I really can't believe it is over! 5 months of training and thinking about it, wondering if I could do it, and it all comes down to 6 hours on a chilly Sunday in San Francisco. I'm not going to lie- I was nervous. All I wanted to do was finish- I had so many people supporting me and cheering me on, so many people who had donated to LLS on my behalf- I didn't want to let anyone down. Mostly, though, I didn't want to let myself down- I KNEW I could do it, but so much of it was out of my control. I did the work, did the training, but who knows what kind of day you're going to have when it actually comes down to go time? All I wanted was a good day- the kind of day I had on our 21 mile run when I felt like I could run for days. But for the last week or so- while we've been tapering- I've had a little twinge in my left ankle and my left knee, so I've been a little nervous that I wasn't going to be able to get it done. I think that is the hardest part of the taper- I've been so used to running so consistently that when we started to taper, I didn't really know what to do with myself, and I wasn't running enough miles to test whether I was actually hurting, or if I was just imagining it. So I was nervous.
Pat and I got to San Francisco Friday evening and headed out to the Mission to have dinner with some friends of mine from A&M. Adrianne and I backpacked all over Europe together, and Abbie was my Martha's Vineyard buddy. I have shared adventures with both of them, and it was so great to catch up with them before I embarked on this next adventure. Abbie's awesome sister Aimee was also there, as was Abbie's man Steve. We had a great dinner and then hung out at Abbie's house- it was really good to catch up with old friends.
Saturday Pat and I got up and visited the Expo and picked up my race packet. It was a really fun atmosphere and made me feel like a serious athlete. Then we went in search of some Marathon swag- I wanted wearable proof that I had done the impossible. Unfortunately, Nike town was out of Smalls (which seems like a really bad purchasing decision on their part, given that this was a WOMEN'S marathon, and that, while this may be a gross generalization, I think it is safe to say that athletic women can tend to be smaller. First shot is the billboard on the side of NikeTown- it says "Congratulations to the 20,000 runners who raised $18 Million for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!" The second is me with my race packet, the last is me with my name on the sign.
Saturday night, we had a pre-race Pasta Party to carb load. It was pretty amazing- 5,000 TNT runners, all there as part of the same great cause. We had some great speakers- Joan Benoit Samuelson, John Bingham from runner's world, and a woman who has beat Leukemia several times and run 2 marathons- quite an inspiration. First photo is the Westside Team, then Pat & I, then running buddy Kimberly & I.
The next morning arrived bright and early- 4:30 AM to be exact! I am not the biggest morning person, but I didn't sleep that well the night before, so I was awake and ready to just get things going. We had to be in the lobby of the hotel at 5 AM for a lot of hurry up and wait- the actual race didn't start until 7, so there was quite a bit of nervous anticipation. Here are some shots of the getting ready process. First- me not looking quite so bright and shiny at 4:30 AM. Second, the shot of my Jersey- why I'm running. Third, me all bundled up and headed out the door.
More to come soon!
1 comment:
Can't wait to hear more!!! Love you, MOM
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