Sunday, October 19, 2008

Girlfriends Half Marathon

If you read my previous blog post, then you know I headed into this with a little whopper of a cold. It was still a good day. Requisite race report:

Girlfriends Half Marathon
Date: 10/19/2008
Distance: 13.1 miles
Time: 2:30:xx (results not posted yet) = pace of 11:27/mile
*Despite my bitching and moaning about being sick, this ended up being a PR for me. Yeah, I did have an easy time to beat, but it's still a PR.

Pre-Race:
The race started only about 2 miles from my house, so I slept in until the last possible moment. Then I took a shot of dayquil, drank a cup of theraflu daytime, took a decongestant, and had my Mom (who is in town visiting) drive me there while I drank a cup of coffee. I should mention that I've been fighting off a sinus infection and monster cold for the last week or so...
Me at home before the run --Warmup:
I found Kristin who was parked nearby and climbed into her warm car. But then she had to pee, so then I walked around and shivered talking to friends. Girlfriends Jenn, Jen, Lisa, and Nadine were also running.

A beautiful rendition of the National Anthem was sang by a very talented woman. After that, we lined up at the start line with 1000 ladies, and took off.

The Run:
As usual, I started off a little fast until I fell into a comfortable pace. By mile 3 my outer shirt was covered in snot, and I was getting warm, so I gave it to DeDe. She was a supportive spectator since she's out with an injury (she did recently kick major butt at the Portland Marathon though!). By mile 5 I was hurting pretty badly. Oh, did I mention I did the marathon a week ago and haven't ran since (note the above mentioned killer cold)? Somewhere in here we got to pass runners going the opposite direction from the out-and-back and I got to wave to all my lovely lady friends.
Jenn and Jen (you can barely see her) --Anyway, I chugged along and just listened to tunes on the MP3. But then the batteries went dead. So I struck up conversations with various women until they got grossed out by my constant string of snot rockets.
My Happy Face --At mile 10 my Mom and fiance, Ken, were waiting for hugs and photos. I wasn't expecting them there, so that was a great uplifter. I saw them again right before mile 12.
My Mom walking with me just before mile 12 --
There was one last short hill through a park. After that it was home free to the finish. I crossed the finish line, collected my snot-soaked shirt, and loaded up in the car.
The Finish Line --
Warm Down:
Hot shower, theraflu, and a nap.

Event Comments:
This event really is awesome awesome awesome. 100% of the proceeds go towards breast cancer research. All women in a race is pretty sweet to see. The support is amazing. There are tons of volunteers -- many of whom are men. I hear the post-race activities are worth sticking around for too. So aside from this not being the best day for me personally, the event itself is fantastic!


HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Kristin who finished her first half marathon!