Before the race: Why are we doing this again? We haven't been running at all over the past two months.... maybe two or three miles here and there but not consistently. I pulled my running shoes out of my Florida suitcase this morning if that tells you anything? (Yes, I still have a suitcase sitting on my bedroom floor from our trip to Florida two weeks ago.) We parked and walked about a mile just to get to the starting line. Time to stretch! Should I wear my jacket or not? I decided to move my number on the outside of my jacket because I was so cold. Good call.
At the start: Give Jonathon a kiss good-luck and go our separate ways. We stress each other out to run side-by-side on a race.
Mile 1: I'm hot already. While running, I move the number from my jacket to my t-shirt and wrap the jacket around my waist. Something shifts my mp3 player and the headphones quit working. I spend the entire mile trying to tweak with it but nothing. Oh no! No Third Day....no Rascal Flatts.....no Justin Timberlake....I can't run without it!! (Yeah, I know that's a weird combo of music but all of those people make me happy when I hear them sing.)
Mile 2: I see Jonathon! I look down to see if my mp3 player will start working again. I look up and I lost him. He never even saw me. He was about ten feet in front of me. :(
Mile 3: Yeah....I'm feeling good still. Thank you p90x for giving me some strength!
Mile 4: We hit the park. The hills are awful. I've always been a fan of the park but I wasn't ready for the hills. I try to remember all the tips Travis Dunn used to give me....keep my head up, don't slow down on the up, don't fight the decline on the down......don't walk!
Mile 5: Half-way there! I'm feeling a second wind coming on. I hear a conversation between two guys next to me about how the mini-marathon is easier than the 10 miler. One of the guys is new to these races and he doesn't believe the other guy. I chime in and say that I agree. A woman on the other side of them says she does too. We have a nice little chat for about two minutes then we all go our ways. It's nice making friends along the way. :)
Mile 6: Coming out of the park is always my favorite part! There's a very long hill going down and it feels great. There's usually some people hanging out at the bottom of the hill to give you cheers!
Mile 7: I hate this. It's flat, straight, and I think it's lasting forever. I was sure that I had already passed the mile marker but I hadn't.
Mile 8: I wanted to walk so badly. I started singing gospel songs in my head. Give me the strength, oh Lord! I was started to get really cold so I decided to shift my number back to my jacket and zip my jacket up. Messing with the safety pins and all took my mind off of what I was doing for a while.
Mile 9: I can see the stadium ahead but there's still a mile to go.
Mile 10: Over the bridge and through the construction to the field. It's almost over. It's almost over! I see visions of panera bagels dancing in my head. They call my name as I cross the finish line. I can't feel my legs!
After the race: I find Jonathon. He looks good. We find our way to the bagels and bananas. I love the after run meal!!
I love the feeling of finishing a race! :)
4 comments:
man - i'm exausted just reading that... i'm gonna need a nap
i am glad you finished ut! great job! you should be proud of doing that after not really training. i ran too. i completely agree that the 10 miler is harder than the mini!!! daniel is running it for the first time this year and he doesn't believe me either!
How fun and healthy:) Luke and I started running..I guess it shows how out of shape I am when my grown-up legs can't keep up with his short lil kid ones ones !!!
Congrats! That's a wonderful accomplishment! How ever do you run and mess around with safety pins at the same time? And how is the 13 miles easier to run than the 10 miles?
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