Ready... set...
By this time next week I'll be unwinding with something to drink and lots of food, and possibly with ice on my legs in Myrtle Beach! Seven days to race day! I ran my last long run ("just" 8 miles) today, averaging an 11:09 minute mile, which is faster than my usual long-distance average. What can I say - great weather and I'm much stronger than when I first started this journey! And I was in a rush to meet Daniela at the 11-ish mile mark and run her the next mile near her finish. 11-12 miles is where a number of people hit their wall, and i wanted to motivate her to get over it and finish strong! So very proud of her with her first half - she planned on finishing in 3 hours, and finished in 2 hours 38 minutes. Rockin' it!
So I bandit the race a little and ran with her (confusing some people when I stopped and said I was done at the 12 mile mark :). I ran into alsafi's brother at the 12 mile water station. Awesomeness! Volunteers are great! I spent some time talking to another runner who was waiting for a friend and some U of M ROTC soldiers. The ROTC guys got into the cheering once we started hollering and yelling and clapping on the runners. Lots of fun - I need to plan on cheering on in all my friends' races. Hot dog guy was there with his Turbo Boost sign, too. Maybe I need a costume and sign.
After a few weeks of being down in the dumps for various personal reasons, it was great to get re-energized and motivated. Happy endorphins!
So I bandit the race a little and ran with her (confusing some people when I stopped and said I was done at the 12 mile mark :). I ran into alsafi's brother at the 12 mile water station. Awesomeness! Volunteers are great! I spent some time talking to another runner who was waiting for a friend and some U of M ROTC soldiers. The ROTC guys got into the cheering once we started hollering and yelling and clapping on the runners. Lots of fun - I need to plan on cheering on in all my friends' races. Hot dog guy was there with his Turbo Boost sign, too. Maybe I need a costume and sign.
After a few weeks of being down in the dumps for various personal reasons, it was great to get re-energized and motivated. Happy endorphins!