Junie's Online Thoughts
Friday, November 28, 2003
Oh, the overall female winner for the half-marathon had a time of one hour, twenty minutes and thirty three seconds. They had me listed as 427th among 488 in my age group (25 to 29), although technically, if timed from when I actually crossed the starting line as opposed to when the race officially started, I would have been 408th. The two most startling statistics to me were 1) the only male runner aged 70-74 of the full marathon had a faster half-marathon time than me and 2) the only female runner aged 75-79 of the half-marathon was only 16 minutes slower than me. Huh. Well. Isnt that something?
Officially, there were 639 full-marathon runners (523 men and 116 women) and 6,466 half-marathon runners (2,973 women and 3,493 men) with the largest group being half-marathoners, male, aged 35-39 (608 of them). I knew there were a lot of people there!
Ouch. Legs hurt.
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Happy Thanksgiving!
First and foremost, today folks, today I kick ass. I completed the Atlanta Half Marathon this morning AND I did it without throwing up, collapsing or finishing last. Pinch me.
I think it was the hardest physical thing ive ever had to do, and the funniest part is it was a lot easier than i thought it was going to be. I woke up at 5 am to get ready and drop my car off at MARTA to get to the site. It was still dark and as I waited for the train, I was surrounded by hoardes of fellow runners. The train was already packed, which was funny. I thought I would be the only one around, having to figure out how to get to the site. Instead I just followed the flow of people in front of me and arrived in time to stand in line at the porto potties.
I have never seen that many people congregaged in once place in my life. Arranged by running time, we stood in our areas (i was in the back by the 9 and 10 minute mile folks) and at 7:00 am sharp, we were off. It took over ten minutes to actually reach the starting line from where I stood (anywhere from 5000 to 9000 people run the half marathon each year) and I kept pace with the folks around me. There was a woman dressed like a big turkey, and my only wish was to be faster than her. I didnt want the turkey lady to kick my ass.
I ran for the first good chunk of it and by the official time (starting from 7 am), I reached the one mile marker. I took off my jogging pants and chucked them and went down to my fancy moisture-lifting spandexy running pants. I got a little bit hot, but kept the rest of my clothes, knowing I would get colder later. I kept running twenty minutes in the race and then started my intervals. Leah had lent me her watch which kept track of my mile increments and also beeped at three minutes (to run for three) and at one (to walk for one). (She'd also lent me her ear coverer, and gave lots of advice from when she ran it two and three years ago.) That watch was soooo helpful. Otherwise I would have just been aimless, not really knowing how I was doing or having a schedule of walking and running. So from mile one to mile nine-ish, my reality shrunk down to three minutes and one minute and staring at the folks around me.
Surrounding us on the track were countless volunteers, cheering us on. I was so emotional, and every time I heard someone say "You can do it! Keep running!" I nearly cried. The runners themselves were grateful and we thanked them as often as we could. I tried to keep it together, as its very hard to run when my chest is closing up. I only skipped three runs on the big hills, and boy it felt good to walk.
Around mile nine, Leah joined me. I tell you folks, she has acheived a new level of friendship. Not only was it her idea, but she brought me goo to eat (this syrupy squeeze pouch to give you energy and lets you not chew while running. I'd made the mistake of buying a banana peach one, which had the texture and flavor of big gobs of lube, and I just couldnt stomach anymore. Leah brought a chocolate one that was actually quite tasty.) AND kept me company to cheer me on, AND did it all with a smile in the cold on Thanksgiving. BIG gold star for her. It helped a lot to have her there, and was a good distraction. By then we'd switched the schedule to walking for three minutes and running for one because I could feel it in my knees and toes and I was getting damn tired. Ive never ever done that much running before, or run for that long and it was hard to sustain too much running anymore. She took a couple of photos of me and after we groaned up a hill, she left at around 12.5 miles (she wasnt registered so would have gotten in trouble for crossing the finish line). Three cheers for Leah!
I kept hoping to see the finish line, so I started running at that point again as long as I could. It didnt come and didnt come. Finally when I saw the end, I just kept going, kept going, feeling my eyes fill up, feeling so proud and so amazed and happy to be done. When I tried to psyche myself up before the race, in my brief fleeting daydreams of grandeur, I imagined finishing at the same time as the winners of the whole marathon. This seemed impossible, so I aimed for three and a half hours instead. But in reality, I wasnt so far off...only about a minute or so. My finishing time (not the official one, but from the time I actually crossed the starting line to the finish line) was two hours, twenty eight minutes and thirty one seconds. The first winner of the marathon was two hours, twenty seven minutes and change. Not bad for a gal who's spent most of her life as a fat, non-athletic asthmatic. (I figured it out...I ran for about 80 minutes and walked for about 68.)
After the race, I got my baggie of food (granola bar, Payday bar, sunmaid cherries and some other chocolate) and a can of Diet Coke, and stood in line waiting for a free massage. I was freezing my ass off because my sweat had turned into ice cold water on me and I didnt have any non-damp clothes to cover up in. I called my folks first and my dad answered. When he said he was so proud of me, I nearly started bawling my fool head off right there. Both he and mom wished me well and it was sooo good to share my results. The massage hurt like hell, everywhere she touched me caused a blast of pain. She suggested I take an ice bath and run at least a mile later today, but at the time, ice-cold and tired, the idea of doing either seemed like a sick practical joke. I limped away, down the street to the Five Points Marta station, and it started to rain. But who cares? I was already wet, I was too happy to care and calling folks on my cellphone to shout at them that I was awesome. (heh, heh.)
Its funny. Getting through the running/walking was easy compared to how I feel right now. I am okay when I contiune in a straight line, especially walking. But when I change levels, like sitting or standing from a seated position, holy crap my thighs nearly explode. I know I totally f*cked up my body...Ive never even done something like this and didnt nearly prepare it enough. Im not in too bad of shape, not like I need medical attention, but boy I'll be sore for the next couple of days until the lactic acid flushes through my system.
I am so stinky and so pleased and so in pain. What a day.
Im going to Reimer's house today with his family and I really appreciate that I can spend time with him. Its my first Thanksgiving without my family and its a little weird. But Im still thinking of you all (mom, dad, gma, Stacy, Chris, Nichol, Trish, Mike, Taylor, aunts and uncles and cousins) and of course Jeremy. I love you.
Okay. Gotta start moving before I cramp up. Then a looooooooong HOT bath. Im out.
