Monday night was a challenge since my brain decided it wanted to replay the entire race while I tried to fall asleep. Looking back on the Chicago Marathon it was a day full of strange things, and definitely a story of two different races. Looking back and going over things I am not hanging my head in shame. There is no reason to. I did not fail even if my time doesn't reflect what I trained for or what I wanted. There are lots of positives thrown in with many things out of my control. So here we go...

Miles 1 - 14
The morning got off to an interesting start. At first there was nothing unusual. I got up and got dressed, ate a banana, and moved on to a bagel with peanut butter. Half way through the bagel the first oh crap moment of the day occurred. I started having huge waves of nausea. I would sit for minutes at a time just hoping that I could keep everything down. I knew that if I threw up everything was over. Somehow I made it down to where the Team was meeting still with 1/2 a bagel in my hand. I knew I needed to eat it, but every time I took a bite I felt like I was going to throw up. Everyone assured me it would be okay, it was just nerves. In my head I really hoped they were right, but I wondered if there wasn't something already wrong. I had never felt this way before any race before. I carried the bagel half way to the start, and ended up throwing it away. Eating it was just not worth the nausea I got with every bite.

It took forever to get to Charity Village South and the Team in Training tent. We were excited that they were doing a private bag check for us until we realized how far it was (an even bigger problem after the race). Still we had a chance to sit down for a bit before heading over to the start. Fortunately we found an opening into the corral, which was a little tricky to find, and 30 minutes after the gun went off Jaclyn, Betty, and I were heading over the starting line.

I really don't remember much of my surroundings during the race. I had to really focus on what was going on around me because it was so crowded. Jaclyn and I stayed together for the first 3 miles or so, until I had to stop for the first of 2 bathroom breaks. Things were not happy, and I was worried that I was sweating very heavily rather early in the race. For 30 seconds I wondered if I would be able to get through the whole race, and then I told my brain to shut up. I got myself back together and back on course as quickly as I could and just tried to keep things together. I started planning out how to handle nutrition and salt since it was getting warmer out. I decide to change from salt every 2 hours, to salt every hour, which after noticing that the alert system had gone up to yellow by mile 9 turned out to be a smart decision. I was drinking a lot of water, which worried me a bit, but I knew that taking some salt would help. By mile 7 I knew I needed to eat something despite the fact that my stomach still wasn't happy and I wasn't hungry. If I didn't eat something I knew I would be in trouble later, and managed to get 2 shot blocks down right before the next water stop (they had a really nice flag system that made finding gatorade and water really easy once you got it down). To be honest despite feeling kind of bad I knew I was running okay, which was the really weird part of it all. I'm happy with the first half.

splits:
mile 1: 9:48, mile 2: 9:41, mile 3: 10:02, mile 4: 15:34 (stupid line at the porti-potties), mile 5: 9:35, Mile 6: 9:57, mile 7: 10:07, mile 8: 9:35, mile 9: 10:14, mile 10: 10:01, mile 11: 10:01, mile 12: 9:53, mile 13: 9:38, mile 14: 8:46 (what the heck!)

miles 15 - 26.2
To be totally honest I don't really remember much of my surroundings during the second half of the race other than some of the neighborhoods we ran through towards the end of the 2nd half. I tried to stay focused on my form, and I was having to watch the road a lot (I had forgotten how chewed up the roads in the upper mid west get from the winter weather). Somewhere around mile 15 it got sunny, and it never stopped. The problem was that there was hardly any shade from this point to the end. The little bit of shade that did cover the road cause everyone to immediately try and get in it, which caused all sorts of congestion problems. It ended up being easier to stay in the sun. At some point the warning system went up to red because of the heat (at mile 24 there was a sign showing the temperature as 98 in the sun). I realized I was getting hot, and I knew that if I could get from water stop to water stop I would be okay. So instead of running 11 miles the rest of the race became 2 mile races from water stop to water stop. At some point I started taking walking breaks, and then at mile 22 my stomach just didn't want to go anymore. All I wanted to do was throw up. Fortunately, I ran into Fran one of our Georgia Team in Training coaches who walked with for a bit.

I got moving, but by the time I got to mile 23 I was crying. It was hot, I felt bad, and all I wanted to do was finish. I couldn't quit, I didn't want to. And then I ran into a Chicago Team in Training coach named Katrina. I will forever be grateful to her. She ran the next two miles with. She listened, and we talked. I told her about Mallory and Bruce and how both had to drop out before the race. I wanted to finish for them (more tears there). We started talking about why I got involved with Team in Training. She kept me talking, which was a great distraction.  At mile 25 we parted ways, and then I realized that once again that my stomach was my biggest enemy. And then I saw Bruce, Mallory, and my Mom. As much as I wanted to be running when I saw them, all I wanted at that moment was a hug. I think I scared the crap out of my Mom as I ran over. I was crying, and my stomach wanted to hurl, but I only had a mile. Bruce walked with me for a minute, got me settled, and off I went. The finish was right around the corner, just up the hill. I had finished countless training run up hills just like it, but I still ended up walking the top part. Half way up the hill a medic asked someone if they needed help. I didn't want any help if she was talking to me, and just ignored her. All I had to do was get around the corner and I was done. I don't remember speeding up. All I remember was a guy yelling Go Bonnie louder than I had heard all day followed by a very loud Go Team as I ran down the last 200 yards, and then I was at the finish line. I spent most of the finish shoot crying. It was huge, and took forever, followed by a very long walk to the TNT tent.

splits:
mile 15: 13:19, mile 16: 10:58, mile 17: 10:32, mile 18: 10:32, mile 19: 10:47, mile 20: 11:11, mile 21: 11:56, mile 22: 11:56, mile 23: 11:50, mile 24: 12:35, mile 25: 13:36, mile 26: 11:36, .2: 12:42

Somehow it's still a 2 minute PR. Not really happy with my PR time, but I'll take it

I think my Mom was really happy I finished after my mini meltdown. 

She got me flowers :-)

For the most part I really enjoy the race. It was very well organized, and the flag system at the water stops made following my nutrition plan really easy. And the cheering all along the course minus just a couple of hard to get to spots was great. There were a few things that were really annoying. There was absolutely no runner etique going on. People would come to a halt right in front of you, walk on the left side, and come darting across right in front of people. I can't tell you how many times I almost got knocked over by someone else. The road was crowded from the minute we crossed the start line to the minute I finished. I ran an extra .7 of a mile just getting around people. Once the alert system went up to yellow the misters came out. Now I generally don't mind misters as long as I can get around them. I don't like my feet getting wet, but these misters decided that everyone needed to get wet whether they wanted to or not. Sometimes they have a hose going across the entire street, or a couple of occasions I swear they aimed them right at me. Not cool! They ran out of sponges, so the volunteers at the kiddie pools there were using just started flinging water at people with their hands. It landed on our feet (again, not so cool).  At the first few bridges they had a carpet covering the metal grating to make it easier to run over. By the end of the race only a small part of the bridge was covered, and most of us had no choice but to carefully walk over the grating.

 this helped me feel loads better! :-)

Despite it all I'm pretty happy about the race. I finished, didn't get hurt, and ran what I think was a fairly smart race. Do I wish things could have gone differently? Yes, but they were out of my control, and I could only adapt to what was going on and do the best I could. I'm really looking forward to getting back to running and training again. Marathon number 5 is done!

2010 Peachtree Road Race

This year's race was a bit of a mix bag for me. Getting to the race was a blast. After getting up at 5 am and eating my sister, her friend who was visiting for the weekend, and I all jumped on MARTA to the start line. We got our picture taken a few times along the way, and then I started running into friends. First, my friend Renee who I had seen in ages. It was great to catch up with her. Then Rachel got my attention (I'm not sure how long she had been yelling. I got up at 5, I was little tired...), and then a whole mess of Team in Training friends!

Believe it or not I actually had a plan going into the race. I wanted to take advantage of the 1st 3 miles that were downhill. It would give me a chance to get warmed up without having to work too hard, and it I would have a good time base going into the hills. After that I could sprint to the finish. The best part was having friends and my coach from last fall on this part of the course. I stop for hugs!! ;-)

Splits: mile 1 9:09, mile 2 8:39, mile 3 8:36

Ah yes, the hills. The second half of the course is pretty much all uphill. Fortunately I've been running the hardest one at least once a week for the last several weeks, so I knew I could get up the darn thing. It's a two part hill that goes right in front of the hospital and has earned the name "Cardiac Hill" (not only because it's in front of the hospital, but there have also been several heart attacks). My parents were waiting to cheer me on at the flat part between the two inclines. I knew running up to them that I was starting to get into trouble

(not my favorite picture, but it gives you an idea of what's going on)

I got up to the waterstop at the top of the second incline and walked through it, drinking half the cup, and dumping the rest on my head. I knew I was starting to overheat, so I tried slowing down. I knew I had one more major hill to get up before things got a bit easier. For the better part of the next mile I had to run/walk. I didn't have a choice. I was too hot, and between waterstops. I was mad at myself for half a minute, and then the light bulb went on. I needed to focus on what was going on. I needed to cool down. It didn't mater how much time it took, I had to do it. After getting across the highway overpass the street is finally shaded for minute, and I was able to start running again, and make it to the next waterstop. I wasn't so worried about drinking water. I had a sports drink with me, and I was actually worried that I had been drinking too much. I took one sip, and then dumped the almost full cup over my head and the back of my neck. After that I started cruising. I kept telling myself it didn't mater about my pace. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. I don't know when things started to pick up. It was rather gradual. All I know is that I didn't feel like I was running. I felt like I was flying. I didn't feel rushed, or out of breathe. It was the most amazing feeling. I got to mile 5 and looked at my watch for the first time and couldn't believe it when I saw 48:00. I had 12 minutes left to match my time from last year. Heck I could do that. I hit 12th street, 2 blocks till the turn. Next thing I knew I was zooming pass Margaret Mitchell's house and turning onto 10th street. It was all downhill, and that's when the sprint started. Despite almost running straight into a lady who decided to walk across the street right in front of me I cruised home to the finish a full minute ahead of last year's PR in 58:15!

Splits: mile 4 10:10, mile 5 11:02, mile 6 8:32, .20 2:07 (a 7:16 pace!)

Sprinting to the finish

post race group shot

Looking back I wish I could have miles 4 and 5 back. I know I did the right thing, I just wish things had gone differently. I'm feeling much better about my training for Chicago. It's been hard doing runs this summer, and I've had to slow down a lot to deal with the heat and humidity. I spent the rest of the day with a headache and sneezing my head off before heading to the Braves game with my family. They lost, of course (they always seem to loose when I'm there), but there was an awesome post game concert by Yacht Rock Revue (they were also at the race finish area), and fireworks. So much fun singing along! Oh, and I had ice cream. That seemed to fix everything :-)

2010 ING Georgia Marathon

It's been a fun all ING Georgia weekend. It got started with a trip to the expo on Friday afternoon with my good friend who talked me into running marathons (honestly it's not hard when I'm running. I loose brain cells when I run), followed by another trip to the expo Saturday morning to help at the Team in Training table with one of my Nike mentees, and then the race. It's all ING Georgia, all the time :-).

look what I got at the expo!!!

I thought about the race all week. I've been getting faster. Would I be able to run my new pace for 13.1 miles? Would I finally get to the 2 hour mark? And then it occurred to me that a plan might be a good idea. This would be my third ING Georgia ( full in 2008, half in 2009). I know the course well. So, I decided that I would treat it like a Fartlek run. Beg your pardon, a what? See fartlek runs are awesome in my small opinion. Pick a distance, short or long, and pick up the pace, then relax once you've gotten to the object you've picked. Lots of people like to pick an object like a tree, telephone pole, etc. and run like the wind.

So, how did my little plan go? he he he, well it turned out to be more of a tempo run. I found my friend and fellow Team in Training Laura in our corral (it's the first year I've actually been able to find my corral!!). It was great having someone to run with! We settled into a nice 9:30ish pace, backing off a little on the uphills, and going with flow on the downhills. I have to say that I've never seen the early miles so full of people before. It was packed until the 1/2 seperated from the full, which is where Laura and I parted (she ran her first full!!). I was a little worried that I had gone out too fast, and thought about easing off a little, but once I started grabbing a water cup to toss over my head to keep from over heating I stared feeling much better. That and it started to move from a drizzle to rain, which didn't bother me one bit. I was glad to get rid of the humidity. In the back of my head a small voice was saying you need to take some salt and a few sports beans. By mile 10 I was cruising at a run time of 1:30 when I knew I needed salt in a bad way. So, I had to stop and walk for a minute to fish out a salt packet and crack open the sports beans (fruit punch is not my favorite now). I wish I had paid more attention. I know I lost important time for my poor planning, but it couldn't be helped. But once it all started to work into my system things got much better!! I finally made it to the finish in 2:05:13 (a PR by 6 minutes), just 5 minutes off my goal and an incredibly hilly course. I'm pretty happy about it since it's even faster than I ran the first 1/2 of my marathon last month. I guess all of those squats, lunges, sit ups, and push ups are working! I have a 5k in May and a 10k in July to work towards and training for Chicago officially starts for Team in Training in May. Why wait though? I want to keep working on my speed and keep getting stronger for Chicago, and use my shorter races as a way to see how things are going. If it's not broken why fix it right?! I feel like I'm moving in the right direction. I have some biomechanics to straighten out (left ankle it would be so nice if you stayed in line with my foot and knee!), but after a week of working on my form I'm already seeing results. On to Chicago!! Watch out, here I come!!

Tallahassee Marathon

I had a really awesome weekend while I was down in Tallahassee for the race. Friday night I got to see one of my best friends from college. As usual we ended up back at her house playing Wii golf with her husband and my sister. I'm a little rusty. The commentators for the game said I was having a "brain boo-boo" at one one point. If only they knew the half of it.

Turns out I had a pretty big "brain boo-boo" when it cam to packing my race gear. Saturday morning I got up to go for a short run and discovered I did not have my running capris for Sunday morning. Hmmm. My TNT staff coordinator is reading this and rolling her eyes. She sent my the packing list from Nike. I printed it out, and was checking things off. I still failed (head hanging in shame). I had plenty of shirts for the race, but not anything to wear on the lower half. Bit of a problem... Enter Sports Authority to save the day!!!! I found an awesome pair of Nike running tights to wear. I was worried I would end up being too warm, but I really, really liked them. Turns out it was a very happy accident. (I should also say that the Sports Authority saw my tweets on twitter about my trip and sent a kind note saying how glad they were that they could help and wished me luck on my race!)

Sunday morning got here fast. I went to bed early Saturday partly because I was tired, and partly because I wasn't feeling really well. In all honesty running the race may not have been the best decision, but it's what I decided to do. It was windy. Really windy and cold. The starting temperature was somewhere around 40 with a windchill of 34 (and in case you're wondering Tallahassee is in Florida...). I debated if I should wear a long sleeve shirt or not. In the ended I went with it. Another smart decision that I would appreciate later in the day. So, dressed, feed, and ready, my sister and I headed out to the start.

the start

Mile 1.2 I couldn't feel my fingers or toes

I had a lot of fun for the first 10 miles. I thought about friends, and honored heros from Team in Training. I made mental pictures of the course to help me on the way back to the finish. (2 favorites came back to back. The 2 ponds filled with red and green algae where I pretended the trash was really birds, and the retention pond and industrial buildings. It did look like much, but I really liked it). I meet some fun people along the way. A half marathoner in these cool plaid running shorts who was encouraging everyone after they made the turn around. After the half split I met Don. This was his 70 marathon. I started talking to him because he was wearing a 2008 San Francisco Marathon shirt. Since I had just finished Nike out there in October I thought we would have some things to talk about. It was fun having someone to chat with for while. He also suggested running on the dirt path/trail beside the bike path we were on so it would be easier on the joints. So, thinking about my friend Angela, I ran a couple of miles on the dirt trail, stepping over rocks and sticks, and thinking maybe running on the dirt wasn't so bad if all trail were like this one. At mile 10 I passed the first guy headed back to the start. I'm pretty sure he won the race because the next group I saw behind him was 2 miles back (and yes he looked like he could be from Kenya).

Things were going pretty well until I hit the turn around, and that's when it got really windy (I'm thinking at least 15 mph wind gust) and cold. Plus I haven't run more than 14 miles on a completely flat surface. My hips were not so happy. But I wasn't going to stop. Don caught back up to me and we chatted some more until I had to stop at mile 17 to get my water bottle refilled. I also started eating a few pretzels. This wasn't anything new. I've done it lots of times on Team in Training runs and been perfectly fine. I don't know if it was because I wasn't feeling really great, but my stomach did not like them. I was so hungry during the race (I eat more than I ever had even though I had to force it down at points), but my stomach was incredible unhappy. Mile 18 was probably the hardest of the race. I really wanted a Team in Training coach, but there wasn't one. I had to be my own coach. So, I thought about what my coaches would say. I thought about my friend Jim and I remembered the orange wristband he had given me (I also wore my Nike finisher necklace). Could I finish? Hell Yeah I could. That little wrist band got me the last 6 miles home. I just put one foot in front of the other. I started getting back to some of the mental pictures I made for myself earlier in the race. I started counting my foot steps. I tried to ignore the fact that my stomach was trying to revolt (the thought of throwing up might make me feel better crossed my mind) especially in the last 2 miles, and then I turned off the trail. The next thing I saw was the very top outline of the football stadium. I was sooo close. within 1.5 miles. Someone said there was no crying in marathoning. I yelled back that that wasn't true as I was forcing back tears. I was sooooooo close, and it hurt so much. By the time I made it to the track at mile 26 I was bawling. I hadn't been this emotional in a race in a long time. I had thought a flat race might be a good thing. I had no idea how hard it would prove to be. The weather was brutal. It reminded me of my very first marathon (2008 ING Georgia Marathon). I could see the finish. My sister was there yelling and cheering me on. I was bawling. I had nothing left. For the first time ever I did not sprint to the finish, but I finished!! And I PRed. My garmin Clyde (who happily beeped my mile splits, which actually really helped keep me focused) showed just over 4:50, with the race clock showing 4:57. Early in the race it looked like I might finish somewhere between 4:15 and 4:30. I'm actually really okay with my time. Sure it's not what I wanted, but something really awesome happened. I didn't let myself down mentally. I wasn't always positive, but I didn't let myself wallow in disappointment as time slipped away or my stomach failed me. I think considering how I felt on the course my time is pretty awesome.

almost there. bawling my eyes out

I made it!!!

I'm looking forward to my next race after I recover. Thanks goodness it's only a half marathon :). I loved the Dailymile Speirs challenge so much that I'm working out a plan to add more strength training into the mix. I don't have any regrets from the race, I wouldn't do anything differently. I'm quite proud that I ran 26.2 miles almost completely alone for most of the race (there was no cheering on the course outside of the waterstop volunteers). It makes me feel stronger. I don't feel like my marathon race times have caught up with my shorter races (although early on my splits we're awesome!), but that gives me something to keep working towards.

Atlanta Half recap or running for turkey!!

Ah revenge is sweet!! Take that lake Merced!! and the great highway too!!

As you might have guess I had a pretty awesome run this morning :). But I'm getting ahead of myself. I got a really good night's sleep Wednesday night, and jumped out of my bed when the alarm went off. It took me a minute to remember why I had set the thing for so early. Fortunately I had gotten everything ready the night before and all I had to do was eat my usually peanut butter and honey sandwich along with a shot of wheatgrass. Don't ask me why. I had a wheatgrass shot on Wednesday and spent most of the morning bouncing off the walls, so I thought it might be a good thing to have before the race. I also decided to wear my Nike finishers necklace (it says run like a girl!!) for the race this morning partly as a reminder of what had happened, and partly to show it who was boss.

It was freezing when I walked outside. I decided to keep my jacket on for the first part of the race instead of checking it since I was just wearing my TNT singlet, arm warmers, and gloves. It turned out to be a really good decision! I got to see a bunch of my TNT friends before the race, which always makes me happy, and we headed over to the starting area to figure out our corrals. I was in the green corral (yay, my favorite color!!), which in normal language meant I was in corral 3 and got to start right at 7:00! My friend Sally and I started off together and only seperated for a few minutes when I had to go play mentor :). But that also meant that we found Andy who joined us for the rest of the race. Honestly, it was a blast!! it felt like we were the three amigos running down Peachtree Road, and getting dirty looks from the people we were passing as we ran happily down the street. I had originally thought of trying to run in 2:00 hours, but decided early in the week that it would be more enjoyable to just run for fun. Whatever happened would happen. I just wanted a nice enjoyable long run. Holly cow!! I'm still really happy about it (the Starbucks girl said I must be on a runner's high if I was going to go home after running 13.1 and cook a turkey. Umm apparently she is right). We just ran and talked. We said high to other runners we knew, and ran into a couple of awesome TNT coaches. (seriously whoever the coach at mile 12 was you rock!!). We got cheered on by a couple of Nike teammates. And then the sprint downhill to the finish started. Um, yeah, so it wasn't sprinting all downhill. There was a hill in there too. Kind of knocked the wind out of me, so I slowed for just a bit, and then the finish line appeared, and the next gear kicked in. Oh finish line, I think I love you!! :) In the end it was an awesome run, and a new PR (2:11). Have I mentioned I'm still really happy about it :). My Mom and sister came out to cheer us on too! My sister made a couple of signs for me and had some fun with my camera:

Pretty awesome. I also like to run for pumpkin pie :).

All in all, I feel really great. I got tight, but nothing major bothered me. I'm ready to sign up for some more races now! Say something flat that might take place the first weekend in February in the capital city of Florida...

So, take that great highway & Lake Merced!! This girl is so ready to run more fabulous races!

The dogs really wanted a walk when I got home. They felt forgotten...

A better perspective

A week after the Nike Women's Marathon and I have a better perspective on things. I lost sight of things in my disappointment from the race. It's too easy to dwell on the negative, something I've done a little too much lately. Some good things:

1. I surpassed my fundraising goal and raised over $3064 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Add that to my 600 miles of training that's over $5 for every mile I ran while training or $117 for every mile of the race

2. The 4000 Team in Training participants raised $14 million just for this one race! Roughly $500,000 for every mile we ran

3. Two of my honored heroes are officially in remission!

4. I can run anytime I want for as far as I want. Many people can't say that. Many people are struggling to fight a disease that still has no cure. (one of my favorite signs on the course said "I run because I can")

5. I had a totally awesome weekend with some fabulous people who I can't wait to see again and even run with again! (some of us are doing a 1/2 marathon in a couple of weeks)

Did things fall apart at the end? yes, but it shouldn't define the experience. As one of my very smart friends said I finished, raised a bunch of money for LLS, and am better for it. Sometimes I feel like I dwell on the negative too much. It definitely happened on the back side of Lake Merced. I never questioned that I would finish. Mostly I was disappointed that my body would not do what I asked of it. I really want to do another full marathon, but am having trouble finding one close by that works with my schedule. I'm thinking sometime in the spring, but work already rules one out that I originally wanted to do (I'll probably still do the half).

official chip time 5:00:33 (that's me right in the middle)

It just wasn't my day

I survived!!! It maybe not be the best way to start a race recap, but after finishing on Sunday it truly was how I felt. It really was not my day, which was a huge let down considering how well the first half of the race started. It taken me a while to write this, which may turn out to be a good thing. It's given me sometime to reflect on what happened.

The weekend started out really well despite the really awful flight with AirTran. I'm sorry to say this about anything, but I would be perfectly happy to never fly AirTran ever again. It really was that bad. We made to San Francisco though, and got checked into the hotel with a wonderful view of the parking deck, and then headed over to the expo to pick up race numbers and have fun. It was the most confusing expo lay out ever. I ended up having to walk around the entire tent before finally figuring out where the race number pick up was, and then there wasn't anything to do in the tent after that. I really didn't needed the flavored oxygen, nor did I want to blend my own smoothie on a bike. So, I went over to Macy's to check out the official apparel, and get a little something for myself.

Saturday was fun, but I ended up walking a lot more than I wanted since Mom and I couldn't find a cable car that had room for us until we were almost to Fisherman's Wharf. One of my roommates from Florida State lives in San Francisco, so we got together to have lunch and hang out some. Amazingly right when we were headed over to the dock for our bay tour we ran into the rest of the team! So we ended up having a great time together before heading back to the hotel (no walking this time!) for our meeting and pasta party! Walking into the pasta party is truly one of my favorite things of the weekend.

Saturday night was the first time I didn't sleep through the night before a race. It was kind of a weird combination of nerves and fear that my alarm wouldn't go off. The hardest part of the morning was waiting for everyone to get together for pictures before we left. It felt like it was taking forever. We didn't head over to the start until almost 6:30am which made me a little nervous. The group I was running with got stuck trying to get to our pace group and ended up waiting with the 12:00-13:99 pace group. All I'm going to say about it is that I have never come across so many rude people in one place in my life! If no one if moving there is no room for you to go anywhere no matter how rude you are to us, we can't let you go anywhere, and pushing us around isn't going to get you anywhere either!

The first half of the race was great! Because there are so many people we started off at a really comfortable pace. It was so much fun running past the piers and even getting to run by bakeries as they were making sourdough bread. It smelled great! We hit the first hill coming up off of the bay and you could tell that a lot of people were not ready for them. We had to keep jumping around people so that we could keep moving. Most of us jumped up on the sidewalk. It was by far the easiest hill to get around people because the road was still wide. The second hill was really narrow! And hardly anyone ran up it. We had so many problems because people would abruptly stop right in front of us. It was just way too narrow for that many people. I almost ran right into a road block pillar because it was hidden by the people in front of me. Mile 6 brought the first of the really challenging hills. It's actually pretty similar to one that I run all the time on Peachtree Road called cardiac hill although this one might have been a little steeper. There were two more challenging hills after that to take us up to the highest point in the race and the cliffs over looking the ocean. It was beautiful!!! And very steep, which made me a little nervous when someone in our group mentioned going faster to make up some time. I tried not to see myself falling flat on my face. It was probably the best view we had!! I was kicking myself for not bringing my little camera along for the race (and even more so after getting my official photos. More on that later).

From the cliffs we hit the Golden Gate park. The crowd started thinning out some at this point, although the crowd came and went in spurts, and there was never a big crowd until you got to the finish line. The best part of the park was the smell!! It smelled like eucalyptus! It was awesome. We split twice from the half marathoners in the park. By the time we rejoined the second time we were at mile 16 and I found my Mom right before the final split.

What happened next never crossed my mind in the weeks and months leading up to the race. The first half had gone so well (I finished 13.1 miles in just over 2:16, which was great). What was next was the great highway, which I hope was named for the view (which was great). I didn't think it was so great at the time. The great highway took us to Lake Merced, which is a 5 mile loop, the longest 5 miles of my life. Up until mile 18 I felt really good, and then things started to cramp. Not a muscle getting a little tight, but full of cramps in my hamstrings. Once one started another one would get going. I couldn't run anymore, so I stopped and got some salt out and my last pack of Luna moons to eat, realizing that I was going to be in big trouble later, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. Things got better and I was able to start run walking around the lake all the while thinking I could still finish with a decent time. The problem with the lake is that the only people out cheering you on are the volunteers at the waterstops. It was the first time in a race that i had run by myself for such a long stretch too. It was miserable. I could have used a TNT coach, but they were all running past me in the opposite direction and ignoring me. I'll spare you most of the details because this was a really low point in the race for me. I somehow managed to get around the stupid lake and make it back to the great highway where I came to a complete stop. Because I had eaten everything I had brought with me already I was out of energy and fuel and no way to get any. Finally a TNT coach stopped and asked if I was okay, and I told him that I needed something to eat. His reply "what do you mean you need something to eat?" I'm pretty sure it means I need something to eat, just a wild guess. Fortunately he had some sports beans that he gave me and then I saw Tommy Owens, our head coach (the other TNT coach was surprised I knew Tommy. I think he finally looked at my shirt and realized I was from Georgia. Maybe he was going through brain melt...).

It was great seeing Tommy. I wish I had looked better. To quote Tommy he said "this sucks because you're in such great shape." No argument from me. It did suck, and I had already gotten pretty upset over it all. And then Rob came back! Rob and I had started with the rest of the group and had fallen off at the great highway. We were both in pretty bad shape. Both of us were cramping up, and both of us were ready to be done. So we started walking and running, and even stopped to stretch (should have done that earlier!). And then a glorious sight appeared. We were at mile 25 and just a little further down the road we got our first glance at the finish line from a distance. It was all we needed. Rob started yelling at me to take us home as I took off with him behind me. Somehow we started sprinting in, picking up our Coach Joanna right before the finish were we went even faster. I almost had trouble keeping up, but there was no way I was stopping. We were finally at the finish! I grabbed Jo's hand early in the sprint in the hopes of crossing with her and Rob, but had to let go because of the traffic in front of us. Somehow I even managed to PR (5:00:33). I really don't feel I deserved it at all. I was so mad, confused, emotional. And then I saw the pretty blue box from Tiffany's! It didn't make everything better, but it at least gave me a small sense of accomplishment. I had finished!

I feel like I left a lot of myself out on the course. The memory of the great highway and the lake keeps coming back almost a week later. I'm not happy about it at all. There is some unfinished business with those two. I don't know if it means doing the event again next year or not yet. I've already signed up to do a 1/2 marathon Thanksgiving day. I need to go run another race and try to get the bitter memories out of my head. I know that I can't control how things go, but a bad race on top of not great auditions has certainly lead to some low feelings about myself. I'm also thinking about try another full in the spring. I need to check my schedule before I do anything else, and I want to get through the 1/2 marathon too and just see how things go. I'm already running again, and feeling pretty good! I've also started doing a lot of yoga the last couple of days which has felt amazing! Sadly last Sunday just wasn't my day....