Well, I did it!
I finished the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville on Saturday. It was fantastic weather and so much fun to be a part of. I was somehow able to put aside all of my "pre-race what if?" anxieties such as... What if I oversleep? What if I can't sleep? What if I forget to put on my sports bra? What if I have to go potty in the middle of the race? What if I go the wrong way? What if I fall? What if I throw up? What if I step on the back of someones heel causing their shoe to come off and ruin their time? You know...the normal stuff.
As it turned out, I was able to sleep (thanks to Tylenol PM), woke up right on time (4:30am), put on my sports b
ra, and went ahead and took care of going potty BEFORE we left the hotel. During the race, I managed to stay right on course (thanks to the people who had it marked really well with traffic barricades and stuff), I did not fall and had no problems holding down my breakfast. Above all, I did not step on the back of anyone's shoe, although that particular fear did haunt me for most of the race. 30, 500 people make for a tight course!
I wasn't nearly as psychologically damaged by all the sweaty strangers surrounding me as I thought I would be. They were actually all quite nice, and there wasn't near as much contact as I had envisioned.
I ran the first 6 miles with my running partner Molly, and then we split. (on account of her stomach ache slowing her down). So I ran the last 7.1 miles by myself. It was a little tougher mentally, seeing as how I've been training with her on my right side for 4 months. But, once I got over that hump, I just got in my zone and had a great race. It was an awesome course, and we had a team of friends there (with a cow bell and a drum stick) to cheer us on.
What an exhilarating feeling to cross the finish line!!!! My goal time was 2 hours and 10 minutes and I finished in 2:11, so I was very excited! Aside from a sore toenail (that I'm praying won't fall off right at flip-flop season!) and a little soreness, I came out feeling really good...no injuries.
When I got home with my finisher's medal, the boys ran up and screamed, "Mommy!! You won???" I thought that was cute...especially since the winner is always a Kenyan. Go figure.
So that's the race scoop.... I can't wait to do another one!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Race Virgin No Longer!
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7 comments:
congrats abby. i'm so excited for you. sounds nerve-racking and thrilling at the same time. i don't know if i can do it. keep up the good work.
Yay-ness!!! Sorry, I have a hard time commenting sometimes because I already told you how proud I am of you and I don't want to repeat myself...so I say yay-ness. Yay!! Yay-ness!!! I am so proud of you!!! and I want to see that perfect little foot of yours while it has an imperfection (sorry).
I am so proud of you. You have worked hard and met a very tough goal. You have had discipline and tenacity! You have been a wonderful example to your boys about fighting a fight, and not giving up!
Yay for you!
Congratulations! That is really a big accomplishment. I didn't realize when you mentioned the race that you were running in Nashville - sounds cool! Way to go!
Wow ... I'm in awe! What an incredible accomplishment! Good for you!
Congrats!
It just hit me - I know Molly. But how? Do you know? It's going to drive me insane! Was it from SEBC, Church, School?!? AAAHHH!
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