13.1: Success!

Sooooo...we did it!  Look at those shiny, heavy medals around our necks!  We are 13.1 veterans!  What a wonderful weekend filled with fun memories!

We enjoyed the beach (gorgeous, but windy),

good food,

got up crazy early

and earned this souvenir!

What I learned this weekend:

1.  Destination half-marathons (out of town) are tough (at least for us OCD newbies).

It was hard being out of my element.  There becomes a certain routine to dressing and fueling for long runs.  There was an added level of fear that I would forget something crucial (like putting Glide on my feet or putting gum in my fuel belt because I chew while I run), simply because I was living out of a hotel room.

It was hard not sleeping in my own bed.  Accomodations on Wrightsville Beach other than houses, that will accomodate a family of 5, are scarce.  We were packed in a 1 bedroom suite.  I slept on the sofa bed because I am a spoiled brat used to a King bed and cannot sleep in a Double bed with my husband!  I also slept on the sofa bed so I wouldn't wake anyone on race morning.  Sofa beds shouldn't even be called beds in the first place.  Heck, a cot is probably more comfortable than a sofa bed!  Needless to say, I did not get good sleep the two nights before race.

2.  Arrange for late check-out at hotel if you're leaving on race day OR better yet, don't even plan to check out on race day.

IF you insist on doing your first Half away from home & you have a history of long run tummy problems, DO NOT plan to check out and drive home on race day!  Dumbest choice I made.  I couldn't recover anywhere!  LeAnne and I both had a really hard time with our bellies post-race.  I needed to be somewhere to just chill, stretch, HYDRATE, and have access to a toilet (just keepin it real here - if you're a runner, you might know what I'm talking about).  I did NOT need to be cooped up in a car, toilet hunting on the desolate stretch of I-40 between Wilmington and Raleigh!  And I couldn't hydrate like I needed to, because I'd be needing the toilet even more.  Duh.  What was I thinking?  Clearly, lack of experience here. 

3.  Thank God for porta potties.

Just keepin it real.  Tough day yesterday on our bellies.  Still trying to figure out why.

Porta potties at the FINISH - avoid at all cost! 

4.  No more dragging the family along to destination races.  Girls' Weekends ONLY.

While our intentions were noble (wanting to have our families there to share our success), they were not practical.  It was a lot of added stress having the responsibility of being mom plus being a runner.  My kids were deliriously tired on Sunday, because of hotel sleeping (or the lack thereof).  I finished the race, felt horrible already, needed to stretch really well and attempt recovery, while they were there whining, "I want to go.  When are we going to go?"  Ahhhhhh.  My friend Catherine, who also ran this race with us, was smart and did not take her family.  She said post-race is like having the flu and you just need to be alone.  Ha!  If there's a next destination Half, it will be a girls' trip.   

5.  Large, barking dogs at 5:45am that look like they can jump the fence are scary.

Only LeAnne will appreciate this.  It was a dramatic start to our day as we were hiking it to the Start line.

6.  Mile 12 to 13.1 is the longest 1.1 mile EVER.

I did pretty good till 10 miles.  10 to 12 was tough.  I pushed really hard these two miles because I thought I could possibly finish under 2:15.  I thought mile 12 to the Finish line would never end!  I needed to know where that dang Finish line was, so I could pace and motivate myself.  But I swear even after what seemed like 50 turns in the Mayfair shopping complex, it was nowhere in sight.  Longest.Mile.Ever.  Next time, I will drive the dang course or memorize it from the map, so I know what to expect, expecially towards the end.

My favorite moments from the race:

• Running over one of the bridges on Wrightsville, just after crossing the Start line, seeing the sun rising over the ocean, surrounded by runners of all shapes and sizes.  One of my favorite songs came on - Titanium.  The lyrics inspire and motivate me:  I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away.  You shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium.  I felt the magnitude of what I was doing, gratitude for this body so wonderfully made by God, and of course race adrenaline, and I almost bawled my eyes out.
• Random girl who passed me during mile 10 who cheered me on, "You got this girl!  We're almost there!"
• LeAnne's text during mile 12.  She'd just finished and was cheering Ashley and I on.
• The song Carry On, by Fun, blared in my ears in the last mile:  May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground.  Carry on.  Carry on, carry on.  My head is on fire, but my legs are fine.  After all, they are mine. 
• Seeing my kids so excited to see & cheer for me at mile 12.75.

By far, the funniest memory of the entire weekend occured after the race.  Our husbands dropped us off at the hotel entrance before they parked the cars, so we could hurry up to our rooms (=toilets!).  We hopped on the one elevator that was working (other was closed for maintenance), packed full of people, doors closed.  Didn't move.  Didn't freakin move!  Doors wouldn't open!  I immediately had visions of very, very bad things happening!  As in - the need for toilets ASAP and anxiety attacks!  What felt like 30 minutes later, but was probably 5, the doors finally opened.  We got out.  And then took the only available route to our 9th floor rooms, NINE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS.  Yes, you read that correctly.  We walked NINE flights of stairs, AFTER running 13.1 miles.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  I'm laughing now!

So, the question that remains, is what triggered the downward spiral with our tummies?  I was 5 pounds less on the scale yesterday morning!  Zoinks!  Here's my list of possible culprits.  I think it's probably a little of all of the following:

• Anxiety - stomach butterflies started the night before
• A lot of fiber the day before - we eat pretty healthy and intake a lot of fiber.  Maybe a little less fiber and a little more carbs.
• Crappy sleep
• Shock of the race - the early wake-up & adrenaline our bodies aren't used to
• Advil before the race - we were trying to be preventive
• Hotter temp (60s) than we'd ever run in training; lots more sweat, loss of fluid/electrolytes
• Ditching my normal Gu electrolyte drink (bc I didn't want to run with hydration belt) and instead drinking water and 3 gulps of Gatorade at aid stations on the course.  You know what "they" say about not trying anything new on race day?  Well...guilty.  Ooops.
• Not being able to rehydrate/feed/rest my body the way it needed, because I was too busy checking out of a hotel and driving 2 hours home.

Summary:  It was awesome!  I never did get my runner's high, because my stomach and body so terribly revolted, but I am satisfied and proud.  The good news is, Lord willing, I will do it again.  I will just do some things differently next time.  Live and learn, friends!  Hopefully with a few more races, our bodies will adapt to race day and we will become seasoned veterans.

Shout out to my sweet friends LeAnne, Ashley and Catherine!  So proud of you girls!  I am thankful for each of you in my life. 

On to the Tar Heel 10 Miler,

Dawn