(no subject)
Woohoo! After much excitement and anxiety, the day of the RnR Half finally arrived. I did have some momentary regrets last night, like "why did I do this to myself?" and to quote a t-shirt I saw at the Health & Fitness Expo, "this seemed like a good idea three months ago".
Ready or not, 4am came much too soon and I was groggily up and about. I thought I'd have plenty of time to get ready and eat before making it to Qualcomm before 5am, when the shuttles were stated to stop running to the Balboa Park starting line. Between the sunscreen, glide, mole skin, and everything else, I ran out without grabbing my breakfast bars and banana. Justin was kind enough to drive me AND to not give me grief while he turned around and made it back to the buses in time.
Once I arrived, I checked in my schwag bag to be transferred to the finish line, finished breakfast and energy drink, attached the timing chip to my shoe, and stretched during a 20-minute line for the port-a-potties. I did get to chat with some cool women in line, at least.
There were SO many people! To everyone's credit, people were extremely chill about waiting to get into their time corrals or just starting with whatever group. As a few of them joked "I already knew I wasn't coming to win it". The first few miles were the same course as the AIDS Run 10k, but soon after took a turn onto the 163 freeway. I saw gross roadkill and a guy get stopped by motorcycle cops for public urination.
I kept telling myself it was ok to keep a slow and steady pace, that it was fine to see more people pass, fine to let the pace runner disappear. What I really REALLY didn't want to do was hit the wall of suffering. I'd heard everything from "you'll be totally fine" to "I cried the last two miles". I'm grateful it was not the latter. My second and third toes started hurting in the last mile or two, but nothing horrible.
On the return, I met Justin for lunch and basked in the sunshine and luxuriated in being DONE. I've had a couple of lazy hours on the couch after thoroughly stretching, then took the dogs around the neighborhood because I felt bad about wasting a perfectly gorgeous afternoon. Man, I am hoping for the best sleep of my adult life tonight.
I love everybody right now!
Ready or not, 4am came much too soon and I was groggily up and about. I thought I'd have plenty of time to get ready and eat before making it to Qualcomm before 5am, when the shuttles were stated to stop running to the Balboa Park starting line. Between the sunscreen, glide, mole skin, and everything else, I ran out without grabbing my breakfast bars and banana. Justin was kind enough to drive me AND to not give me grief while he turned around and made it back to the buses in time.
Once I arrived, I checked in my schwag bag to be transferred to the finish line, finished breakfast and energy drink, attached the timing chip to my shoe, and stretched during a 20-minute line for the port-a-potties. I did get to chat with some cool women in line, at least.
There were SO many people! To everyone's credit, people were extremely chill about waiting to get into their time corrals or just starting with whatever group. As a few of them joked "I already knew I wasn't coming to win it". The first few miles were the same course as the AIDS Run 10k, but soon after took a turn onto the 163 freeway. I saw gross roadkill and a guy get stopped by motorcycle cops for public urination.
I kept telling myself it was ok to keep a slow and steady pace, that it was fine to see more people pass, fine to let the pace runner disappear. What I really REALLY didn't want to do was hit the wall of suffering. I'd heard everything from "you'll be totally fine" to "I cried the last two miles". I'm grateful it was not the latter. My second and third toes started hurting in the last mile or two, but nothing horrible.
On the return, I met Justin for lunch and basked in the sunshine and luxuriated in being DONE. I've had a couple of lazy hours on the couch after thoroughly stretching, then took the dogs around the neighborhood because I felt bad about wasting a perfectly gorgeous afternoon. Man, I am hoping for the best sleep of my adult life tonight.
I love everybody right now!