Comfort Zone

I miss this place. But lately I come here and stare at blank white empty space and nothing comes out.

Yesterday I came across this gem on Paulo Coelho's facebook. And it took hold and stirred up my insides and got me thinking again. And today, I'm still thinking about it.

The past 2 years have been amazing gigantic transformative years for me. And coming here to talk about everything, everything new, everything I was afraid of, seemed natural and right.

But somehow, at the end of another magnificent year, I've been at a loss for words. Granted, this time of year is a wistful, melancholy, introspective time of year for me. Not sad, exactly, although sometimes it manifests itself in a really cranky way (to my family at least) but rather thoughtful. It's as if I fall into my own head and can't get out. Until I saw this quote, and I knew.

I'm comfortable. That posse of runners (that I SO envied of other runners and writers), well I HAVE that now. Distances don't intimidate me in their own right - I know I can cover them. How well is another story, but I'm not afraid of miles anymore. I've run farther than I've ever run this year, all without a SINGLE injury. I'm enjoying the hell out of myself, really.

SO now what? 2013 is looming, and I am not really sure what to chase.

But that is not the purpose of a boat.

There are things I DO know, sure. I know that a marathon is not in the cards for 2013. I know that I can break 2 hours in a half, because, oops - I already did that. I know that I'll continue running with the amazing group I've come to know and love and rely on.

So I'm on a quest for new ways to break out of my comfort zone. To sail my boat right out of the safety of the harbor. Part of this will come when I rejoin the ranks of the paid employees. But how to do that in my running world remains unclear.

I WILL volunteer at a race or races this year. So there's that.

Any other suggestions for me? That don't involve bikes? How do YOU break out of your comfort zone?

Veterans Marathon: Race Report

So, I went into this "secret race" as a way of getting it right for once this year. I wanted to run the race I know is in me.

Spoiler alert: That CERTAINLY did not happen. As a matter of fact, I walked at least 8 miles of this one. But I had a great weekend, and I didn't embarrass myself "much" bodily function wise, and I got to run.

It's all good.

Where to start? After much secret giggling, outfit planning, and weather stalking, Kim and I headed to Indiana Friday afternoon. I kinda sorta talked her into doing this craziness with me (or vice versa? I'm not really sure, haha) and since she knew another Kim who lives nearby, we ended up with a place to crash before the race.

Spending time with Kim and her husband, Dave, and their son, Leo, was wonderful. Their house and their vibe is warm and inviting, and they went out of their way to make us feel right at home. It was so fun eating and chatting and getting to know each other, and Leo was so stinking cute and I SO enjoyed loving on a toddler again. There are not nearly enough babies in my life now!

After not sleeping at all (both of us! darn pre-race excitement!) we got up and moving early. Had a little something to eat, and then headed out the door for the hour drive to the race start.

Early morning and ready to go :)

We made it there with zero issues, parked a couple blocks from the race start, picked up our packets in a matter of minutes (I LOVE SMALL RACES!!!!) and hung out for an hour or so. We managed to hit the potty line twice, take in all the pre-race festivities (they had a Veterans Day ceremony and proclamation, and the high school band played, a military plane fly over, and the Nation Anthem was sung too. I may or may not be getting the order correct. I was anxious to get going!) and then we made our way to the start.

I stole all Kim's pictures! Shamelessly! Wasn't the sky so cool!?

We got many many comments on our outfits. Which were pretty much all Kim's fault. We felt very patriotic!

We looked great!

We lined up in the back. The blue flags? The start. Small races rule.

We've come to the conclusion that we basically ran 2 half marathons this day. One was outstanding and perfect and the other? Well, not so much. We started out strong and steady. A little quicker than I planned, but the pace felt effortless. We kept reigning it in, and managed to hold a really steady pace right around 10 minute miles. We chatted. The course rolled a little, but the first hill that felt hard didn't come until mile 12. We chatted with an older gentleman who had run a gajillion marathons who lives very close to us.

We were basically kicking all kinds of ass.

(10:03, 10:03, 9:55, 9:59, 9:58, 9:59, 9:51, 9:55, 9:57, 10:11, 10:23, 10:12, 10:32)

So, yeah, out half split was 2:13. We were killing it.

The second half got hard. Right away. The sun came out and the wind picked up. We both were saying how tough it was feeling to hold the same pace.

And my stomach had started speaking up at mile 12 or so.

I considered stopping at the half - we ran past the start/finish line so there was the big bank of potties right there. But for whatever reason, I decided to keep on keeping on.

What can I say? I am not so smart.

We made it through the 14th mile, but now I was hurting. I was worried. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to a potty in time. It was ugly. I was praying that the next aid station would have a potty. But it didn't.

We were getting ready to turn the corner just past mile 15, and the aid station was set up right at the turn. And I didn't see one. Somehow, Kim knew how bad it was, and knew that I wouldn't ask for help.

So she did what any good running friend would do, and flagged down a guy in his yard and asked him if I could use his bathroom. I was WAY embarrassed for about a half a second and then my insides reminded me that HE WAS BEING KIND and TAKE ADVANTAGE STUPID. He couldn't have been nicer about it and I'll be forever thankful to him and his wife. And Kim.

One more big YAY for small races.

After that, I was feeling much better and thought I was still in it. Kim, however, was NOT feeling it so she sent me on ahead and told me to go get it. That worked for about a half mile. Then, my stomach was kind enough to let me know that it was IN NO WAY done with me for the day. I would run for a while, and it would twist up in knots. I'd walk to loosen it up. And then run again.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

We ran mile 18 on this:

Yeah. Effing big rock gravel road, oh how I hate you. I couldn't get my footing right. The wind was beating the shit out of me. I was sucking. My stomach hurt. And after I turned off of it? I let my race go. I accepted that it wasn't my day. And I decided that if it was going to suck? I may as well be hanging with my friend.

It wasn't long before she caught up to me and was feeling bad that it wasn't my day. But she was having issues of her own...that gravel jacked up her knee pretty bad. Bad enough that she was limping. So we walked. And walked. We talked to people. We cheered for people. We hung out with Jenny and Jeff for a while (who were also struggling) until Jeff decided that walking hurt worse than shuffling so we let them go.

At mile 23, though, we got to see Kimberly and Miles (who'd been waiting for us for ENTIRELY too long) and I was SO happy they waited :)

"It's OK, I poop my pants too!" - she had no idea how apt that was this day!

After that, I just wanted to be done. But you can only walk so fast, you know? Walk, clench, walk, clench. There weren't any potties for the last 5 miles. If I had one complaint (outside of the gravel mile) THIS would be it. Because I was still worried that it was going to be *that* kind of day. There were way too many close calls.

And then, after having to skip the beer stop (I SO wanted that beer) we were almost done. Kimberly and Miles went to the finish line to cheer us in, which was awesome. We managed to run the last little bit.

stole these from Kimberly - it was a "Bobbi and ALL THE KIMS" kind of weekend!

So, second half split was 3:28. We finished in 5:41:04. Is what it is. Garmin link here if you want to see it in all its glory.

And then we hung out and visited at the finish line for a little bit. It was great meeting Kimberly and Miles (who was the best high-fiver ever!) but I was beat. After a bit, when we couldn't find the YMCA offering showers to runners, we decided to trek back to Kim's again for a quick shower before hitting the road for home.

DONE!

Post race, I'd do it again. I liked the quiet rural course. The wind and hills on the back half are tough, but on a different day, I'd have handled them. The organization was great. The volunteers were stellar. The jacket we got I LOVE. The medal is cool, in the shape of Indiana. I wished for no gravel and more potties. But that's my only critique.

On the way home, Kim was worried that I had regrets. But I don't. Not one. I tried, and that's all we can do on any given day. I'm happy I got to hang out with my friend and meet new people and run in a new state. I gave it one last go for the year and it didn't go my way, but I had a great time trying and so it's still a win.

Moving on from marathons for a while. This body is tired. But I'll be back....

Emerging

I think I've stopped writing because I'm not sure what to say. I started writing here as a training log. As a means to connect with other people who share my same crazy addiction for whatever it is that running gives us every day. I've shared lots of my life, sure, but primarily it was a "running blog."

But there are only so many times I can say" I ran" or "I ran far" or "I ran fastish" before I'm boring myself.

Last week I was all set to NaBloPoMo and post something every day in November. But Sunday, October 28, which was our neighborhood Trick or Treat day, James woke up feeling off. Followed closely by the start of the end.

And the bubonic plague a stomach virus took over my house for the next week. No writing here, as it was all whining all the time. And also, "snuggle with me Mommy!" and I don't know ANYONE who can say no to that.

By Thursday I was sending James back to school, but keeping Julia home. (5 loads of laundry in the middle of the night later...) Friday it was Jenna. (*poke* at 4:30am..."Mom..I threw up." "Did you make it into the bathroom?" "Yes." "Turn off your alarm and go back to bed.") Friday morning I was congratulating Jack for being the "last man standing" - he looked great. He was smiling. I sent him to school.

And the called me at 10am to come get him. Sorry bud.

Whatever this thing is, it lingers. The vomiting doesn't, but the out-of-sorts kids with no appetites last for few days. So it's been cranky and miserable 'round here.

Yesterday, though, everyone went to school. At the same time. Thankful for that.

Today, I am running and voting. Not necessarily in that order, but both will happen.

Big things are planned for the weekend ahead. I'll tell you about that later...

For now, I'll leave you with this - a little fun before the shit hit the fan...

James...I see you...

My ZOOMA Experience - a Non Race Report

My poor, sad neglected blog. This is long overdue - sorry. I have come here, started, and stared at the cursor more times than I care to admit. Truth be told, this was about much more than my race experience, although my race was a ton of fun too!

This past June, I was contacted by the lovely Tricia (while sitting in a hotel room at the start of my Grandma's marathon girls weekend) about being a ZOOMA ambassador. I was immediately intrigues, as I'd never run a race geared towards women, so of course I was in!

Lots of Chicago bloggers were heading up Friday - Kelly found the perfect house for us super close to the race venue at the Abbey Resort in Fontana, WI. However, I couldn't head up until early Saturday morning. Jenna's last home volleyball game as a middle schooler was Friday night - no way was I going to miss that. So I headed out in the dark early race day, hoping I wouldn't get lost.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was a little nervous about being the old lady in a sea of young hip bloggers. And about getting lost in the dark. But neither fear was warranted, so WIN!

I WILL say, rural Wisconsin could use a few more street lights - it's WAY dark early in the morning! I sat in my car outside the house with the most IL cars in the driveway and got it right on the first try. I ran in and got my packet from Kim, we took a group photo, and headed to the resort to board the buses to the start line.

I finally got to meet Tricia (who is just as lovely in person as she is online - very warm and friendly) and just before heading to the bus, I ran into my friend Sarah who won an entry to the 5k from SkirtSports. Her daughter came too, to cheer!

Kim and I hopped on the bus and we ran into another Sarah - SkinnyRunner sat right behind us! I may or may not have been a little star struck, but she was super friendly, and it was fun to chat with her before and after the race.

It was chilly at the start, and there were 7 potties for a lot of women. My one "beef" with the entire gig was that there needed to be a few more at the start.

My plans for the race were pretty simple and straightforward. Run with Kim. Have fun. Practice handling the hills well. And for real, I couldn't have been more pleased with how it all went. I had a ball. At the end of 10 miles we were averaging just over a 10 minute pace, with lots and lots of rolling hills, so I was super happy (and a little surprised) at how well we were doing. We were gabbing and smiling, and the course was beautiful. We ran into Kelly right around there when the hills finally started getting the best of us. But Emily was course marshaling at 11 which was a huge boost, considering the mountain we had to go up in that mile. Seriously soul sucking. I was having fun, though, so I didn't care.

The downhill that followed was equally tough (this was an out and back section of the course, which was also the 5k course. what goes up, must come down.) and with the finish in sight, Kim asked me if we were sprinting it in. Well, I'm not sure if what we did qualifies as sprint, but we gave it everything we had left!

Afterwards, we got our necklaces (instead of traditional medals) and a towel and bananas were offered. And then, there was a big after party!

some have said they'd prefer a medal, but I ADORED the necklace. and I've been wearing it since.

Afterwards, there was food, and massages, and wine, and shopping. Kind of like an after-expo. It was really fun to hang out and chat and eat. I met one of my running idols, Dimity McDowell of Another Mother Runner fame, and geeked out and got my picture taken. And I waved at Sarah Bowen Shea, who was busy with another mother runner (HAHAHA - I kill myself).

I left my book in my car, but they were nice enough to autograph a bookmark for me!

We also got to meet Sara Hall, which was very cool - it always floors me how genuinely NICE elite runners are. I don't know why I'm surprised, but there it is...

me in a Kim/Sara Hall/Skinny Runner sandwich. Squee!

The rest of the weekend was exactly what I needed. Fun and food (OMG the food!) and games and friends. Very chill, and so so nice to get to know so many girls better in real life. It was the epitome of the perfect girls weekend, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it all.

 

 

It wasn't a PR, and I missed winning Kim's "guess my finish time" contest by mere seconds, but this will rank up there as one of my favorite races ever. True to the ZOOMA mission, it was a fun fabulous weekend with friends.

(a disclaimer - I received the entry for free as a ZOOMA ambassador, but all opinions are my own)

Race Report: Chicago Marathon 2012

So much to say about this one. And it wasn't even about me. But I was honored to be part of Michelle's marathon debut, and it was a day I will NEVER forget. So, long post ahead...

The weekend itself was crazy, as per usual in the Welch house. Saturday morning consisted of a whole lotta volleyball (Jenna had a tournament from 8am til 1pm) so I conned John into taking Friday and Monday off work, and I snuck out Friday morning to the expo with Jenna and a couple running club friends.

Not too busy yet...boy did that change before we left!

corral L for WINNER!

There was lots and lots of sign making happening in my house before the race. John had his own redemption brewing - CM10 was a comedy of spectating errors and I didn't see my peeps til 26. He was determined to do better this time!

Saturday night, I was lucky enough to sneak out for some pre race carb loading with Marcia and Jill. It was fantastic to finally meet Jill, and I was so glad that we could work this out! Although I am a terrible blogger and don't even have a picture. I was hoping to spot Marcia on the course a couple times Sunday morning...

I felt ready and packed up Saturday night, despite struggling with exactly what to wear. Sunday morning was a breeze, since a running club friend was chauffeuring 3 of us down. NO STRESS for me. We hung out in a hospitality room at the Congress hotel which was across the street from the start until we had to go outside. My sister and her friend made their way over to us while we were there and we waited together. Easy peasy.

Kyla, Michelle and me. Staying warm for as long as possible.

We were in the second wave which went off at 8am. Corrals closed at 7:45, so at about 7:30 we went outside. I had 2 mylar blankets from past races that we used to keep warm (so perfect! DO THIS!). We lined up with the 4:40 pacer and tried to keep calm. This was when I started to get nervous. I was running through all the people I was trying to see and locations in my head, I was trying to keep track of it all, I was getting a text ready to send out to our peeps when we crossed the line, I was hoping I'd be everything Michelle needed me to be. I was silently FREAKING THE EFF OUT.

So when Lauren found us in our corral and gave me a hug, I was so discombobulated that I introduced her as Kyla to my sis. No I'm not an asshole, really, I'm just in brain overload. But it was so awesome to see a friendly face that it calmed me down a little bit. So both sorry and THANK YOU to Lauren! Hope you had a great race!

I appreciated the wave start this year and the corrals. It only took us 17 minutes to cross the start and we were off and running. Michelle's garmin was being a little bitch so she turned it off and we went with mine. Besides being there for Michelle, my goal for ME this year was to try and soak in the experience more, and also to enjoy the hell out of myself. And to try to remind her to do the same, even when she wasn't feeling it.

We saw our family at about 1.5 and then again at 3. It was great getting hugs and smiles early on. The sign on a stick (inspired by Marcia's pumpkin) was a last minute decision that served us well throughout the day. Between that and the bright orange signs they made, I saw them long before we got to them, every time we were supposed to see them. It went SO smoothly.

John and James holding the sign next to my BIL and my niece on his shoulders

guy next to Michelle looks THRILLED

The early miles ticked off uneventfully. I could tell Michelle was not feeling the greatest, but for the moment, she was ok. Soon, though, she needed to pee. We stopped in the 8th mile for 8 freaking minutes in a potty line that never moved and then bailed. We made it to the 11th mile and managed to find a quicker line, and were in and out in just a few minutes. And then it was time to see our family again!

potty line photo op

gettin some love

hugs from mom

We saw Carolyn a few times on the course. We saw Andrea and her DO EPIC SHIT signs. I searched for Marcia early on and then again in charity village (around mile 14) but I never did see her. I saw so so many amazing and hilarious signs. (My favorite of the day was "Run Faster, I just Farted" - yes, I am so mature, haha!) I was having fun, but Michelle was wearing down some.

Just past mile 17, we saw Carolyn again. We stopped to stretch and get hugs and chatted for a second. When we started running again, Michelle's knee gave out. Her face told the story - she was in so much pain. The tears started and we walked. Slowly, she got to a shuffle, and she just kept shuffling, realizing that stopping was detrimental to finishing - she needed to keep running.

At a med station, we stopped for some biofreeze. They were out, but she got some lidocain on her knee and I got some vaseline for my HORRIBLE CHAFFING (numb legs plus not enough glide equals delayed reaction chafe. YOUCH!) and that seemed to make the pain tolerable for her.

We saw Charlyn and L on the back half of the course...she called out to us and I must have looked at her blankly because she explained how she knew us and the light bulb came back on (another "I am terrible with names" moment of the day). At the mile 18 aid station, Kayla called out to us, and again, gave us a boost. We saw our family again at nearly 21. And then Nora found us at mile 23. Some where in there was more Carolyn and at some point Andrea jumped in and ran with us for a minute. I felt like every time we needed a familiar face, there they were! THAT part of the day was amazing.

The last few miles were hard. I tried to find a comfortable pace, so I alternated between power walking and running slowly. This is that part of the course where the photogs are out like crazy so there was a lot of "fake it til you make it" going on. I reminded her to smile.

lots of this...

...and this...

but we felt like this...

and this was happening too, haha!

And then mile 25 happened. She saw the sign and something shifted in her. She really KNEW it was going to happen. And she started to run like she meant it! Our family was waiting just before the turn at 26, but we didn't stop.

We turned the corner and charged up that hill. We turned again, I grabbed her hand, and we ran down the chute to the finish. I sobbed like an idiot the entire way down. I'm not joking. I wasn't this emotional when I finished my own first marathon. I can't wait to see the finish line photos. We crossed, stopped hugged, cried. We got our blankets and medals and Michelle got a well deserved beer. SHE DID IT. And I couldn't have been more proud of her!

I have so much more to say about this day swirling in my head. Maybe tomorrow. This is enough for today. My sister is a marathoner. 5:23:52. She rocks!

Chicago Marathon, the Reprise...

So, there's this little marathon I'm running on Sunday...

This one is different though. I'm not nervous. I'm excited, but not worried. I don't think I've ever been this calm before a big race.

And I think it's because this one brings me full circle.

It's been fun this week to listen to my sister's giddy excitement and emotions and prerace nerves. It's been fun to remember feeling all the things she's feeling right now. Where I was at that point. Wondering if I had it in me to finish, and just what that was going to feel like.

Looking back at old posts, I'm in such a different place now. I trained for that race entirely alone, save for the virtual community of runners here. I met Kim for the first time at that lone 20 miler, but I started it alone. And then she ran me in, and I discovered what it felt like to have someone outside my family care whether I finished. She blew me away that day.

I ran the marathon entirely alone. Kim's face was the only familiar face I saw that day until mile 26. And I lost her right away (sad face).

Shortly after that Kim introduced my to running with a club, and my life as a runner has been forever changed. It's so much more FUN to run with a tribe. To sign up for group runs and hold yourself accountable to show up when you say you will. To chat and complain and laugh through long runs. To have runners come back to make sure you are ok when you have unfortunate accidents. Hehe. To be part of something bigger.

And not only have I changed in that I run with a crew, I've grown as a runner. I've accomplished so much in my short running career, so much that I am proud of. I've whittled away at PRs, taking significant time of each distance I've raced.

(An aside - when John and I got back to our hotel room after Fox Cities, I looked at my watch and turned to John and said, "Do you realize that today I finished the race, got my medal and shirt and food, walked back to the car and drove to the hotel, got a snack and made it up to our room faster than I RAN my first half marathon?" Crazy.)

So it's with calm and happiness that I go into this race on Sunday. A changed runner. I'm looking forward to experiencing it through my own wiser eyes, and also through the eyes of my sister. It should be a PERFECT day.

Race Report: Fox Cities Half Marathon

Did you ever have one of those races where there was no stress and no pressure and (maybe because of that) you managed to amaze the HELL out of yourself? That was the Fox Cities Half Marathon for me. Amazing, from start to finish.

Backing up a little. I won this race entry from Shannon a while back. Well, in actuality, Sara won it, but since she also won an entry for Fort2Base, a local race that was the same day (hello, FWP), and since she heard about the giveaway from me, she asked Shannon if she could pay it forward to me. Lucky for me, Shannon was willing to play along.

As luck would have it, it fell on the weekend after my wedding anniversary, so after a little wrangling I ended up with a hotel room and a friend willing to take ALL 4 OF MY KIDS for the night (good LORD I have awesome friends) and VOILA! Anniversary weekend getaway plus race. Awesome.

The most stressful part of the whole thing fell early on - Jenna had a volleyball tournament (John coaches her team) all morning and into the afternoon Saturday. We still managed to drop off the kids and make the 2 and a half hour drive north with 45 minutes of packet pickup left. The expo was nice - bigger than I expected - and easy to navigate. I hit the Brooks booth "by accident" and walked out with a new (PURPLE) pair of Adrenalines. I was winning already!

It was SO NICE having John with me. I'm not sure that's ever happened since my first half in 2010. He navigated, found the start line, everything I always worry about (I'm a little, ahem, directionally challenged). After all the logistics, we had a nice dinner, saw a movie (The Bourne Legacy), and crashed by 11.

Race morning was also uneventful. My stomach wasn't exactly playing fair, but that's not unusual. I struggled a little with what to wear - it was 36 degrees at the start, and only supposed to gain a few degrees before I'd finish. I went with capris, my BAMR long sleeve and a vest. And gloves. We were only a 10 minute drive from the start, so I didn't even need to brave the chilly portopotties. I DID run into Rachel who was there spectating for Kim and a few others (I missed the meetup - we had to get out of there quick to collect the kids), and got a hug and a hello...it was nice to see a familiar face!

I still didn't know how to run this. John and Kim were both telling me to go for it - I was pretty sure I could at least PR without much trouble, on a good day - but part of me wanted to take it easy as a training run.

That part of me lost big time, as soon as I started running.

In corral B, ready to go!

The race, like the expo, was bigger than I thought. Nearly 8000 participants, with a half, a full and a relay choice. But it was really well organized and it only took me a couple minutes to cross the start. Unfortunately, I forgot to look at the time when I crossed, so I wasn't sure exactly how long it took me. I'd regret that later.

The weather was perfection and I felt really really good. Still, I started a little easy, and then picked up the pace a little at a time. The town really comes out for this race and the spectators made it a lot of fun. Our names were printed big on our bibs, and it's always a boost hearing your name called out. Around mile 1 someone was blasting, "I like to move it move it" which is a huge favorite of James and I laughed. Just before mile 2 we ran up a bridge overpass, and 2 ladies next to me went into full on CHARGE mode and I raced up with them, telling them they were pulling me. I realized I was having a fantastic time. Goal of the day became RUN HAPPY. (1-9:41, 2-9:26, 3-9:09)

There were several DJs on the course, and it was old school day - I heard Ice Ice Baby, It Takes 2, Jump Around...so many. SO GOOD. Around mile 5, I started looking for John, but I wasn't sure where I'd see him. I got a lot of comments on how much I was smiling. (4-8:59, 5-9:12, 6-9:04)

Just before mile 7, I saw John. He ran with me for a second, coffee in hand, and offered me some. I laughed. Right about here was when I started wondering just what I could do with this day. I was still smiling, but now I was working. Time to get real. (7-8:53, 8-8:53, 9-8:44)

I had tucked in behind 2 girls for the last mile or so, and was trying to hang on. It was getting a little tougher. I was getting a little tired. Just after mile 10, I decided salt and gu was in order. I wasn't sure how my stomach would respond, but I needed it, so I had to try. My stomach did pipe up for a second, but then promptly shut up, thank god. Mile 11 was the toughest of the race for me - I was struggling to hold the pace. I heard g in my head telling me I COULD. I picked it back up. (10-9:11, 11-9:33, 12-9:07)

Right about at the mile 12 marker, I saw John again. I was bargaining with myself here, not sure I could hold the pace necessary for a sub 2 half, but I knew it would be close. I was telling myself that a PR was ok, that I didn't NEED the sub 2. But then I saw John and he started cheering like mad, telling me I was right on pace, telling me I had it!

mile 12, approaching John

I had no idea how close I was - my overall pace showed me I was CLOSE but I wasn't tracking overall time and I didn't know how long it took to cross the start. But seeing John lit something in me, something reminding me how PISSED I'd be if I missed it by seconds and didn't give it everything in me. The problem was, I was having trouble convincing my legs to get on board.

Enter the tall chick in pink who passed me right then. She was hauling, and effortlessly. I tucked in behind her and hung on as we passed people. It was awesome. I crossed the finish line completely spent and gasping. A medic came over, wrapped me in a blanket, and hung out with me until she was convinced I wouldn't keel over. (13-8:29, 0.16-8:04 pace)

But I still didn't know if I'd done it. I got my medal, and made my way over to John who was right there but on the other side of the fence. Just as I got to him, he got the text update, saying 1:59:37! I screamed so loud and jumped up and down so much I scared the guy waiting next to John!

so. fucking. proud. really - no words...

I got my shirt (another race where you had to earn the shirt) and a bite to eat and we made our way out of there. For the rest of the day, John put up with my silly grin repeating my time over and over like Dory and the address in Finding Nemo. Today, my official time is 1:59:38. Not sure what's up with the extra second, but I don't care. I RAN SUB 2!!! ME!!! I DID THAT!

The race itself was stellar from top to bottom. Great expo, great volunteers, great organization, pretty course, I never got bored. I would definitely do it again.

This race taught me the importance of starting a little slow. It taught me that I CAN hit a rough patch and work my way through it. It taught me I can do more than I think I can. Thanks again Shannon and Sara. Thank you!