She’s a Maniac… The 1/2 Recap

I know.. you’re all in udder anticipation and dying to know how the race went, right?? Well, to be honest, it was one of the most exciting things I have ever done… scary, hell yes! nerveracking, but of course! And more importantly, the biggest physical endeavor I have ever conquered!

Here is my neverending recap from one of my top 10 life experiences:

I woke-up jumped up like a madwoman at 5AM {umm, not like I slept at all the night before anyways}, got showered so I could look my best {yeah right}, stretched for 15 minutes, ate breakfast which consisted of frosted wheat and 1/2 a banana, and then made Jeff rise-and-shine to take me to the starting line.

Of course, panic mode set in when I realized I had left my handy dandy Garmin at home so we quickly made a U-turn back to the house so I could get my running companion. Nevertheless, another bump in the road when I found out the race had been moved up 15 minutes due to the rain storm that was fast approaching so I made my way to the front of the line and hit the road running with my corral, #11.

Which by the way–words cannot express the anticipation and excitement I was feeling at that very moment. The music is blaring, there are announcers over intercoms pumping everyone up, and it’s as though everyone is on Cloud 9 because they are so excited… greatest feeling in the world!

So they pull the trigger for us to start and I turn on my iPod–with my brand new 1/2 marathon mix–to get MY party started =). The weather feels great, there are loads of energized people around me, and the sun is actually shining. Unfortunately, fear set in quickly because I realized I was running at an 8:30 pace the first 2 miles which meant I was going to slow down and F A S T. Oh well… a little lesson I learned from my 1st race so I know better next time.
Overall, the first 4 miles of the race were easy–my adrenaline was so high that I couldn’t slow down…plus, with so many spectators standing next to the streets to cheer everyone on, who couldn’t be in a great mood?
My friends and family set up their first cheer site between miles 5 and 6. I was so nervous I wouldn’t hear or see them, but luckily, my Mother, being even louder than I am, was screaming at the top of her lungs so there was no mistaking who she was there for =)

After running through Belmont, I started getting a little bit tired… ugh oh! I whipped out my Sport Beans and took a few to ease the stomach cramps–this worked and after a few {well maybe more than a few} minutes of walking, I was back at it. I have to say, this part of the race was the hardest for me… it felt like I was never going to make it to the last few miles. There were, however, some great spectators/cheerleaders/neighbors giving away wine, beer, coffee, doughnute–yes, I said doughnuts. It was hilarious and encouraging because I knew I was going to spoil myself that afternoon with some majoy recovery food, too =)
Once we started winding back through downtown, I knew we were in the homestretch. That’s when the pain and nausea set in… and though this may be a little bit TMI, I had to make a pit stop at the side of a street and “get rid” of some of that acid juice burning a hole in my stomach– unfortunately, it physically made me sick and all that hydration came back out via the mouth {sorry for the descriptiveness there, but wanting to tell it like it is}. So once I felt better, and yes that helped TREMENDOUSLY, I was nearing mile 11 and I knew the stadium AKA the finish line was nearing… that’s when I got my 142d wind and picked it up again with lightning speed to get this thing DONE!
Of course, at the finish line were my amazing friends and family–which made me the happiest girl in the world! Seeing their faces was the light at the end of a very long tunnel and they said I had the biggest grin on my face.

All in all, for my 1st race, I couldn’t have been more pleased with how I performed. I know some areas I can improve and I know that next time, I will be sticking to H20 rather than the fancy-schmancy Cytomax and I will MOST certainly monitor my pace a lot more closely so I can stay on track and not wear myself out too early.
Looking back, what a wonderful, crazy, tiring, and overall AMAZING day… I checked a big one of my “bucket list” and I know you’re sitting there wondering, “Will she do it again?”… all I can say is this: