My finish line flowers & lei! Totally deserved after navigating 30,000 other competitors, 13.1 miles and 2 blisters!First of all, thank you to every single person who donated money to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I raised $2,484 - yeah! Overall, TNT raised over 9 million dollars to benefit LLS. Utterly amazing!
OK, on to the race report.
1. Getting up at 3:45 am was so NOT fun. I was meeting a group for the shuttle at 4:15. We didn't end up leaving until 5:15. Granted I hardly slept the night before but an extra hour of trying wouldn't have hurt!
2. The porta-potty lines were amazing! 30,000 people all needing to pee at the same time was a sight to behold. Sadly, I didn't have my camera along for the race so no photo documentation. I think we were in line for at least 30 minutes and were definitely there when the race actually started.
3. The race began at 6:15. We crossed the start line at 7:18. Note to self - sleep in even more next time! I like the corral start but man my legs & knees were starting to hurt from an hour plus of just standing around.
4. Finally, corral #42 (the last!) was off like a herd of turtles! I started in with my 5/2 run/walk intervals. I tried not to waste energy by dodging around people but sometimes it couldn't be helped. Thankfully, my years of dodging the little old Russian and Asian ladies on Clement and Geary proved helpful in this regard.
5. I settled into my rhythm and it was going well. My 5K split time was 40:48 - not shabby but not great however I was feeling pretty good. All of the bands and cheerleaders along the route really made me smile! I made sure I hit every water station along the route and drank the cytomax when it was offered. I know how important it was to stay hydrated but I found it really hard to start running again after the hydration stations. I was also using my FRS energy chews at regular intervals.
6. My 10K split time was 1:25:03 and I was super stoked because I felt good and seemed to be on target for my estimated 3 hour finish time. But around mile 7 things really started to hurt, hurt, hurt. I could tell I was getting blisters on the inside of both heels and my legs were so tight. I think I ended up walking the entire time from miles 7 -10. But I did get to see a moving truck (rental from Budget) hit a tree and have the back half of the roof opened up like a sardine can. That was entertaining! I sure hope that guy bought the optional insurance or that's going to be one really expensive move!
7. My 10 mile split was 2:23:59 and I knew I was slowing down. I was so grateful for the woman with the hose at mile 10.5. That was the most refreshing shower ever! The morning was really sunny and great weather but man I was hot! I kept stopping to stretch but things weren't loosening up much. At that point I figured that everything was going to hurt no matter what, so I may as well run because I would at least be done faster! So I started back on my 5/2 intervals. Yes it hurt but I could tell I was picking up the pace.
8. When I passed mile 12 I knew I was in the home stretch. I think there was a point where I really debated if I could finish. I was mentally kicking myself for being lax in my training. I had to give myself a mental shaking and remember that "no" and "quit" were not an option! I kept going and saw that I was closing in on the final chute. Then, low & behold, I saw my cheering squad off to the right. Matty jumped on the course and gave me a little pep talk. I don't remember much other than telling him "I think I hate myself right now"! :)
9. Into the chute I kicked it up a notch, only to find out that the cute was longer than I thought. Argh! But I turned the corner and saw the glorious sign for Mile 13! Hallelujah! One of the TNT coaches was there, cheering people on and I really needed it. (As a side note, I loved how nicely the coaches lied when they kept yelling "looking good"!). I finally had the finish line in my sights and really did kick it in gear. It felt so damn good to cross that finish line! And even better to wear that heavy medal around my neck! Final finish time was 3:13:02. A little longer than I thought but glad I was close to being on target.
10. I wandered aimlessly for a bit until some nice volunteer pointed me in the direction of water and the exit. Stopped to pose for my picture and then hit the "grocery store". Man was there a ton of food for us! I loaded up on fruit, chips, bars, cytomax and who knows what else. My arms were full of good stuff, my brain was a fog and the lower half of my body was in pain. All in all, a pretty good day!
Things I learned and will think about:
- Best idea ever was to put my flip flops in my gear bag. It felt awesome to pull off those tennis shoes!
- Training is not over-rated. I should have done more before this race and will know better next time. Gasp! Did I just say next time?!?
- Doing it with a friend was the best thing ever!
- I need to figure out how to avoid such horrid heartburn. I know it was important to refuel and rehydrate but I think it really gave me heartburn. I felt like there was a rock in my chest from about mile 7 on which made it hard to take deep breaths and keep in a good breathing pattern. Not sure if it's just drinking while run/walking or if it was the energy chews or the cytomax but something will need to change. It was so bad that I couldn't even think about a post race beer or margarita! :(
Some pictures for your viewing pleasure!
My medal
The horrid ice bath. This is by far the worst thing I've ever done in my life. My toes were burning and I thought they were going to fall off! They say this makes you feel better. I don't have anything to compare it to so I sure hope it was worth it!
Schwag from the race! Tech t-shirt, free t-shirt I won at the expo, TNT 13.1 pin, cute silver 13.1 mile charm, magnet/beer opener, my lei, bib that looks like it went through hell and of course, the awesome medal!
