Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Hills Are Alive!
Why does one do a 1/2 Marathon, or even a full Marathon?
I asked myself this very question as I hit mile 11 at the San Diego 1/2 this weekend.
My husband Matt , Rachel, and I headed down to San Diego yesterday Saturday the 16th to pick up our bib numbers and pick up a some goodies at the expo. I got a cute new running skirt.
I also got a new pair a pink running glasses, and some pink socks to match. Overall I thought the expo did not live up to my standards. I was hoping for more then just, same ol same ol. I like seeing more women products and unique items.
We ate some yummy sandwiches at the hotel restaurant, and then headed to our hotel. We had quite the adventure to find it, we were all a little loopy by the time we actually made it there. We got to our rooms through our stuff down and rested before we headed to dinner. For dinner we went to Little Italy downtown and ate at a fabulous restaurant called Trattitoria Fantastico(I think that's how you spell it). It was pretty neat that we got to watch the women's Olympic marathon race while we geared up for ours. We then headed back to the hotel and hit the sack.
I didn't sleep all that well, and got up at 4am to head out by 5am. My wonderful husband got us to the shuttle just in the nick of time. The line of cars to the shuttle buses was a little nerve racking I wanted to jump out of the car and head up the hill to get in line. We waited till we got to the top of the hill and then I jumped out to get to the bus on time, but we just ended up having to wait in a sea of people just to get ON the bus!
We got on at about 6:15 and arrive at the starting point at 6:45. We got off and were overwhelmed with the amount of people that were there. It was crazy! I knew that there were over 7,000 people going to be there but I was expecting this. It was like being at Disney Land but all the people were in the same LAND!
We never heard a gun shot, we just followed everyone else across the time pad, (yes we had a chip so no worries) and they blasted music as we crossed, which was a lot of fun and motivating. We took off, the plan was to stay under 8:30 min miles all the way to mile 11 (it was part of our training), because I knew that there was a steep hill all the way to the finish after that. Rachel and I stayed together all the way through mile seven, and then I got major sunscreen in my eyes and couldn't see so I had to hit the water stand and rinse them out. After that I didn't see here, was kinda sad about that but I was determined to finish hard. The rest of the course was pretty flat and right along the ocean. Then we came to mile 11, I had done it! 8 min mile tempo 11 miles, now I could relax and cruise up hill.
I did just that but I wouldn't call it cruising. We started up a slight hill and then turned left to only hit an even bigger one. It was pretty crazy, people were walking, slowing down, and stopping. I was determined to finish hard and to not walk! Then I saw a shower garden thingy, and I ran through it and felt refreshed and ran up harder. I then made it to the flat last 1/4 of a mile, which ended on a bridge lined with flags and a whole lot of spectators, I felt kinda like a celebratie it was great, wish I could have seen my hubby. Once I saw the finish line I sprinted hard and when I crossed the line, they said my name and city, it felt sooo good! I was done!
I can't believe I do this for fun sometimes, but I don't think I do it for fun, I do it for the challenge. There are so few things in m life that truly challenge me, mentally, physically, and emotionally, but running does all three and I love it!
I asked myself this very question as I hit mile 11 at the San Diego 1/2 this weekend.
My husband Matt , Rachel, and I headed down to San Diego yesterday Saturday the 16th to pick up our bib numbers and pick up a some goodies at the expo. I got a cute new running skirt.
I also got a new pair a pink running glasses, and some pink socks to match. Overall I thought the expo did not live up to my standards. I was hoping for more then just, same ol same ol. I like seeing more women products and unique items.
We ate some yummy sandwiches at the hotel restaurant, and then headed to our hotel. We had quite the adventure to find it, we were all a little loopy by the time we actually made it there. We got to our rooms through our stuff down and rested before we headed to dinner. For dinner we went to Little Italy downtown and ate at a fabulous restaurant called Trattitoria Fantastico(I think that's how you spell it). It was pretty neat that we got to watch the women's Olympic marathon race while we geared up for ours. We then headed back to the hotel and hit the sack.
I didn't sleep all that well, and got up at 4am to head out by 5am. My wonderful husband got us to the shuttle just in the nick of time. The line of cars to the shuttle buses was a little nerve racking I wanted to jump out of the car and head up the hill to get in line. We waited till we got to the top of the hill and then I jumped out to get to the bus on time, but we just ended up having to wait in a sea of people just to get ON the bus!
We got on at about 6:15 and arrive at the starting point at 6:45. We got off and were overwhelmed with the amount of people that were there. It was crazy! I knew that there were over 7,000 people going to be there but I was expecting this. It was like being at Disney Land but all the people were in the same LAND!
We never heard a gun shot, we just followed everyone else across the time pad, (yes we had a chip so no worries) and they blasted music as we crossed, which was a lot of fun and motivating. We took off, the plan was to stay under 8:30 min miles all the way to mile 11 (it was part of our training), because I knew that there was a steep hill all the way to the finish after that. Rachel and I stayed together all the way through mile seven, and then I got major sunscreen in my eyes and couldn't see so I had to hit the water stand and rinse them out. After that I didn't see here, was kinda sad about that but I was determined to finish hard. The rest of the course was pretty flat and right along the ocean. Then we came to mile 11, I had done it! 8 min mile tempo 11 miles, now I could relax and cruise up hill.
I did just that but I wouldn't call it cruising. We started up a slight hill and then turned left to only hit an even bigger one. It was pretty crazy, people were walking, slowing down, and stopping. I was determined to finish hard and to not walk! Then I saw a shower garden thingy, and I ran through it and felt refreshed and ran up harder. I then made it to the flat last 1/4 of a mile, which ended on a bridge lined with flags and a whole lot of spectators, I felt kinda like a celebratie it was great, wish I could have seen my hubby. Once I saw the finish line I sprinted hard and when I crossed the line, they said my name and city, it felt sooo good! I was done!
I can't believe I do this for fun sometimes, but I don't think I do it for fun, I do it for the challenge. There are so few things in m life that truly challenge me, mentally, physically, and emotionally, but running does all three and I love it!
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4 comments:
Congrats on the half! Excellent job!
I love the last sentence of your post, and I totally agree. :)
Congrats! That is such a great accomplishment!
And to think, I'm proud of just walking to the grocery store! haha jk
Bobbi - Wow! Fantastic race! The Half Marathon distance is the best. And I loved reading your post. It reminded me that the most meaningful benefits of racing aren't just about the race, but the whole experience - from training with friends, to seeing a new place, to the post-event elation. And look at this way: now that you've done a half, you get to feel virtuous for weeks!
What an awesome job! It sounds like a very energized environment.
The mental, physical, and emotional challenges - that's it! And, I think, by conquering these in the 1/2 marathon, you've better prepared yourself for whatever other challenges may come your way in life. And that's the icing on the cake!
Great run - you're amazing!
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