I Did It! (Well, Sorta)

I survived the longest run of my life!  Here's how it went:

All week, rain and chilly temperatures were forecasted so I was pretty nervous.  Turns out, we had absolutely perfect running weather!  It was in the high 50s to start and got up somewhere in the mid-high 60s.  The sun even peeked its head through a bit.

I slept better this year than last year.  The last time I remember looking at the clock, it was almost 1:00 AM.  Last year, I think I went down to the couch around 3.

We woke up bright and early, tried to force down some breakfast, and met friends at 5:45.  We fought the traffic together and found parking spots within walking distance.  (Irritating:  they advertised free parking throughout the entire downtown area.  Two of our running buddies were charged $5 to park!  One had to leave because he had no wallet with him and the other said she only had $3.  They accepted it and let her park.  I think that's ridiculous!)

We found our first leg partner, who got there before we did.  We also ran into several other friends who were running the half (one who was fatter than me- ha ha).

It took a total of nine minutes for everyone to even begin.  Isn't that wild?  There were so many people, so much cheering, so many cow bells, and even people beating on pots and pans.

Next, Hubby and I walked to our relay point because we were both running the same leg.  Then we waited.  And waited.  We got to see the lead runners, who were keeping a 5-minute pace!  One was local, one was from Kenya.  I had to pee several times from all the hydration.  Don't ya just love porta pots?

Hubby's teammate arrived.  He took off and I knew I still had more waiting.  Finally, it was my turn.  I didn't see my partner, I just heard a moan and the word, "She!"  She crashed to the ground due to a blown out knee.  I grabbed my snap bracelet and took off.  I didn't feel ready, even after all the waiting.  I had only half-heartedly stretched.

Almost immediately, I had a huge downhill.  I know you're supposed to pace yourself but I briefly felt like a little kid again.  I ran down the hill as fast as my legs would go without tripping and falling foward.  Looking back on it, I'm actually shocked that I didn't fall flat on my face!

Let's skip ahead...mile 5 for me.  Yowzers, this is harder than I thought!  I hadn't stopped to walk yet, even through water stations.  Finally, I had to slow my pace.  I was beginning to feel sickish and didn't want to pass out.  Unfortunately, once I crashed, I never got my second wind.  The next few miles were sheer torture.  I missed the carb gel handoff and wished I had made a way to get some.  I ran, I jogged, I walked.  I prayed and asked God to get me through this.

Finally, my iPod (with Nike+) said I had one km to go!  I could do this!  I picked back up my pace and talked myself into running the rest of the way.  It counted down, "500 meters.  400 meters.  200 meters."  I was almost done!  Then finally, my iPod said, "Congratulations!  You have reached your 10K destination!"  What the heck?  If I've reached my destination, where in the world is my handoff partner?  I kept running until I saw The Hill.  Dear glory, there was no way I was making it up that thing running.  So I walked.  Again.  This was the fourth time.

I know my story is long so I'll get to the end.  I eventually reached the relay point, feeling closer to death than ever before in my life.  I handed off and sunk into the arms of my waiting husband.  My eyes actually filled up with tears as I embraced the intense exhaustion that consumed me.  I walked slowly, grabbed a bottle of water, then immediately boarded a bus.  Of course, every seat was taken so I had to stand for the 20 minute drive to the finish line.

So I did it.  I finished.  I wasn't able to run the entire leg but I made it through.  According to my iPod (whom I am quite ticked at) I ran 11.51 km in 1 hour, 12 minutes, and kept a pace of 10 min., 6 sec. per mile.  Not true.  I actually ran 10 km in 1 hour, 12 minutes.  If my math skills serve me well, that's almost 11 1/2 minutes per mile.  Weak, I know.  But it was all about finishing for me.  And I finished.

So next year, do I take on the longest relay leg or am I just kidding myself?  :)  Thanks for reading my long story.  I know it's probably boring for you but I am really glad to have it documented here.  Run on!