Ouch. The morning AFTER the half-marathon
I have no idea what day in the trip this is - other than "day after race day". I rolled out of bed and into a very long, hot shower this AM. I was stretching in the shower!! I hurt. I don't know what truck hit me yesterday, but I hope someone caught it on one of the 10,000 cameras they had flashing! LOL
So, race day - I got up at 4:30 AM, took a shower to wake up, got some breakfast from the lobby, came back to the room to relax, eat & get ready for the race. I was right on time when I finished and headed to the lobby to meet the team at 6:15. After a couple of team pictures we loaded our team onto 3 school buses and headed to the race start. I rode beside one of the coaches I'd never met and she & I talked about my nervousness and race strategy. She was great. Turns out she's an oncology nurse at Cornell. She had a lot of great info on nutrition during the race.
We got to the start line and I was about to BURST from all the water I'd drank as instructed. Our bus was the first there, so we were standing around waiting for the other two. Finally I couldn't wait anymore and made a beeline for the port-a-potty. Just one word for those things - YUCK. Anyway, I got through the long line about the same time my team came walking through, so I hopped back in with my team and we found a "campsite" for all of us to stretch & socialize while we waited to get to our starting corrals. I sat with my Staten Island team (all 3 of us) and a few other girls. We passed the time with stretching, talking, freaking out, going to the bathroom a million times, and strategizing. A bunch of us decided to start in corral 12.
The word was given for the marathoners to "start getting naked" (did I mention the head coach was nuts?!) and as they started getting down to their race gear and heading to the start line we all started freaking out more. A hundred more trips to the bathroom. Finally it was our turn. We all got in one last potty time, went with our group to the UPS trucks to drop off our bags, then went to the corral. Talk about REALLY freaking out. You should have seen us in the corral. Sine & I decided to go ONE last time - and thank God we did. We didn't have to go again during the entire race.
The race started at 8:30. We didn't cross the start line til about 20 minutes later. As we started, Scott, Sine, Sine's roommate & I all started together. By mile 2 it was just me & Sine - and the 30,000 other half-marathoners.
Sine & I started into a good steady pace. We ended up being a perfect match as partners. I was SO worried about having to run the thing by myself and am SO thankful she & I met and stuck together. We did great for the first 6 miles. At 6 miles we stopped for 30 seconds to stretch and grab a quick snack of banana. Our coach caught us just as we started running again and he said we were looking great and he'd see us at the finish line. As we were running the streets were lined with thousands of people cheering. No matter where they were from, if they saw the purple Team In Training jersey, they started yelling "go team!" If they saw the chapter on our shirt they yelled "go NYC team!" It was really neat. Also, there were hundreds of kids standing along the route with their hands held out hoping for a high five from the runners. It was very sweet. There were some with signs saying "go Mom!" They helped me remember that at the finish line my little guys would be standing there with their Team in Training signs that said "GO MOMMY!" It helped to keep me going.
At 8 miles we had to stop for a couple of minutes to tape up blisters. One of the Illinois coaches stopped to check on us. By mile 9 I was ready to stop. Sine was incredible at keeping pace and keeping me going. She was awesome. I'd have probably stopped & walked at this point if it wasn't for her. At mile 10 I had an emotional breakdown. Not really - but it seemed like it. All I wanted to do was stop & cry. I instead cried while I ran. LOL Some guy came by, patted me on the shoulder and said "come on kid - we're ALMOST there. Don't give up now. You CAN do this." I have NO idea who he was, but it helped. Another coach from Michigan saw us and asked if we were okay. Sine said "Just a little emotional, but we ARE okay and we ARE going to make it." I started laughing and we kept going. At mile 11, everything went numb. I couldn't feel my fingers. My arms & legs were numb. I had excrutiating pain where my hips & legs join. Right after that the coach/nurse I'd ridden beside on the shuttle that morning spotted us and came over. She asked how we were doing and Sine told her I was hurting. Sandy was awesome. She started asking a million questions, ended up making me slow to a walk and eat some pretzels, then stayed with us til mile 12.
As Sandy left, I'd told Sine to go ahead and finish strong. I didn't want to hold her back. So for the last 1.1 miles I was on my own. The good thing was there were thousands of people around. They were massed along the route toward the finish - and every single one of them cheered us on to finish. As I rounded the corner and saw the finish line, I realized what I'd just done. I sprinted the last 10 steps across the line and then found Don & the boys. I gave them a kiss and then had to walk to the end of the whole process - medal, picture, snack, etc. I finally got back to Don & the boys and we went to the Team In Training tent to check in. Then it was off to the UPS truck to get my stuff. I was starting to feel very sick. I got my bag, made it 10 steps and SAT in the middle of the lot. I changed out of my running shoes and tried to take a sip of Gatorade. Mistake. I didn't think I'd be able to walk to the shuttle bus. Somehow I got there and even got Don & the boys on the bus with me (shhh!). As we got on - there was Sine on the bus! We grabbed each other and gave each other a BIG hug. I was saying THANK YOU a million times. Don, the boys & I made our way to the back of the bus and sat. About halfway to the hotel I knew I was going to be sick. Don told me there was a bathroom on the bus and I dove into it. I spent the other half of the shuttle in that bathroom being sick. Not a pleasant ending to my race. I never want to see another Gatorade as long as I live.
SOMEHOW I got off the bus, into the hotel, in the elevator and up to the 20th floor to our room. I dove into our bathroom and sat on the floor while our tub filled up with COLD water. I took a very cold bath and then a lukewarm shower. As I was getting out I felt VERY lightheaded and ended up sitting back in the bathroom floor. Finally I got enough strength to get to the bed and collapsed on the bed for the next 3 hours. We watched the ball game (Go Cardinals) and I dozed off & on. I was FREEZING. I could not get warm. I was so sick to my stomach that I couldn't eat. My coach Tom called to check on me and he told me to drink some water - even if I thought it'd make me sick. So I managed to down a bottle of water over the next 2 hours. We took the boys to the pool for an hour. I was too cold to even think about getting in. After their swim we headed upstairs to get dressed for the Victory Party. By this time I was CRAVING a good steak, but knew we wouldn't be getting any steak at this party.
We dragged ourselves down to the party & I ran into Coach Tom. We ended up sitting together because we couldn't find the rest of the NYC team. That's because MAYBE 40 of the 100 showed up. And the ones who were there looked pretty rough. I couldn't find Sine and someone said she'd been sick and was resting. We ate (and those mashed potatoes were EXACTLY what I needed) and then went back upstairs. I was back on the bed within minutes. We had an early night. The boys & I were all asleep by 8:45 PM. I had a tough night though - the muscle aches and pains kept waking me up. I got up at 7:20 this AM thinking I had to get our stuff packed & ready to go by 10. I took a shower and then saw a paper under our door. We don't have to check out til noon. YAY!!! So I decided to catch all of you up on my race and take my team getting things done. I just had Don put biofreeze on my shoulders and I put it on my knees, ankles and lower back. So while I am numb I'm going to try to stretch a bit and get things packed and ready to go.
Today we head to Flagstaff. Tomorrow we are still in Flagstaff but in the evening head to Williams where we'll get on a train the next day to go into the Grand Canyon. HOPEFULLY by the time we get to the Grand Canyon I'll be able to walk normally!!!
I want to say thank you again to all of you who supported and encouraged me through this ordeal!! ESPECIALLY for the text messages DURING the race. When I got to points I thought I wanted to quit, all I had to do was open my phone and there was another message waiting for me! I have the BEST friends in the whole world!!! THANK YOU!!!
Me with Coach Tom -- what a wonderful man
So, race day - I got up at 4:30 AM, took a shower to wake up, got some breakfast from the lobby, came back to the room to relax, eat & get ready for the race. I was right on time when I finished and headed to the lobby to meet the team at 6:15. After a couple of team pictures we loaded our team onto 3 school buses and headed to the race start. I rode beside one of the coaches I'd never met and she & I talked about my nervousness and race strategy. She was great. Turns out she's an oncology nurse at Cornell. She had a lot of great info on nutrition during the race.
We got to the start line and I was about to BURST from all the water I'd drank as instructed. Our bus was the first there, so we were standing around waiting for the other two. Finally I couldn't wait anymore and made a beeline for the port-a-potty. Just one word for those things - YUCK. Anyway, I got through the long line about the same time my team came walking through, so I hopped back in with my team and we found a "campsite" for all of us to stretch & socialize while we waited to get to our starting corrals. I sat with my Staten Island team (all 3 of us) and a few other girls. We passed the time with stretching, talking, freaking out, going to the bathroom a million times, and strategizing. A bunch of us decided to start in corral 12.
The word was given for the marathoners to "start getting naked" (did I mention the head coach was nuts?!) and as they started getting down to their race gear and heading to the start line we all started freaking out more. A hundred more trips to the bathroom. Finally it was our turn. We all got in one last potty time, went with our group to the UPS trucks to drop off our bags, then went to the corral. Talk about REALLY freaking out. You should have seen us in the corral. Sine & I decided to go ONE last time - and thank God we did. We didn't have to go again during the entire race.
The race started at 8:30. We didn't cross the start line til about 20 minutes later. As we started, Scott, Sine, Sine's roommate & I all started together. By mile 2 it was just me & Sine - and the 30,000 other half-marathoners.
Sine & I started into a good steady pace. We ended up being a perfect match as partners. I was SO worried about having to run the thing by myself and am SO thankful she & I met and stuck together. We did great for the first 6 miles. At 6 miles we stopped for 30 seconds to stretch and grab a quick snack of banana. Our coach caught us just as we started running again and he said we were looking great and he'd see us at the finish line. As we were running the streets were lined with thousands of people cheering. No matter where they were from, if they saw the purple Team In Training jersey, they started yelling "go team!" If they saw the chapter on our shirt they yelled "go NYC team!" It was really neat. Also, there were hundreds of kids standing along the route with their hands held out hoping for a high five from the runners. It was very sweet. There were some with signs saying "go Mom!" They helped me remember that at the finish line my little guys would be standing there with their Team in Training signs that said "GO MOMMY!" It helped to keep me going.
At 8 miles we had to stop for a couple of minutes to tape up blisters. One of the Illinois coaches stopped to check on us. By mile 9 I was ready to stop. Sine was incredible at keeping pace and keeping me going. She was awesome. I'd have probably stopped & walked at this point if it wasn't for her. At mile 10 I had an emotional breakdown. Not really - but it seemed like it. All I wanted to do was stop & cry. I instead cried while I ran. LOL Some guy came by, patted me on the shoulder and said "come on kid - we're ALMOST there. Don't give up now. You CAN do this." I have NO idea who he was, but it helped. Another coach from Michigan saw us and asked if we were okay. Sine said "Just a little emotional, but we ARE okay and we ARE going to make it." I started laughing and we kept going. At mile 11, everything went numb. I couldn't feel my fingers. My arms & legs were numb. I had excrutiating pain where my hips & legs join. Right after that the coach/nurse I'd ridden beside on the shuttle that morning spotted us and came over. She asked how we were doing and Sine told her I was hurting. Sandy was awesome. She started asking a million questions, ended up making me slow to a walk and eat some pretzels, then stayed with us til mile 12.
As Sandy left, I'd told Sine to go ahead and finish strong. I didn't want to hold her back. So for the last 1.1 miles I was on my own. The good thing was there were thousands of people around. They were massed along the route toward the finish - and every single one of them cheered us on to finish. As I rounded the corner and saw the finish line, I realized what I'd just done. I sprinted the last 10 steps across the line and then found Don & the boys. I gave them a kiss and then had to walk to the end of the whole process - medal, picture, snack, etc. I finally got back to Don & the boys and we went to the Team In Training tent to check in. Then it was off to the UPS truck to get my stuff. I was starting to feel very sick. I got my bag, made it 10 steps and SAT in the middle of the lot. I changed out of my running shoes and tried to take a sip of Gatorade. Mistake. I didn't think I'd be able to walk to the shuttle bus. Somehow I got there and even got Don & the boys on the bus with me (shhh!). As we got on - there was Sine on the bus! We grabbed each other and gave each other a BIG hug. I was saying THANK YOU a million times. Don, the boys & I made our way to the back of the bus and sat. About halfway to the hotel I knew I was going to be sick. Don told me there was a bathroom on the bus and I dove into it. I spent the other half of the shuttle in that bathroom being sick. Not a pleasant ending to my race. I never want to see another Gatorade as long as I live.
SOMEHOW I got off the bus, into the hotel, in the elevator and up to the 20th floor to our room. I dove into our bathroom and sat on the floor while our tub filled up with COLD water. I took a very cold bath and then a lukewarm shower. As I was getting out I felt VERY lightheaded and ended up sitting back in the bathroom floor. Finally I got enough strength to get to the bed and collapsed on the bed for the next 3 hours. We watched the ball game (Go Cardinals) and I dozed off & on. I was FREEZING. I could not get warm. I was so sick to my stomach that I couldn't eat. My coach Tom called to check on me and he told me to drink some water - even if I thought it'd make me sick. So I managed to down a bottle of water over the next 2 hours. We took the boys to the pool for an hour. I was too cold to even think about getting in. After their swim we headed upstairs to get dressed for the Victory Party. By this time I was CRAVING a good steak, but knew we wouldn't be getting any steak at this party.
We dragged ourselves down to the party & I ran into Coach Tom. We ended up sitting together because we couldn't find the rest of the NYC team. That's because MAYBE 40 of the 100 showed up. And the ones who were there looked pretty rough. I couldn't find Sine and someone said she'd been sick and was resting. We ate (and those mashed potatoes were EXACTLY what I needed) and then went back upstairs. I was back on the bed within minutes. We had an early night. The boys & I were all asleep by 8:45 PM. I had a tough night though - the muscle aches and pains kept waking me up. I got up at 7:20 this AM thinking I had to get our stuff packed & ready to go by 10. I took a shower and then saw a paper under our door. We don't have to check out til noon. YAY!!! So I decided to catch all of you up on my race and take my team getting things done. I just had Don put biofreeze on my shoulders and I put it on my knees, ankles and lower back. So while I am numb I'm going to try to stretch a bit and get things packed and ready to go.
Today we head to Flagstaff. Tomorrow we are still in Flagstaff but in the evening head to Williams where we'll get on a train the next day to go into the Grand Canyon. HOPEFULLY by the time we get to the Grand Canyon I'll be able to walk normally!!!
I want to say thank you again to all of you who supported and encouraged me through this ordeal!! ESPECIALLY for the text messages DURING the race. When I got to points I thought I wanted to quit, all I had to do was open my phone and there was another message waiting for me! I have the BEST friends in the whole world!!! THANK YOU!!!
Me with Coach Tom -- what a wonderful man
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