It's been a long day. My alarm went off at 5:40am and I did my best to get ready without disturbing anyone. I got dressed quickly but panicked when I realized I didn't have any Vaseline. (Chafing=BAD, Vaseline=GOOD) By the light of my cell phone I rummaged under my cousin's bathroom sink and thank goodness I found some! Thanks Lucy!! I made my pre-race meal of oatmeal and peanut butter and walked out the door right at 6 when dad got there.
With the addition of the 1/2 marathon I knew this year's crowd would be much bigger than last years. Registration wasn't too bad though and I quickly had my number and my chip. The bathroom line was INSANE. But it was only 5 till 7 so I waited. It was indoors and thus heated, so I went toe to toe with about a zillion other women for four stalls. It was worth it. The bathroom lines and the registration lines led the race to start 15 minutes late which really sucked. It was pretty chilly at the start since the sun hadn't really popped over the trees yet. After a boring politician and a very beautiful rendition of the national anthem we were off. The crowd wasn't too bad as we began. I didn't feel like I was right on top of anyone and we were able to spread out quickly. We made one loop around the 6th Cavalry field and then headed into the park. About a mile of the course once we got into the park was on this sketchy access road. It was part gravel, part paved, and part mudhole thanks to yesterday's rain. We runners stick together so everyone did a good job of calling out the rough spots. I saw a deer almost right away. He was moving through the woods, trying to get out of the way of a man who already had to pee.
I shed my gloves around mile 3.5. I had to wait another 1/2 mile for a water stop so I could toss them. I took Powerade (blue! my favorite!) at the second and third stops. Once we got into the park the course became familiar to me so I felt more at home. I was surprised at how much I remembered from last year. I think that knowledge came in handy. The fog was still hanging in the low places and as we crossed one of the fields it lingered near the canons giving them the appearance that they had just been fired.
The weather was spectacular. It was a *little* colder than I would have liked, but overall you couldn't have asked for more. The leaves were at their peak and each mile brought more autumn splendor. The race went by fairly quickly. I was at mile seven before I knew it. I was bummed to see that we didn't run over the same bridge we did last year. It was such a pretty spot so I was sorry to see we wouldn't get to experience it this time around. I suppose I romanticized my race last year a little too much so this year couldn't live up to those expectations. I didn't like the bigger crowd. I think we lost something by having all those extra runners.
My legs felt great the entire race and my knees never bothered me. I powered up some hills at mile 8 and had plenty of energy left afterwards. One of my favorite spots to pass is Wilder Monument. I used to go there as a kid so it's neat to see it again even if only as a large white blur on my right. Right after I passed the monument I heard a herd of runner approaching and realized it was a pace group. I was so upset because I thought it was the 4:00 pace group for the marathon which means I was running too slow. As they passed me like a bunch of elephants I saw the pace leaders back and it read 3:40 pace group. I laughed and finally let myself admit I was having a great race. I hit mile 10 at 1:30:30 and I knew a new PR was in reach. That realization gave me a little burst and I reminded myself all I had left was a 5k. Piece of cake!
We got back to the access road and I had to once again really watch my footing. There weren't very many other runners around me at that point so I kept my eyes focused on the trail. We came out of the park and I could hear the band at the finish but I was so disoriented. I had no clue where we were or how much further we had to go. I wanted to be able to kick it and go all out the last little bit, but since I didn't know the course that was hard. We finally came within sight of the finish line and I was able to push it. I saw my dad and the girls and called out to them. We made our final left turn and I sprinted to the line. I could see the clock and knew I was close to breaking my PR. The one advantage of a bigger race is a bigger finish. The streets were lined with American flags, the band was playing, and people were cheering. That part I liked! The clock said 1:58:58 as I crossed. My chip time later revealed my official time 1:58:29. Hot damn! I did it!! I finished 11th out of 51 women in my age division and 196th overall in the 1/2 marathon.
Once again having my family at the finish was a powerful motivator. Knowing they were there waiting on me and cheering me on gave me the stuff I needed to get to the finish line. And while this year's race wasn't the same as last year it was special in its own way. As I stood there listening to the National Anthem I thought about the battle that was fought there. I thought about the reasons that battle and so many others were fought. I reflected on that and then thought about the man we just elected president. It is nothing short of amazing.
I'm just sitting here watching football and re-hydrating. I have a blister on the fourth toe of my right foot for some reason. I didn't notice it until late this afternoon when it started to bother me. I lanced it with a safety pin and it seems to be better. I was thrilled to break my record today, but today's race gave me something even more valuable. It made me realize my goal for Disney is way too ambitious and I need to refine that now. Hard to believe that race is just two months away!!!!
