This Race Is L - I - C - K - E - D !!!!

Sleep escaped me. I mean, Bam coughing (oh did I mention the obnoxious cough he came down with in Miami) and Hun's snoring aside, I just could not get a good night's sleep.

I set my phone to go off at 3:45, but of course I was already awake before then. By the way, to the makers of LG phones - do you have to make the LCD screens so friggin' bright. I swear my eyeballs were burning.

I got my running gear on and makeup. Oh, yes, I put on makeup before a 13.1 mile run. I mean, how crappy do I have to look? Truth be told though, I probably looked worse with the makeup, seeing as I put it on in the dark. I did not want to wake Hun and Bam, because I am a kind and considerate wife and mother. So I also got down on the extremely cold tile floor near the bathroom area (away from the carpeted sleeping quarters) to do my stretching, so as not to wake the family. That woke the rest of me up as soon as I sat down.

I double checked that all the baby gear and formula and clothing was all in place for Bam, as Hun was to get him ready at 6 something and get to the spectator shuttle by 7:30. I would already be running by then.

I ate a banana and a granola bar and drank a full 16 oz bottle of water as I waited in the lobby with the other members of "Team Lifeline" just before 4:30 when we would board the shuttle to the start line.





A whole bunch of us Chicago to Miami marathoners at 4:30 AM
Don't we look bright eyed and bushy tailed?


My feelings at this point, and pretty much all the way through the end of the race, were neutral. I can't really explain it. I was not nervous. I was not overly excited. I was not scared. I was not anxious. I just ...... was.

I embarked the shuttle and arrived outside the arena and walked casually along with my friend Rayli as if I was going ..... anywhere. I could have been walking into a mall, or a concert, it did not matter what exactly I was about to do, there was no noticeable emotion to make any distinction to me between running a half marathon and walking upstairs to take a shower.

We exited the shuttle and noticed all the lines in front of porta potties and then we came up with the brilliant idea to run across the street to the "Holiday Inn" and use a proper, working, flushable toilet. And obviously many before us had the same idea because that bathroom stench was just the same as a porta potty. But at least I did not have to worry about accidentally glancing down a hole and seeing way more than I needed to.

I went with Rayli to check in her gear (which was nice of me, considering I specifically brought nothing with me because I did not want to spend time at gear check) and then we had to find our starting corrals.

We went looking for corral "J" but saw no one else from "Team Lifeline" and then finally noticed the entire team at the start line. A picture of the entire team was about to be taken and we showed up just in time to be hardly seen on the far right end, but we are in the shot nonetheless.

If you look all the way to your left and find the black and white "White Sox" hat, then you have found me. It's like playing "Where's Waldo"...

So

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

So after this shot was taken we broke off and went off to our pre-determined starting corrals (which meant really going to the pre-determined corral of a friend who was one letter ahead of me) and we waited.

We waited for someone to sing the national anthem, we waited through hype and a whole lot of yelling and cheering. And we waited as random beach balls were thrown around and more specifically, I waited for one huge beach ball to whack me in the head and snap my neck back, which is like my "Achilles". I mean seriously, I had no idea how much pain a huge, oversize beach ball could cause to the weakest spot on my body. Did I need to get taken out before the race even started?

At 6:15 some smoke shot out of the starting line and some confetti fell and whoever was at the edge of the start line was now crossing it. It took almost 20 more minutes until those of us from corral "J" were crossing the start line and then it took way more time for me to be able to run without stepping on the heels of hundreds of other runners.

The humidity was ghastly. It was not a factor I could prepare for. I had been training in 32 degree extremely dry weather. I was running over two hours straight without the need to stop for any water. But the humidity took me out before the race even began. I also had to somehow become an expert at the art of weaving in and out of people, another factor that did not exist during training. I stopped (meaning, slowed down, not actually stopping) at every water station and grabbed two cups of water. One I drank and one I poured over me, many times directly in my face. Did you ever abruptly throw water in your face. It causes you to immediately shut your airway from the water and then gasp a deep breath and it would totally wake me up and invigorate me.

The problem came at mile 4. The sun was up and the humidity had dispersed, the air was cool and now there was even a crisp breeze. But, due to all the water I had been throwing on myself, I suddenly felt cold and as if I had the chills, like fluish. But I was immediately distracted from my chills by the extremely "flamboyant" spectators in this part of town. Let's just say, I would not be able to guess the average female to male ratio in this part of town because there was much gender confusion.

And on I ran.

I did not feel pain in any specific part of my body. I did not feel cramping. I did notice that every time I slowed down at a water station, my knees felt stiff in that small moment that I began to pick up speed again. I never once stopped at a porta potty.

In Chicago, I averaged between 11-12 minute miles. I was not certain that I was still at that pace at miles 7 and 8. Whoever said Miami was completely flat, totally lied. We had to cross many small bridges. I was slow going up and tried to make up for it coming down, but I know I also lost time because the bridges were grated and it was a really awkward feeling on the feet to run over the grated area.

At mile 10, the father of Koppie (the boy, in whose memory I was running) and I spotted each other. He was a spectator and his wife was walking the race somewhere behind me. But I slowed down for some picture taking...




Yup! That's me at mile 10. And I am still smiling.


And on I ran.

I have to say, I pretty much ran the entire way. I think I walked for a minute, a total of three times , somewhere between miles 9 and 11 just so I could re motivate myself.

But when I saw Hun and Bam somewhere after mile 12, just before mile 13 (after stopping again for a photo op) I was completely reinvigorated, just in time for my last mile plus.

Hi Hun!!!


And then I entered this area called "The mile 13 chute".

It was like running under an inflatable arch all the way to the finish line.

I DID IT!!!!

I crossed that finish line and I was still standing.

Okay, so my time totally and utterly sucked.

My main goal was to finish under the official allotted time of 3 hours,
which I did.

I was not expecting better than 2:45 because I knew that I never pushed myself past a pace of 5.3.

I knew my friend Rayli who usually ran at a pace of 6.0 would totally beat me.

I came in at about 2:53 chip time (the time from crossing the start line to crossing the finish line), 17 tragic minutes after my friend Rayli.

But, I was the second to cross the line out of all the Chicago members of "Team Lifeline". And there were still thousands of people who came in after me.

And now I have a time to beat.

(It's just slightly pathetic when at the same time you are finishing a half marathon, there are also those that are finishing the full marathon .... just saying.)

I got myself a medal and went off to find the "Team Lifeline" tent.

All I had at the tent was half a granola bar and just a few sips of Powerade and still had no need for a bathroom. ..... because all my fluid found its way to my face and fingers. My hands were so swollen from fluid retention, I never even had fingers that size in any of my pregnancies.

And I went off to look for Rayli, and to my dismay, she was slightly "weathered" after the race. So I decided to get into nurse mode and help her out (help her now, make fun of her later).

I was very happy we did not have to peel her off the pavement, just had to pick her up off the grass.


After we revived her with some ice to the neck, Hun, Bam, and I walked with her to get her gear, so that we could then walk seven more blocks to get to the shuttle back to the hotel.

The irony-
we just WILLINGLY completed a 13.1 mile run and now we were reluctantly dragging ourselves seven more blocks to catch our ride home .

AND SHE'S UP!!!
(I know Rayli, but if we can't laugh now, when can we laugh?)


So, I am officially a half marathoner. My kids can talk about me one day when I am old and wrinkly and say,

"Remember when Ma was in her prime and she was able to run 13.1 miles .... who wants the medal when she croaks???"

I am so ready to do this again.