It's a Marathon (not a sprint)

I did it! I finished! I made it!

Here I am at home, letting my legs get sufficiently cramped up so I can hobble around the house later, looking pathetic and giving puppy dog eyes to entice the Hubs to give me a massage.

What a roller coaster ride!

After Michael dropped me off at the starting line this morning, I was pretty relaxed, enjoying watching all the other people around me and listening to the music. I enjoyed a few minutes of scoffing at the poor souls in the 30-person deep per porta potty lines. I wondered why they hadn't thought ahead and gone earlier. It was, after all, only thirty minutes til gametime. That was around the time that I thought maybe I had to go to the bathroom. (And I don't care what anyone says, once you get the thought that you have to go to the bathroom in your head, then you really have to go to the bathroom.)

They started the race in a wave, so I was in Corral 8. This means I got to watch Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain wave to the crowd and do a funny little countdown dance 7 times before it was go time.

I felt wonderful for the first 8 miles. I gave high-fives to kids on the sidelines, I ran through a tunnel made by a cheerleading team, I cheered for the spectators that were cheering for the runners. Let me tell you, if you need a nice little dose of Good Humanity, you should run a marathon. It's nice people with a wholesome common aim, and people that come to cheer them on. I loved watching the crazy spectators that cheered on everyone - not just the people they know. It made me feel very good inside. It was a good day for mankind, I think.

I first saw Michael around the 4 mile mark. He took this picture while riding my bike alongside the race. Can you see me peeking out from the corner?
My parents (and Michael) were at the 8 mile mark. It was so great to see them, because this was also the time that my body started feeling it. Michael also had a sign with him!












The last three miles were really quiet. You could tell that people were in a zone, just trying to finish. There wasn't anymore talking between runners or laughing. Just an eerie quiet only disrupted by the sound of feet on pavement and heavy breathing.

I'm very proud to report that I ran my last mile in 8:12. I really picked up my pace to try to meet my unspoken goal of finishing in under 2 hours.

So here are the results!

Final time: 1 hour, 58 minutes! Woo-hoo!

I finished:

• 4427th place overall
• 1620th place in the women's division
• 176th in my division (18-24)

I don't know exactly how many people there were in my division, but I think that last one sounds nice. I know that over 30,000 people ran in the half marathon. I was so glad to have Michael and my parents there to cheer me on. Afterward, we walked over to Mill Ave. and had lunch. Now how 'bout that massage?