Today's race report should actually start yesterday.... We spent the day knowing that we would go to bed early. So we had plenty of carbs and fat at the Chinese buffet and everything was going as planned. We were finished with our pizza dinner early and in bed by 7:30 as planned so that I could get as close to 7 hrs as possible. Well, apparently I was acting 'weird' yesterday and my husband asked whats wrong, thus opening the faucet of tears that was just waiting for their monthly release. I finally got to sleep around 10:30-11, I think, I refused to look at the clock. Down to 4 hrs now....then i woke up at 2:30, rather than 3am.... so 3.5-4 hrs of sleep. This did NOT keep me from bounding out of bed feeling like I got a whole night's rest.
I warmed up yesterday's coffee like I always do and started getting ready when my husband go up too. (Did I mention after he turned on the faucet, he fell asleep!?! LOL...so he was well rested). Jeanine showed up right on time and we chatted as we always do for the 90+ minute drive to New Smyrna. She was coughing and said she had been taking alka-selzer but she was chipper enough. The restaurant was already hoppin' at 5am, but since Holly had picked up our bib's, we waited for Holly and SueAnn to get there to get our chips & shirts. THAT made the hour go by really quick.
We lined up in the dark street seconds before the sirens went off! This was the smallest race group that I have ever been part of. I could have sworn that we started off in the back, and ended in the back, but somewhere along the way (had to have been the first mile or two) we apparently passed a few people. We held our place within sight distance of the person in front of us as we winded our way through neighborhoods. The first port-o-let was sighted at mi 4.5. Jeanine never requests a turn, so I passed it up and carried on alone through mi 7.5 where I found the next potty, Jeanine caught up with me, and we ran in together.
Now when I say, 'run in' - we actually had to pass the finish line for the second half out and back. I would like to say this was the worst part of the run, but since I had already started slapping my seizing up thighs, the last 9 miles were MISERABLE. I was running at a slightly faster pace than Jeanine, but she was right behind me.
Luckily the last half was much more scenic than the first half. Somewhere around mile 11 or 12 was a beautiful natural park to run through. Miles 14-16 were actually on the boardwalk that went out to the ocean, fabulous views of the beach and the lighthouse on the inlet...I mean it was really gorgeous! I stopped to take a couple of photos! :) I looked behind me to find Jeanine, but apparently she was having as much trouble as I was because I did not see her. Onward, right?! UGH, by the time I got off the boardwalk I was sure I was not going to be able to run anymore. I was back on the street and shale rock ground (sand, basically) and I was seriously ready to throw in the towel. I thought about calling my sweet husband. He always knows the perfect thing to say to me to pull me through everything. But I didn't want to look like a whiny baby, so I didn't call. And I trudged/limped on, slapping my thighs, walking through water stations, wondering if the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was the finish line or heaven, because I felt as though my legs would fall off and I would die.
I was honestly counting down the last mile by the HUNDREDTH. I passed SueAnn and Holly who were cheering me on and taking pictures that I absolutely could not pose for...but seeing their smiling faces and having them on my side gave me just enough to make it the other .25 mi. I didn't die, but for the first time ever, when I saw the finish line, I couldn't give it anymore then I already was. The Garmin read 3:14:45 in 18.86 mi.
Jeanine was there at the finish line waiting for me. She was in bad shape and didn't get to finish. We met up with S&H and limped to the truck where she let me borrow the stick, and then we just came home.
I would love to be positive right now, but honestly, that was the most torture I have ever endured. I'm glad its over... I'm glad I had an organized pre-marathon distance event to 'practice' as it was necessary to get a glimpse of what I am facing in a real race...but at the same time I'm glad that the rest of my distance training runs will have my regular stop intervals :D
6 51 211 Chandra Claycomb 35 Palm Bay FL 3:16:59 10:35
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