The Epic Saga - Miles One through Five

Mile One

We started moving and as I had been warned by friends, there is just no way to run that first mile. Just way too many people. But I'm glad because it gave me a chance to really savour the moment!! It was really dark and probably cold, though I didn't feel it at the time. My family was going to be waiting at the Jamba Juice Cheer Location at Mile 0.4 -- except the route never passed by there!!! Luckily they were paying attention and relocated themselves.




Catch the great shirts and signs?? All thanks to my wonderful SIL who was the Head Cheerleader!! If it wasn't for her, my cheering section would not have been quite as cheerful :)





It was so still and quiet as we approached the Embarcadero.


Miles Two and Three
Still walking...though this is when we begin to pick up our pace and start to run. We move to the left in order to pass the walkers. Pretty cold still so I decide NOT to check my long sleeve shirt at the coat check at Mile 2.5. I figure that I'll just chuck it at some point along the route. (As it happens, I never do get rid of it because the temperatures stay pretty cool all day and I alternate between hot and cold later on.)

Amy pulls ahead around now. This is not uncommon as she often starts out faster than Missy and I do. We guess how long it will take to catch up with her...


Miles Four and Five
We run along Fisherman's Wharf. It is so early that we actually see the baker at the Boudin Bakery hard at work on those sourdough rounds and baguettes. Missy takes his photo and he seems thrilled to have several thousand women wave to him as he starts his day.

We go through the Presidio which has a little rough terrain. Mostly because the sprinklers are on full-blast and the paved route is soaked. So Missy and I opt to brave the unpaved grass and bushes on the other side of the drenched path. Coach Bob had warned us to keep our shoes dry no matter what the cost. And so we did.



Coming next: the dreaded San Francisco hill

The Epic Saga Continued

The Start

The wake-up call startled me out of sleep at 4:10am. It was easy to get dressed as I had left everything by the side of the bed. Felt sort-of like a fireman, really. Just had to jump right in.

I had told my family not to meet me in the lobby and it was the right decision. I was really pretty nervous in that funny way that I get sometimes. Can't sit still. Can't stop talking. Irritable. You get the picture.

PC came down with me mostly because I needed his wallet! Breakfast was available for purchase and I had no intention of running with a bunch of change in my Batman belt. Half a bagel, Gatorade, and a banana was the perfect way to start the day.

We were all just milling about and I'm not certain if that was a good way to get rid of the nervous energy or it just created more of it. Check out all the reflective material in the lobby!

The hotel was just a couple of blocks from the starting line so it made sense to walk and use that as a brief warm-up. We got to the start area and it was a little chaotic. Since we knew that our pace was pretty slow, Team Tortoise had elected to do the early start. I am so very grateful that we did -- and for several reasons. First of all, had we done the 7am start, it would have taken us about 30 minutes to actually cross the start line.




Do you see how far back we would have been?? We would have been in that grey area towards the back and would have missed the inspirational stuff leading up to the actual start. I'll address some of the other benefits of the early start at a later point.

Anyway, we hung out a bit and then one of the other girls & I went to check in our bags. Gave me a last chance to whip out my Body Glide and prevent chaffing. Rule of thumb: any place than can chafe will chafe!

Only TNT (Team-in-Training) participants had the option of the early start. So imagine a huge sea of purple...

Carol Lewis, Hall-of-Famer and Olympic Long-Jumper, was the emcee at the start line and she really got us pumped up. She called out all the TNT teams by chapter and then we counted down together.

Next up: The Miles

Think you know me??

There are so many people in my current life who have known me since I was a very, very young girl.

How well do you actually know me??

Take this quiz & find out:

The Randomness of the Rivster!

Good luck!


Credit Notes: Many thanks to PepGiraffe for introducing this idea to me. I've know PG her entire life and still scored miserably. 'Course, I don't test well ;)

Whew...I did it!

It was awesome!! I am really sore and tired, but so happy.

Pre-Race

The Pasta Celebration was a little disappointing. I had envisioned a huge plate of plain spaghetti. Instead, it was three types of pasta in sauce. A little too heavy on the garlic, if you ask me. The bread was great. And there was plenty of food. But it just wasn't what I had wanted for the night before the race.

I was surrounded, however, by some of the most supportive people in the world. You already know that I was with MrsGiraffe, PC, ActorBro, SIL, and JockBro. Rounding out the table were Missy and her SO and Amy and her SO. We are the most spirited three-some there is!!




After the dinner, our entire team met for a brief last-minute meeting. Mostly instructions...not too much rah-rah. We could have used more rah-rah, if you ask me. Took pictures and then headed back to the hotel.

Team Tortoise had a brief meeting in the lounge in order to plan where our supporters would be along the route. To be honest, this started making me nervous and I though I was going to freak out. So I left the map with them and headed back to the room. Nerves were really getting a hold of me, and I knew that I needed to start getting my stuff ready for the next day.

Note to self: in the future, prepare race stuff before that pasta dinner not after the dinner.

I pulled out everything I was going to need for the next day. There really is something theraputic about the process. It was reassuring to lay out each item and make order out of things when inside all I felt was chaos. I set out my clothes my very supportive husband did too.



I filled my bottles with Gatorade and water and stuck them into the ice bucket. Needless to say, I was not the only one with that brilliant idea. The ice machine on our floor was completely out of ice and I went to the 9th floor in search of some.

I ordered my wake-up call and then listened to my relaxing playlist on the iPod. It must have worked because I quickly fell asleep and to my surprise, slept quite well.


Coming in the next installment: The Start and The Miles

All Hail the Running Rabbit

Yes, you read that correctly. All along the route I heard, "great job, Running Rabbit," "go for it Robbie," "looking good Robin." And I would just mutter, "rabbi. It says rabbi." Once-in-a-while, I heard someone say "Shalom," which I though was pretty funny.

Well, faithful readers -- I did it! I am now a marthoner. I am also a very, very sore marathoner. I will go into more details tomorrow because, as you might guess, I am one very tired girl. However, let's just say that I'll be coming home with a slight limp. I really strained my IT muscle. That is the iliotibial band that runs from the hip and extends to the outer side of the tibia. It started to give be problems around mile 14, which made for a very long race! Rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories should help, but I'll be pretty sore for a few days.

It was an amazing day and I am still overwhelmed by what I've been able to accomplish. The Tiffany finisher's medal, while really cool, is just the icing on this cake. I did something today that only 1% of the population does, albeit a bit slower :)


I'll give full race details tomorrow and will post pix soon!

Comments

They are welcomed!!

When I visit other blogs and see that no one has commented, I think, "how sad. No one is reading this poor person's work."

And then I realized that people who read my blog must think the same thing.

So, please -- if anyone is reading this, please comment. If I was writing solely for the sake of writing, I'd just keep a journal!!

A wonderful way to spend the morning

s-l-e-e-p-i-n-g! What a treat to sleep in and not have to get up for an early Saturday morning run. Or to worry about the kiddies.

So ActorBro and I slept in. Went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch and then walked around through the Expo. THe Expo is actually not so impressive. Because this is Nike's Marathon, there are not the usual vendors here. Just three Nike tents. THe only highlight is the Godiva stand with free samples. Yummy!

PC, MrsGiraffe, JockBro, and SIL all arrived safely. MrsGiraffe took ActorBro to their hotel and I am going down for a much-needed nap!! Cool lotion for my tired feet (thank you Principal Brown!) and I'll be out in no time. I'll have much more to report after the Pasta Party tonight. Highlight -- keynote speaker, John Bingham.