Here are my nieces that inspired me to raise funds for Gilda's Club. Thanks to everyone who helped and contributed-- we raised $750!
They ran the kids marathon the Friday before, where each kids has five weeks to run 25 miles on their own, and at the event they complete the last mile. They did an amazing job, and we had fun decorating their t-shirts the night before.
As for me, hanging out all day, teaching my nephew some football, and the stress of travel gave me a sore throat by Friday evening. I drank tons of fluids, just as I would, but further in anticipation of the humidity.
The morning of the race I my throat was okay, but now my sinuses were stuffed. So, I did my best to deal, and got off to the race on time.
Timing yesterday was perfect (for me): got on time to the Gilda's Gang photo shoot, and met a couple of the people there; got off to bag check at the opposite end of the park from where I met up; had a nice 5 minute stretch warm-up; was walking to my starting group when I heard the buzzer to start the race; and had just gotten into place when they were singing the anthem.
The run was a bit trying, (start was about 62' F and humid, two hours later was about 68'F and half an hour away from thunder humid-- felt 75'F) but with better rest (only got about five hours of sleep) and no cold-- I think I was on pace for the first ten miles to break two hours. I joked with a fellow on the shuttle bus that it seemed there were eight up hills and six downhills, and these were long and gradual ups and down-- so it was a challenge!
Although I was running my race even through mile 11 or so, the last hill and a half hit me pretty hard. My right hip was cranky, and with everything else I found I could walk faster than I could run at that point (a similar experience when running the two mile up hill for the Nike Women's Half-Marathon). Actually it felt good to race walk and stretch out the hips, but I was probably pacing about 14 minute miles to guess (I am still away from my computer as I write, and have been unable to load my Nike+ runs with other people's computers, so I am not totally sure about some of the particulars on pace).
I got to the last downhill, got to the last stretch which was flat into the stadium area (not into the stadium as I had somehow construed), and did my half mile dash-- like I did in the KP Half.
So, I did the damn thing, went big, and still came out faster than my first, but slower than my last. Not bad for fighting off a cold and running on fumes!
So, back to timing, seems I had alot of it: got on the first shuttle bus, met my mom for pickup right on time, and then as I was walking to the van it began to rain. And rain it did! I understand that not two hours later they ended up diverting anyone who was still running the marathon, and not long after that, they outright called the race-- shuttling people from various mile markers to the finish line!!!
But I was alseep at that point. My goal was to ice bath, hydrate, eat and then sleep; I ice bathed, half hydrated, and all but collapsed in exhaustion to just catch up on my last night's sleep. When I awoke in early afternoon, I finished hydrating, ate much food, and as I write this am glad to see I have no real injuries.
Finally, a big shout out to my sister, www.chemobabe.com, who continues to inspire me, as I hope she is inspired by my efforts to raise funds for LLS and Gilda's Club! Happy Birthday sis, and to those of you who don't know yet, she has been restaged to the lowest stage (1A) in the diagnosis of her breast cancer, and the probable outcome of survival and recurrance. Best birthday present ever.
