I did it! I finished. It was a breezy day in San Francisco, perfect weather for running. But to say that I breezed through this marathon would be a huge understatement. Instead of giving you an elaborate story of how race day went I am going to summarize it in short tidbits or snap shots of what was going in in my head, my body, or both at each hour/mile of my race. Here it goes.
Warning: extensive use of graphic language and oversharing of personal information to follow
4:30am alarm sounds. Snooze? Nope. Gotta get ready, I've already pushed it out as long as I can.
4:32 hit the bathroom... pause... nothing. Ugh. Don't sweat it. Move on.
4:35am nasal irrigation routine, nothing special
4:45am pumping time, hoping for 2 bottles. 9 oz? sweet :) Get dressed. Suncreen (check) lub (check) Take your mind out of the gutter you perb. Lub is to prevent chafing :)
5am COFFEE time! While that brews I'll toast my bread and slather on the PB. Berries? Sure. I need the fiber.
5:15am load up the car, plug in the gps, type in address, put on shoes, mental checklist: Phone (check), wallet (check), bib (check), garmin (check), camera (?) Fuck it. I'm already late.
5:30am hit the road. Put on some Bethoven. I need the inspiration.
6:15am exiting the freeway onto 5th street. Traffic. Damn. I'm glad I'm early.
6:30am park, get on elevator, exit onto street. Sh.t I didn't make a note of where I parked. Oh well. I'll deal with it on the way back. Bathroom. Yes!
6:45am Sucess! :)
6:55am reach start line after a 4 block easy warm up and stretch. I'm ready. I hear the national anthem. It must be time.
7:00am shot gun goes off. Here we go....takes me about 10 minutes to actually cross the start line but who's counting?
Mile 0--Feeling awesome, music playing loud, I'm going to rock this!
Mile 1--Adrenaline is still high, 25 to go. Woo hoo!
Mile 2--Damn runners, stay on your lane! I can't get through this shit fast enough. I'm on fire, don't you see it?
Mile 3--Water? Who needs it?
Mile 4--Long sleeve shirt comes off. I'm burning here.
Mile 5--Hills, what hills? Look at me fly right thorugh Potrero. All that hill training paid off.
Mile 6--More climbing. What?
Mile 7--Ok, I'm feeling this. I see a sign that reads: "She didn't give up, will you?" Cry.
Mile 8--Just about the first third of this race. More hills coming. I'm slowing down. Panic hits.
Mile 9--Holy Mary, mother of God. This hill never ends. Sh.t.
Mile 10--Enter Golden Gate park. We will lose the half marathoners in 2 miles. Yes, finally some room in this b.tch
Mile 11--I want to walk
Mile 12--What if I just do the 1/2. I still get the t-shirt and necklace
Mile 13--Bring out the tylenol
Mile 14--I'm feeling puky
Mile 15--I start gearing toward right, I'm going to vomit
Mile 16--Walk. Eat more blocks. Breath
Mile 17--Finally out of the park, running along the coast. This is why I love San Francisco
Mile 18--Let the countdown begin. My body is breaking down, I can feel it.
Mile 19--7 to go! Who said the second half of this sh.t is flat. It's a steady fuckin incline. Ugh.
Mile 20--6 to go! I can do this, just one more hour. Is that blood running down my leg? I'm losing my womb God damn it! Oh, it's just sweat dripping. Phew!
Mile 21--5 to go! I begin to walk and I tell myself I'm going to walk at every mile marker. I gain motivation
Mile 22--4 to go! Can someone wheel me in? Whose idea was this? I'm never doing it again. This sucks!
Mile 23--3 to go! Finishing loop around Lake Merced. One more hill ahead and then they promise a downhill to the finish line.
Mile 24--2 miles to go! I look at my Garmin and it tells me I've been running for 3:50 which means I can probably finish by 4:10. I speed up.
Mile 25--1 to go! I run as fast as I can but it's a mere 10 minute mile pace. My face feels hot, my legs are stiff, I can't feel the rest of my body. I must keep going, I must keep going. Fuck! I walk.
Mile 26--I see the finish line, I see the finish line, I see the finish line.
Mile 26.1 I did it! Big sigh. Laugh. Cry. My necklace, I can't forget that.
Best quote: "She didn't quit, will you?"
Inspirational quote: "If you hurt by 10 miles you are in trouble. If you hurt by 20 you are normal. If you don't hurt by 26, you are abnormal."
Reciting mantra: This is my race and my pace.
Join me next year. It was an amazing race. Thanks for all the support. Off to enjoy my celebratory dinner. Can you guess what it is? :)
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