VA - marathon 09: yuengling shamrock marathon
as much as i like the idea of the [TRB] links to the training blog in relevant spots (to keep a timeline for those interested) - i sometimes have trouble thinking straight enough to write the blogs. for the meantime i'm skipping the links and simply writing the two blogs.
PRE RACE
i got some extra stretching in with some gym visits & yoga classes. it felt really good.
friday i headed to my friends house in VA - thank you s&e (also the furry ones lily, jack, and petey) for comfy bed and good company.
petey, lily, jack (top to bottom)
saturday i headed off for the 2nd half of the drive.
(my folks live in MD about 2 1/2 hr drive from my friends s & e. s & e live about 3 hours from virginia beach, a 5 - 6 hour drive from my folks house).
checked in @ my hotel, picked up my packet, wandered the expo for a few minutes & headed back to the hotel. it is incredibly nice to already have my drinks made. i made them @ my folks house & travelled w/ a cooler.
RACE
up @ 5:45 to eat, stretch, bring my bags to the car. 7amish i headed off to the start line.
thank you dad for the space blanket - it was windier than expected (and also chilier b/c of this). after i found the gear check to drop off my post-race drink (since i walked from the hotel) i headed to find a bathroom. thank you hilton for the warm bathroom (and lots of room for the numerous runners).
after waiting outside in the cold another 30 min or so and finding out the race was going to start @ 8:15 (vs 8am - b/c of construction on a street the marathoners AND half-marathoners took up too much room to run safely) i decided to try one more time. got in the long port-o-let line.
first the wheelchair start was heard.
then the first wave.
then the 2nd.
yikes - now i really had to pee.
it was decided - as long as we could see people on this side of the start we could wait to pee. i finished just in time for the end of wave 4. whew.
lots of people dressed up - fun to see this kind of excitement and energy put into things. even the aid stations
after a few miles i put on my headphones. it was nice to do this as it had been a few runs. i like singing to some of the songs (be warned if you are near me especially if it's near the end, i can get loud sometimes).
i heard a few women talking about the JFK 50 - maybe i'll do that one of these years, i'm more confident about finishing it now than i ever would've been in the past. this is a run my dad & his running buddy (miles) have run. miles - has run it many a time and convinced many a sould to join in as well.
saw a leprachaun or two
also a few birthday girls, a few first time marathons (yay for you), a man who had lost 100lbs since 2008 and was still going strong (good for you being active - i hope you finished strong), a woman whose back said "happy birthday grandma", and much more.
@ one point we ran on an army base and there was a long long line of people in uniform with their hands out to slap 5 with anyone who wanted. i thought about the picture after i had passed - oops. thank you all.
one of my favorite parts (as anyone who knows me could've guessed) was running by the beach.
pretty beach
always nice to see people supporting friends
for some reason i was in the mood to just run. i said hello and "good job" and the usual things as i played leapfrog & tag w/ other runners. real conversations were for another run.
pretty trees
a fun aid station
some fun cheerful supporters
funny thing - kept forgetting the race bib had my name on it.
so when people would yell "go elysa" or something along those lines i was always surprised. then i would remember and laugh.
ok - i hope to pay more attention one of these days when asking for photos - they seem to be like this more often than not.
original
edited & cropped
POST RACE
headed back to my friends house for a nice quiet evening and some good company (furry friends included)
hope all be wonderful :)