When I signed up for the race in November of last year, I certainly was not ready and I had no idea what to expect. I had just completed my first 10K and thought "what the hay? It's only double the distance, right? What's the big deal?"
Well, as I now know (just as there is quite a distinction between $50,000 and $100,000), there was definitely a big difference between 6.2 miles and 13.1!
The day before the race, I headed to Toledo to go to the running expo. There wasn't nearly as much free swag as I had hoped (seriously, just a coupon to Noodles and Company, like the one I got at the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run, would have been nice; I also could have dealt with a free $20 bill), but I enjoyed myself. Picking up my bib definitely made it real!
After hitting up the expo, we went to eat veggie sushi (soy sauce-loading is just as effective as carb-loading, right?).
And the day of the race, I powered myself with Swedish Fish (which I pinned inside my running shorts).
The drive down to Toledo from Michigan (with the exception of almost running out of gas) was smooth sailing, and we encountered little traffic. In fact, once we arrived, we were able to hang out in the car for quite a while before heading to the start line.
As we walked there, I could feel some serious butterflies (although I think I was more nervous about having runners trots than I was about the actual race). But, my nervousness quickly turned to excitement as I saw all of the other runners.
I lined up with the 11:15 minute mile group. I knew I'm not that fast (I go at a blazing 12:00 minutes per mile), but there were some openings around them, so I figured, why not?
Almost immediately after starting, it began to rain. I had planned to ditch my hooded sweatshirt at one of the aid stations (Goodwill of Toledo goes around collecting all of the unwanted running gear and sells it at their stores), but kept it on due to the weather.
I was able to keep up with the 11:15 group until about mile 7, when I started feeling really cold, wet and fatigued. My feet were sloshing in my shoes with every single step, and my sweatshirt seemed to get heavier and heavier as it collected more rain water.
Plus, my mind was constantly on my iPod and if it would get ruined by all of the water. During runs, I usually just hold it in my hand, so I had to run with my hand in my sweatshirt pocket the entire time to protect it.
Exhibit 1:
Exhibit 2:
I was praying that my training program (which only goes up to 10 miles because "adrenaline will carry you the final 13.1 miles") would come through, but when I hit the 10 mile marker, I started to feel really tired and sore. Plus, the race course, which had previously been routed through a pretty residential area, started to get boring as a couple miles were straight-aways alongside the railroad tracks.
But, I pushed through the soreness, fatigue, cold and weather, and eventually, I crossed the finish line (in a course record-shattering 2:37)!
I could hear my mom (who had come down to see the race) and Drew cheering me on, and it felt amazing! I was in complete awe and disbelief that I had actually crossed the finish line. I'm one of the most unathletic people in the world, and two years ago, I couldn't even run for a minute without stopping. So I was quite in shock that I finished! Of course, that shock quickly turned into a feeling of "dear God, I can't feel my legs!"
In the beer tent post-race. A shame it was too wet and cold to enjoy the free beer.
But, I am now the proud owner of this:
After the race, I took the nap to end all naps, and it was beautiful.
I also made this little video (watch it if you enjoy cheesey 80's music and/or hearing even more about runners trots):
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