Half Marathon Moments

I survived!!! I've accomplished what I've been training for since last August. I know - long training time, but I did it!! There are several things that I've learned as well as observed during this major event that I'll share with you. First of all, marathoners (the real dedicated, live, breathe, eat, run type) are a different breed. I attended the EXPO the day before the big run because that was where we had to pick up our little numbers and shoe tags (to keep track of our times). There were people there from ALL walks of life. You could tell the real serious ones. It was almost like you were LUCKY if you were a fat cell in their body. The few fat cells that survived in those people must be either made of steel or overlooked.

Out in front of the EXPO they had all the mile markers set up. Needless to say, most of the people were taking their pictures in front of the 13 mile marker. Hardly a person I saw ventured to the 26 mile one. I wondered if that was in my future, but won't think about it till I finish this one.

I picked up my number and it was a good one. Very easy to remember. The red strip is the thing you attach to your shoe that records when you step over the cable and how long it took you to get there. Pretty cool.

Here's part of my cheering squad. Bryan carted them around amidst 10s of thousands of people - really. It was THAT crowded. One lesson learned was that next time maybe I'll carry my cell phone - even though that's an extra couple ounces that I really don't need jostling at my hips. That's another thing. I didn't want to be bothered by pants during this run because I can't feel the breeze on my legs and they feel like they weigh me down. I opted for my running skirt, but you can just imagine when your shorts underneath ride up while running 13 miles. Ya, if any of you have more ample thighs you can picture the end result. I wondered about posting that, but if my honesty can help anyone thinking of doing something like this, I'll mention it.

And here's the oh so flattering shot Bryan took right before I crossed the finish line. About 2 miles before this I had actually seen Riva, Cheryl and Mikayla cheering me on. That was such an encouragement, especially because I felt like I was running out of gas. There they were, cameras and all, waving at me from the sidelines. It was so special to see them there. After that, though, it felt like FOREVER before I reached that finish line. What's funny is that about a half mile before reaching the finish line, I think the competitive nature kicks in and you all of a sudden want to beat the people around you. Here you are running 12.5 miles and for the last little bit you feel like beating your opponents....ya, bizarre.

Here's me with my finisher surfboard medal. If I have to be honest, that was a big reason to do it. Hey, cool medals are worth running for, right? Here are a few observations from yesterday:

- I have never seen so much spit on the pavement in my LIFE during a 2 hour span.

- I have never seen so many people blow their nose onto the street in my life period.

- Don't try to drink and run at the same time. It doesn't work.

- Gummy whatevers that are supposed to give you energy, just end up sticking to your teeth and requiring more energy to suck out for the next mile.

- There are quite a few unique leg tattoos out there....one being '13.1' tattooed on the back of a woman's knee.

- The less you wear, the easier it is to run??? Some people thought that, but my thighs would NOT agree.

- No, you won't die at the 10th mile, even though you think you will.

- There are many variations and styles of running. They include the Shuffle, the bike-rider and the tiptoe-er.

- Some people can actually carry a conversation while running together...quite loudly.
- You may be spread out during a straight run, but when there's a turn, you find yourself bunched together very tightly as close as possible to the inside.

There are many more, but these are some of the funny things I noticed. It was fun and very challenging. Good job to Steve Tierney and my friend Kristine, too. Way to go guys!!!