Finally race day had arrived! I woke up very well rested on Sunday morning. I checked the weather and saw that it was a bit warm, foggy, and very humid. Great, just great. I felt somewhat ready since I had trained in the Texas intensely hot summer.
I had packed my own food to have before the race even though my hotel offered free breakfast. You just never know what they will have and I wasn't up for experimenting that morning.
The race started at 7:30am. I left my hotel at 6:50ish. It was great staying within walking distance of the start line. I feel fortunate to have been able to book a room so close a month out from the race. I had a great slow walk to the start. Along the way I met another runner (no surprise) who has only been racing for a short time but has done a lot of races. We had a great conversation. Too bad I didn't think to get her name. Oh well.
The start area was filled with a plethora of people! I just couldn't believe it. I had a nice little walk to corral 22. I began to get really anxious and nervous. Luckily I started tweeting and all my wonderful twitter peeps helped keep me occupied.
The race started with the wave start corral system. I had a nice long wait before corral 22 was up. We had to make a turn onto the street where the start line was. Once we made that turn I became very excited. I tried to position myself towards the back of the corral but it didn't really work out so well. I ended up in the middle. Next up corral 22! On your mark...get set... GO!!!!!
Thanks to some tips from other runners I knew I needed to not gun it in the beginning. I started out on the outside and found my pace that I was at during training. I know everyone raves about the course but it really wasn't that exciting for me. I loved seeing all the spectators, cheerleaders, and kids along the course. I even high fived some kids. I was feeling good and couldn't believe I was doing it!
I settled into my pace. I felt great. I was praying that the sun would not come out and for a breeze. At some point, I thought I might be somewhat alone on the course since I am at a slower pace. Yeah right, that doesn't happen in a race with 30,000+ people. I had to dodge people every now and then when the road got smaller. Also, people should not run or walk in groups of 3 or more across. It's just rude and I hate having to go around you because you're taking up the road. *rant done*
I don't remember too much mile by mile details. I do know that when I got to mile 10 I was exhausted. The sun was out and it just wasn't pleasant anymore. My quads and hams were tingling and not very happy. I had to find a deep deep inner strength to push through. I had some water, GU, and Cytomax hoping to get a boost but nothing happened. I kept moving forward since I knew I was over halfway there.
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| I thought this pink crane was cool and different. |
Finally the finish!!! As soon as I crossed, I slowed down and I had tears in my eyes but then I was short of breath. I didn't know if I needed to cry or get some oxygen. I was a mess but I pulled myself together and got my medal!
Made my way through the craziness, got some water, a cold towel, and took my photo with my medal. I purchased some lovely merchandise in the finishers area.
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| Purchased shot glass, magnet, pin, finishers shirt , & the pink shirt was FREE |
Anywho, I walked the 1.5 miles back to my hotel cursing with each step. I thought about getting a cab but traffic was kind of thick so it was probably quicker (and cheaper) for me to walk.
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| Official Race Splits and Time |
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| Garmin splits |
Overall, I enjoyed this race! I am crazy and I actually like crowds and large events. I would definitely like to do the race again. The course support was great minus the GU station being empty and one Cytomax station being out of water. I had never drank Cytomax before and I must say that it is pretty darn good!
So now I am on to the next race which is in February.
