T2: 8:09; 12th of 27 in AG
RUN: 26.2 miles in 4:37; 5th of 27 in AG
Splits: 9:46 m/m in first 7 miles
9:56 through first 14 miles
10:23 through first 20.5 miles
10:34 overall pace
FINISH TIME: 12:50:02, 12th of 27 in AG
T2 was indoors in the convention center. It was a long run in and out, but there were mats on the floor to help. I sat on the floor (knowing that leaning over in a chair would make me dizzy) and took my time. No rush, get it right! I used the indoor bathroom (first for any race I've done!) and headed out.
RUN: 2 out-n-back course on the River Walk, city streets, and on park paths around a lake. Aid stations about every mile, great volunteer support. Mostly shaded in the park, great running surface, and enough winding park paths to keep it interesting. Flat aside from 2 minor block-long hills right before mile 3.
Only 26.2 miles to go! The run started off with a kiss to DH who was just outside the convention center, then off to a short out-n-back. Back to the River Walk (should be called the River Jog or Run, LOL!) which was quite fun. The boards of the walk were soft, the turns broke up the routine, and being able to see the river and USS North Carolina battleship made the first few miles pass fast. Then a few blocks of brick and cobble stone before hitting a relatively ugly half mile with railroad tracks and street. But this section was made all the better by a wireless speaker playing my 2014 theme song. I sang out loud with Katy: "
Now I'm floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, I've earned my stripes". Then the first of 2 hills on the course, neither much of a hill but I walked them anyway. About 3 miles in we entered the park, a wide paved path with some bridges, tree rooted cracks, and little winding turns. Beautiful! And park signs telling park visitor's to not feed the alligators. ALLIGATORS?!
I fueled with EFS every 30 mins and drank as desired from my Camelbak handheld bottle. I stuck to plan of walking every mile and briefly in each aid station to refill the handheld. Without the garmin, I had to guess on the mile intervals so I went with every 10 minutes. In the end I only walked 15-20 seconds at a time for the first 13 miles. If I didn't feel the need to walk I didn't, but I was holding back my pace so as to conserve for later. I knew that mile 4 could feel great, but my mile 24 that could all change. Heck, by mile 14 it could all change! So slow it down and bee good!
The turn-around wasn't until 7.25 miles and I started getting some "where the hell is the turn-around?" anxiety. From race report recon, I knew the second loop was shorter than the first, but I couldn't get my head around the math for this turn-around. Calm down, slow down, just run it.
I'd written "Please wish me a Happy Birthday" on my bib number and tied some ribbon to it. I got a few wishes, but not many. The bib was hanging on my back, and apparently most runners weren't looking at my ass. Ha!! But I did get a few, and each one of them buoyed my spirits. The spectators and volunteers were great too, so much energy! Near the finish line a guy wearing a race medal and Finisher pajama pants cheered me by, that's what I'm running for!
The first lap sped by, I felt fantastic aside from wanting to throw up the Clif Shot Vanilla I'd just eaten. It didn't come up, nor did a follow-up shot of EFS, but they were burning the back of my throat. I burped a few times, that seemed to help. I kept drinking and rescheduled nutrition to every 40 mins until I felt better. As I headed towards Special Needs I passed the finish line party and saw Doritos in the food tent -- I was going to get me a bag of those when I'm done. Not to eat, of course!
At Special Needs I put on the bee tutu and headband. Volunteers laughed and helped me. I decided against wearing the shrug for warmth, even though it was getting dark I was comfortable and even sweating a little bit.
"I've got the eye of the tiger, a lion, dancing through the fire and I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar"
Back out for lap 2 and I spent the first mile or so trying to peel the damned label off the new EFS flask. Ugh! I needed it peeled so I could monitor the volume but I couldn't get it off. Fingernails too short to tear it. Teeth couldn't get ahold of it. Arg! Hint: next time, peel it
before the race. I looked for DH to see if he could help, but didn't see him. Thought about asking a volunteer but didn't to stop. Besides, it was a distraction. Those would come in handy now. I got it off about 2 miles later.
Across the tracks, up the hills, into the park. By now it was dark. Fewer people were able to see the bee costume, but knowing I had it on was enough for me. There was another runner wearing devil horns and a red tutu, we enjoyed seeing each other. But enough people saw the bee to give me some cheering and extra energy. Proof that having fun in these races can be a win-win for everyone.
My race math got bad as usual and I kept confusing the distances, thinking that the race was 25 miles instead of 26. This was a pervasive thought, and along with the unmatched first and second loop mileages I kept getting confused. But the miles came by fast, sometimes surprising me as I caught view of a sign. I was happier to walk 30-40 seconds per mile by now, not because of fatigue but because I was getting stutter-steppy and wobbly. Some areas of the path were very dark I didn't want to trip over a root in the path. Focusing on the path, looking for trip hazards, and staying on path distracted me but at the same time drained my mental energy.
I caught sight of the first quarter moon, bright and clear and silvery in the western sky. I took a few moments to Appreciate it, then kept going.
I passed lots of walkers in the last miles, and saw at least 3-4 people talking or chatting on cell phones. One guy was stopped with cramps. Another runner was being treated by EMT's. And many many more heading out for another loop. As usual in these races, I felt like the only runner still running. Most people didn't reply when I said "good job" so I quit saying it to everyone.
Two other notes -- in the bike I started a game of collecting the Clif Shots from the aid stations to see how many I ended up with by the end. Some I ate but most I didn't. LOL, I had Clif Shots stuffed everywhere it seemed, and even had to unload some into my Special Needs Run bag! Second, I needed something solid to eat and the craving was getting a bit much. My options included bananas and oranges. I tried an orange at mile 8 but it didn't work for me and I tossed it after a few licks. I moved on to Clif Blocks. I didn't train with them and when I tried a few earlier on the bike it didn't feel too good going down. So what I did was grab a half package from the aid station, squeeze one out, chewed on it a bit, then spit it out. Gross, I know. And they tasted awful. I made sure to not spit around other runners. I didn't spit all of them, but most. To my surprise it helped and satisfied that odd must-chew craving I had.
20 miles, 21 miles, 22 miles... they ticked by fast. It felt better to jog than it did to walk due to tired muscles but I still forced at least a brief walk. I had concerns about stutter-stepping on the cobblestones ahead - I'd be easy to remember as the Bee that fell before the finish line. Mile 23 had the "We've Got Salt" tent that I'd passed by before. This time I stopped to see what they had. Why not? Turns out they had a thumb-licking salt delivery tube -- cool! But not for this race. Sure only 3 miles to go but 'nothing new on race day' is the rule. Besides, licking my thumb after all it had been exposed to today...ew...
Down the hills, over the tracks, past the last aid station, to the cobblestones, everyone is cheering! OMG here it was, the day is almost over and the finish line is within site! I weaved to the side to collect as many high-fives as I could and found DH. I stopped for a kiss, OMG it was so great to see him there!! Stopping to see him was worth the few seconds over 12:50 :)
FINISH TIME 12:50:02
Run Review: Nailed it. I managed my pace, adjusted nutrition as needed, and had FUN. That was my goal!
The post race festival was upbeat but not obnoxiously loud which I appreciated. Volunteers took my chip, handed me a mylar, offered water, gave me a medal and pajama pants. I finally got to eat some oranges. Got my bag of Doritos. Tupelo Honey was being played by the band -- one of my songs!
I was feeling great, no soreness or pains aside from some worry about the neck chafing. DH had already collected Frea and the gear bags, so all that was left was Special Needs Run (and all the Clif Shots I'd put in there from the first lap, LOL). The volunteers there remembered the bee costume and kept cheering me. What a great group of volunteers, where do they get the energy?!
I did great the rest of the night, to my surprise I was able to eat. We stopped at a CVS to get some ointment for my neck, then at a Jason's Deli for some solid food, can't believe I was able to eat solid food from a salad bar. Of course I wore my bee costume and mylar inside both stores :)
I was tired but not sleepy, and I was still chattering away about everything that happened. Around midnight-thirty I lamented that my birthday was over, it went by so fast! DH pointed out that I'd been up since 4:30am, that I'd milked the day for all I could. True :) What a great birthday!!
