Preparing yourself for a destination race is always hectic. I've only done a few races, but with the exception of one (10K)they've all been somewhere other than my home state.When there are two of you, it's just plain chaos. Trying to be thoughtful of everything makes a person insane. "What if it's cold? What if it's hot? What if these (shorts, shirt, bra, socks) chafe? What about nutrition?What are we going to eat?" It goes on and on. And on.
Within hours of the online race deadline, I sold my soul (and hubby's) to the PF Chang Dragon.
I vowed to let this race experience be a memorable one for hubby. His first half. Yet, something about racing brings out the bitch in me. Wait, it wasn't racing that did that.
Hubby would have likely worn what he had in his closet. Some netted athletic shorts from the Academy (circa 1990) or whatever else he had. I knew better. Amazingly the elastic was still good, but they could have gone at any point during the race. So, I shopped for a good pair of running shorts for him reading every review and paying attention to fit. In addition, I had my own running gear to think about.
Packet pick up is always a hassle. I know a lot of people enjoy the expo and stuff, but I would rather get my junk and get out of there. Since hubby also had to get his packet, we had to park this year. Normally, he drops me off and drives around. We arrived at the expo from a different route which had us turned around. Nothing looked familiar. We parked at a meter and walked aimlessly for around 10 minutes. Usually you see the crowds and people walking around with their bags. Nothing. Asked Siri for some help and she said we were 3 blocks away. Did I mention I was bitchy? Yeah, I was. I hate being lost. And I was hungry. Starving. Thirsty, Tired. And my butt hurt. Seven hours in a car was doing nothing for my aching ass.
Made it back to the car and our meter had expired. No ticket. Plugged in the hotel address into my phone and got us to the hotel with no problems. Set down our stuff and immediately went out for our run. Glorious temps. My bitchiness faded. Running does that. My brain shifted to organizing race gear for the am. My stuff and his.
With a new city of many food choices, I did not know what to eat. I say this like it's something new, but in fact, it's the story of our lives. Too many choices leave me kerfuffled. We went to Target. Cause who doesn't like to visit a Target in a different city?! Actually realized I forgot my toothbrush at home.Hubby suggested I ask the front desk for one. Ummm, no thanks! Who forgets to pack their toothbrush? THIS girl. UGH
There we were, driving around Chandler. Windows rolled down, passing by every imaginable food place that ever existed. You know when you're over tired and just need a good rest and sleep? This is how I felt about food. I was over hungry and just needed food NOW! Any other time, I would have been okay sitting in a restaurant and partaking in the atmosphere of foodies. But this night, I just wanted food and to go back to the hotel and chill. I contemplated a double double animal style but that sounded wrong in so many ways. So, I picked the most bland fast food I could think of. A grilled chicken sandwich from Chik fil A. No fries.
BitchinRunner was less bitchy after food and shower. After catching up on my page and text messages, I got comfy in bed and brewed a cup of bedtime tea. Sleep came later at the same time the occupants next door couldn't decide if they wanted to stay in their room or not. When I finally fell asleep, the nightmares came. I got lost and didn't make it to the race. I got my period the day before the race. Oh wait, that actually happened.
Something funny that happened. We had to buy tickets for the light rail and used a 20 dollar bill. We got change back in dollar coins. Twelve of them. What's funny about that? Hubby had to carry them in his belt during the race. He jingled all the way.
When we saw the corrals start moving forward, we jumped into corral 13. Before we started running we talked about a game plan. Don't go out too fast, maintain a steady pace, take in honey stinger at mile 7 at the water station and have fun.
Despite all my efforts to loosen my glutes and hamstrings, they were yapping at me. I snapped back and pushed on.Hubby and I ran mostly together. We would get separated by the other runners, but we were always within a few feet of each other. Miles 1-4: 9:31, 9:10, 9:10, 9:19. The decision had been made that hubby would wear the Garmin. Best decision ever. I always talk about being obsessed with the numbers and this was the perfect solution. I ran by feel and it was liberating. I would see him looking at the watch from time to time and while I was tempted to ask how we were doing, I knew I was okay not knowing.We passed the 2:15 pacer and I knew I was on track to PR this race. When we approached the clocks on the course, I did get a gauge for how we were doing as well.
Knowing there was an incline approaching, we took in some honey stinger before the water station and had a bit of water and a bit of gatorade. I think it helps you prepare mentally when you know what's ahead and this was key for me. The gradual incline came about miles 6-8 with 9 being the out and back hill. When I saw the PF Chang dragon on the hill, I realized that this is where I had passed it last year. I began pumping my arms and taking in some deep breaths. I passed the dragon up the hill and knew the downhill was coming. I glanced around and didn't see hubby. Miles 5-8: 9:17, 9:21, 9:48, 9:41. I slowed a bit to look for him. And then there he was right next to me again. He said "Did the stinger kick in?" He said I was sprinting up the hill. He also said his knee was hurting. I asked if he needed to walk. He said no. We pressed on.
I was counting down the miles at that point. Too bad the course didn't have any more mile markers after 10 miles cause I lost track of where I was. I was happy to be done with the inclines and was looking forward to the finish.
After the hill, the runners dispersed and we had more room to run together. We chatted for a bit and I could feel our effort slowing a bit. With a half mile left, I stopped to walk. A half mile. I was scanning the area for somewhere to vomit. Yep. I was. Hubby noticed I stopped and said, "C'mon, you have 4 minutes left in you don't you?" I said, "yes, I do" and we started running again. The urge to vomit subsided for the time being.
The finish line never looked so intimidating. It was within a few hundred feet, yet I couldn't get there fast enough. The urge to vomit was stronger than ever as I passed the finish line. My hand was over my mouth and I was once again scanning the area for a spot. When I was finally able to sit and rinse my mouth with water I felt better. Out of the corner of my eye I could see hubby was hobbling around. He was in considerable pain.
We never made it to the beer garden for our beer and I didn't get a chance to meet Briana from Mat.Miles.Medals.
Miles 9-13: 9:42, 9:09, 9:12, 9:45, 10:10. Official time:2:04:34
The drive home was one of reflection and pain (in my ass). Nonetheless, it was a feeling of satisfaction and pride. So proud of hubby. So proud of myself.
