Celebrating Number 10 at the Go Girl Half Marathon

Happy Sunday!! I hope your weekend is a long one and a good one!! I woke up feeling every bit of yesterday's run which only tells me my weekend started off great! I'm ready to race recap, so let's do this!

While I slept great the night before, there was nothing in my eyes that said I'm ready to take this on!

Thank you, Crew, for another very early Saturday wake-up!

But, I was ready at least in my own mind, and that's where it really counts on that morning! Besides, my fabulous shirt needed another spin around town, amiright ?!

And, while I'm busy getting my bib on,
take a moment to admire that rockin'
purple hair thingy!! SWEET!

We arrived in plenty of time, but my time was quickly used because I needed to stretch. I mean, I needed to check out the post-race headquarters. Which is when I should have been stretching. But, I had to check stuff out, like, just in case I needed some post-race plastic storage, I knew just where to get it:

And, this is what Pit Crew #2 looks like when she realizes she
is about to walk in front of the camera!

I enjoyed the variety of ways people expressed themselves including ...

... and ...

(there was another expression of this at the starting line ... see?):

Her upper ...

... her lower!

For real, I don't blame anyone for slapping that on themselves on race day. I just don't.

On my way to the starting line, I passed the big bling ...

In a couple of hours, one of you is mine!

One more pic with the young Crewers ...

... and, I was on my way to the start!

The Half Marathoners participate in their
death march the ritual of taking their spot!

Of course, while waiting to start, I had to do my usual scoping of the shoes. Most people were pretty spread out, so I didn't get my normal feast of color, but two totally caught my eye. These ...

Very summertime goodness, don't you think?
Like, rainbow sherbet! Mmmmm ...

... and, these ...

There was a lot of chatter going on in the crowd, but I, as usual, just blocked it out. Most people talk about their intended times or (my favorite this time) how someone they know just ran his or her first Half Marathon and did so in some lightening fast time and how much they suck for doing so. That made me giggle a little bit, but I do make a concerted effort to not listen to what's around me because I don't want to get caught up in it. It's an interesting dynamic I've set up for myself by running solo all the time then putting myself in a big crowd for a race full of people talking about times, pace, expectations and outcome hopes. I just want to get going!

Soon, it was time to move forward to get ready to go! Right before we started, I saw this ...

... and, the Crew saw this:

Check out the tye-dye family on the left ... I loved their
solidarity and told them so right before Mile 10. (Which is
down hill, so I was able to easily communicate. Ha!)

Shortly after 7 a.m., it was go time!!

I love this one with Pit Crew #3 looking for me (*sigh!*) I am
actually directly below the pedestrian sign!

I'm here behind someone, but that's not why I kept it ... check
out the group of hams in the middle cheesin' for the camera
and having no idea it's some random person's husband taking
them and not for any kind of publicity or race pic! It happens
almost every run, and it cracks me up every. single. time.
There's never an official photographer at the beginning, people!

And, now I've caught up to the Crew!! LOVE them!

Right at the beginning of this course, there is a short but sharp hill. (The pre-race information referred to it as "a doozy." They ain't whistlin' Dixie on that one.) It isn't fun, but I was ready, so it's one I can cruise up and find some good space from the dense starting crowd. The good news about this course is that for every up (and, there are a lot), there was a complimentary down (whew!). And, the first down lead into this:

A couple of miles of trail running (manufactured trail, not the rocky-just-plan-on-twisting-an-ankle kind) usually annoys me because I get tired of the monotony. On this run, though, I actually embraced the trail opportunities and saw them as welcomed breaks from the demand I've put on my body this calendar year (Plus, who schedules a Half Marathon at the end of a school year, anyway? Nice timing!). Anyway, aside from the many, many pebbles that wound up in my shoes, the trail was a successful venture for me (not so much for the person who fell in front of me ... she was fine, by the way ...)!

I know I'm there because I see the puppy paws glowing on my
shirt! (The guy on the right kind of cracks me up right there on
the other side of the wall. And, in case anyone wants to stop
and make a call, they can do that, too ...)

There I am! (Hey, I guess that guy was cheering for me!
JUST KIDDING!)

waterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwater!
(I haven't yet mentioned it was a little humid ...)

After leaving the trail, I hit the part of the road last year where I saw a storm coming. Fortunately, it looked like it would stay away at least as long as most of us were on the course this year (whew!). And, soon after, I saw the Crew again ... the entire Crew!!

I saw this ...

... they saw that!

Quick selfie with the pup!! Oh, crap ...
zoom's still on ...

One more time!! Success! Thanks, Elly,
for allowing me to completely manhandle
you to get this!

Quick check to make sure I got it (check
out what the trail did to my shoes!) ...

... and, I was back on my way!

It was at this point that I also handed off my camera to the Crew. Believe it or not, I didn't want the distraction. It's not that I was taking it so seriously, but I was needing to focus on what I was doing if I was going to keep up a steady pace. As I felt my mind debate strategy vs. pictures, I left the picture taking to the Crew!

 

This particular part of the course kind of sucks because of the plethora of rolling hills, and I wasn't in the mood for that. I chatted with some people only to find out that I could do the whole 'your pace should be such that you can still talk' thing but it made me feel like I wanted to throw up when I was finished. What's that about? And, of course, the talking stopped-sudden nausea hit right at the bottom of yet another climb, so I walked a spell to realign my insides! There was a course volunteer along that stretch who called to me, "It's okay! It goes down at the top of the street!" Years ago, I would have been mortified "caught" walking. Now? I gave her a thumbs up and a smile and called back, "I'm looking forward to it!"

 

That down hill is fantastic (what one isn't?), and I truly was looking forward to it. I enjoyed it so much that, while going down, I called out (yes, literally), "I do love me some down hill!" I continued with, "Especially when I'm not fearing getting struck by lightening!" Both announcements elicited some giggles, but the last one separated the pack from those who ran last year and those smart enough to get out of it who didn't.

 

A few miles and up another big hill that I walked (and had every premeditated plan to do so), I saw the Crew where I called them over to give everyone a mid-race smooch. I felt I'd blown them off at the last stop, and that wasn't happening again. And, you know what's super-awesome about a race focused on women? There is a lot of stopping for hugs-kisses-cheers along the way. It's a whole different vibe, and I wasn't missing out on it!

 

The race volunteers were equally enthusiastic about getting in the spirit of the run, many of whom cheered as though they personally knew you. One volunteer was super-upbeat around Mile 9 asking everyone who passed for a smile (that's not necessarily easy at that point!) and giving high fives. I beamed a smile without being asked which seemed to give this guy extra enthusiasm because he high fived me in such a way that he smacked my hand back against my own head. It wasn't very hard, and it was actually pretty funny. Hashtag: Shouldakickedhim. Hahahahahahahaha!

 

After the race, Aaron asked what I liked the most and what I disliked the most about it all. What I disliked the most was the middle (Miles 6 through 9) because, mentally, I felt like a hamster in a wheel. I was totally looking forward to Mile 10, though, and it was finally here:

I turned the corner down there and saw the Crew at the top of
the hill. I've already admitted to them that I thought, "They're
at the top. The top. Really ?" (I can't make as many pain and
suffering faces if I'm heading toward them, just sayin'.) Aaron
explained they went to the top on purpose as incentive. That
worked for me in retrospect, and now I'll be better prepared!

Once up the hill, it's nothing but flat. And, that's nothing but fabulous!

 

It began to sprinkle along Mile 11, but I thought to myself, "Oh, I do. not. care.!" I briefly talked with a woman along this stretch, too, but I politely explained I couldn't talk long or I'd get nauseous (but not before she confirmed what I've been saying about the Rock the Parkway route: It being called 'flat' is a big, fat lie!!). There was a huge brigade of bike riders along the trail here, too, which was a bit unfortunate. I found out later it was an organized group that wasn't supposed to hit the trail until a couple of hours later when we'd be finished. Whoops. Everyone worked well together, so it turned out okay. Besides, a mile from where we split from each other was the home stretch ...

I must have been miming to the family, "I want my margarita
to be thiiiiiiisss biiiiiiiig ..."

Just three minutes slower than my time in April (super sweet!!), I crossed the finish of my 10th Half Marathon into the congratulatory hugs and kisses from my fam!

My biggest fan and my biggest medal.
This medal brought to you by Flavor Flav ...
for real, it's almost as big as my face! That's
seriously good bling!

My sweet, good-smelling kiddos!!

Mary Kate (virtual running partner extraordinaire) recently posted this on my Facebook feed (I think from Run the Edge's page ... or ...) ...

And, all I can say is, I see your free banana t-shirt and raise you ...

... all of the orange slices I could get into
my mouth!

Of course, they had their traditional smoothies for our wine glasses!

Oh please, no, I didn't just use a plastic cup. I used my wine
glass. And a plastic cup!

Deeeeelish! Especially cold. I got one that was warm. It was
nasty. Even PC#2, who complains about nothing food-
related declined that! Never fear, I got a cold one!

One more pic with the goodies before the rain hit ...

... and, that puts it in the books!

If you know nothing else about me, know this:

When I started running, I couldn't run three-tenths of a mile without being out of breath.
When I started running my way and not worrying about what anyone else thought (unless they supported me), I started to succeed.
When I ran my first Half Marathon, I didn't know if it was going to be my first or my only.
I never saw this coming. But, I know exactly how I got here.

Take hold of your life your way, and put people around you who will cheer you for exactly who you are no matter what it is you're doing! Thanks for coming along with me on this journey and all that have lead up to it!!

And, tomorrow, we get back at it ... See you then!