And here is the part you have been waiting on...the DETAILS OF THE RACE!
I wanted to write this so many times since the last post but just got wrapped up in everything else just didn't have time. Life! It sure does get busy sometimes!
So, RACE DAY was upon me! What an amazing feeling! After all the pictures, we head down to the START LINE at the Scioto Mile, about 2 blocks from our hotel. The weather was a little cool, but also a little balmy/humid. No sun. So, I wasn't too worried about the weather. I was actually kinda happy with it.
Can we just say HOLY PORTA-POTS! HOLY LINES! I mean seriously there must have been a full blocks worth of port-o-johns and the lines for them were at a minimum 10 people deep! And we were still a block from the start line! I wish I would have taken a picture! It was quite amazing!
And then the START LINE! Say our goodbyes to Amy and Shirley and the rest of the clan and make our way to our "corral". Corral E. The last corral. I don't care. I can always pick my pace up and go faster.
TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF PEOPLE!
The best part about a race this magnitude is the people watching and seeing what all the other runners/walkers are wearing. From shoes, to socks, to headbands to iPods! It is enough to keep your mind off the impending start of 13 freaking point 1 miles. Let me just tell ya!
So, it takes us about 15 minutes to finally get to the start line. And as we approach the actual start, the announcer states that the leaders are now entering Mile 3...wait, what? MILE 3? It's only been 15 minutes...OMG! That is a 5min/mile! WTH!!! WOW! That is amazing! How cool is that!
Gun start. We go. Nice and easy pace. Let's not overdo it in the beginning. The crowds, the people, the bands, the sights! IT WAS AMAZING! EVERYONE was cheering, clapping, smiling! I WAS SMILING! I could feel myself smiling! Literally, SMILING! And smiling BIG! And I remember thinking to myself "I'm smiling!" I was happy! Genuinely H-A-P-P-Y!
Mile 1-3 go by in a breeze. Piece of cake. I feel good. The crowd is AWESOME! There are 3 water breaks, one at each mile, and porta-pots. Yep, more porta-pots. I can spot a green thing when I need it. And the lines! WOW! I get it though. I had to pee. I had to pee waiting for the first corral to empty. It was "bladder busting gotta pee", but I had to pee. We keep running.
Mile 4-5 comes onto Olentangy River Road. I know this road pretty well from my days living in Columbus and working at Battelle and attending OSU games and so on. I finally cave and go pee. BUT ONLY BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A LINE! I will only realize later that this was a mistake. After running non-stop for 4-5 miles and then stopping to pee and trying to squat in a nasty porta-pot when your thighs are shaking...yeah, not a good idea. Not to mention what it did to our time. Seemed like we just couldn't get back into the groove again. I don't know. But we managed. And we started running. Up Olentangy some some to Lane Avenue. This is where it GOT REALLY EXCITING!!!!! We knew going thru OSU would be cool, but we didn't know it would be AhhhhMAZING!
Remember, Obama was going to be in Columbus this day at the Schott, which we pass cause it's on the corner of Olentangy and Lane. So, of course there were supporters and non-supporters out cheering us on.
There was a poster that read "this is the LAMEST parade I have ever been to" and another one that said "RUN LIKE YOU STOLE YOUR SHOES". I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD! But people were smiling at you and cheering you on! AND! Because our bibs had our names on them people would say "Let's go Tami! YOU GOT THIS!" The first time I heard someone say my name I double backed at them like "do I know you?" And then it dawned on me...oh yeah, my name is on my bib! DOH!
But the crowd through OSU was the BEST EVER!!!!! It was so flipping cool to run down Lane Avenue with people cheering and milling around and cars passing you and cheering at you! That was my favorite mile and I couldn't wait for the second half because I could only imagine what that was going to be like.
And yes, I was STILL SMILING!
Turn off Lane at about mile 6 or so and onto High Street. This is about the half-way point. We decide that we will take in some GU about mile 7 water break. We are both feeling pretty good. Haven't really walked much. Maybe a 1/2 mile total. And that was in spurts too.
So, down High Street...This was a nice run, until we reach the Kroger and the smell of frying chicken about made us both stop and puke. And the people wearing the White Castle Hamburger faces also wanted to make us puke, or run up and punch them.
Jen has started walking some more and I am doing this jog thing...Jen has a loooooong stride....and fast....I have a hard time keeping up with her just out shopping! So I have to do this jog/run/walk motion just to keep up. She tells me to go ahead. Uh. No. We started together. We finish together. She runs more. I run more. We breeze thru Short North gazing at the shops and pointing things out. It's so cool there. She walks. I do my "keep up with Jen" jog. We are coming back into Downtown Columbus. Thru the Arena District. Down onto another street....onto another....leaving Downtown. And all I can think is, we are almost there...just have to get thru German Village and back up High Street to the finish line. ALMOST THERE!
And then German Village...very cute quaint little place. But it has cobblestone roads. And brick sidewalks. And this is like mile 10 or 11 or something. And my feet are starting to hurt. I don't think I am smiling much now. I am getting tired. The water stations seem like they are miles apart from one another but in reality the distance between them hasn't changed...just my will to get to them has. But the houses are pretty. And the flowers are pretty. And I just want to get to the finish. I am now walking a little more. And not that "keep up with Jen jog". A walk. Kinda speed walk. So I start back at my "keep with Jen jog" and try to go a little faster because I realize that I feel better when I am running! I feel better when I keep moving. So I have to keep moving. I cannot stop like my head is starting to tell me. I.am.almost.there.damnit!
Back on High Street. Damn iPod dies. But that's okay. There is traffic. The southbound side of High was open and running with traffic. I can listen to the cars. And the crowd is okay. But honestly, it's the "voices" in my head that I am really listening to. I am starting the blog in my head now. I am thinking about the start line and the night before and that morning and running thru OSU and the sucky cobblestone and if I have blisters on my feet and that I am actually ALMOST AT THE FINISH LINE! I start realizing that I have almost finished what I set out to do at 8am that morning. I see a spectator on the sidewalk. She has on an AdvoCare shirt. I realize that I would not have been able to do this without AdvoCare. That it is AdvoCare that helped me lose the 35 pounds to believe in myself that I could do this!
Oh, the finish line. I can see it. It's at the top of the hill. Yes, hill. It's a gradual incline, but an incline nonetheless. Oh, there is a girl with the medics. She has an IV bagged hooked up to her. She probably passed out. Thank goodness I didn't do that!
I see it. We see it. I nudge Jen. Let's GO! So we pick it up.
We start running a little faster. I just want to finish!!!!
We cross the finish line. I hear Deanna "TAMI! JEN! TAMI! JEN!"
She has my camera!!! She is jumping up and down! Smiling as big as she possibly could! What an awesome feeling!
They hand us our medals. I keep walking. Don't stop. Keep walking.
Damn, the rodent parade (you know the animal mascots of restaurants...aka the Cow for Chic-fil-A) I have to admit that I am slightly frightened by those things.
Keep walking to the runner recovery. Water. Water. Water. Bananas. Bagels. Champagne.
I might just puke. That's okay.
I just finished 13 point freaking 1 miles!
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