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Did not get around to writing here yesterday, as I was too tired to move by the time I got home. Yesterday was AMAZING. Seriously amazing. For more reasons than I can begin to count.
From the moment I woke up at 4:15 (yep, 4:15), I was excited, and it just kept building. I got up, had my usual breakfast (I love being a creature of habit), and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Got dressed in my carefully-chosen outfit (yay, cute new running skirt!!), and Carrie showed up to pick me up. We rode to the amphitheatre together to catch the shuttle bus to the start line at the convention center.
The excitement there was palpable; there were thousands of people, all getting ready to run. It was exciting to be facing such a challenge with so many other people; everybody doing the same thing for their own individual reasons.
We started, and the first three miles were a piece of cake. There were spectators out already, cheering us on. I really didn't notice the first three miles. Then we crossed the bridge over Rudee Inlet, and it set in: I had started the longest run of my training. I had ten miles ahead of me. I turned up my carefully chosen playlist, and settled into a comfortable pace. The crowd support along the way was fantastic- teams of cheerleaders, spectators, noise-makers, and bands. It was also super cool to be running parallel to the last few miles of the course, and to see the eventual winners returning from the miles left ahead of us- they were FLYING.
Around mile 5, I started chatting with a guy who was keeping the same pace I was. We talked through a couple of miles, which happened to be the dreariest part of the course, from what I'd heard from veterans of the race. So that companionship was nice, and made a couple of miles go by without really noticing them. We passed the halfway mark together, and a little while later he told me to go on ahead. I hope he finished the race successfully, but don't really have any way of knowing.
Then we got back onto General Booth Blvd., the main road that would take us back to the oceanfront, and the finish. I was starting to get really excited: more miles behind me than ahead of me, and I was still feeling really good! More great crowd support along the road there: folks had set up lawn chairs and sprinklers and hoses in their front yards, the sprinklers and hoses arcing out over the road to make misters and showers for us to run under and cool off a bit.
The trek up the Rudee Inlet bridge was harder on the way back than the way out, but still wasn't too difficult, especially with the excitement of the finish line ahead. About a mile after the bridge, I got another boost when we turned the corner at 14th street: my family! As I rounded the corner on the outside, I heard, "Katie!!! Katie!!!" and saw Dave, Austin, and Nate cheering me on. Awesome!
At that point, I was elated- the end was in sight, I had less than three miles to run, and I was feeling good. I still had some great songs coming up on my playlist, and I actually got a little concerned that I wouldn't get a chance to hear them all.
Then I realized that less than three miles is still kind of a long way. My legs started to get really tired, and I had to push myself to keep running. Dave tells me they saw me again at mile 13, but I didn't see them: I was totally focused on keeping my legs going all the way to the finish.
And I did it! My short little legs that spend so many years carrying around so much extra weight ran me all the way across the finish line. I just kept thinking, "I just ran thirteen miles!!" I couldn't quite believe it. I got my medal, my popsicle, my banana, and my bottle of water, and then my family was there, and it was awesome.
I really feel like after yesterday, I can do anything. As recently as February, I couldn't even run one mile without walking. Now I can run thirteen miles without walking (except through the water stops- it's hard to drink water from a cup while running, without spilling most of it!). I can't believe how far I have come, and the world of possibilities that lay ahead of me now that I have taken control of my body and my life.
"I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so.
Some things I cannot change
But 'til I try, I'll never know!"
"Defying Gravity," from Wicked
Sooo... now I guess I need to pick my first full marathon to train for. ;)
View Diet Calendar, 06 September 2010:
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1372 kcal
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Fat: 33.70g | Prot: 91.56g | Carbs: 185.48g.
Breakfast: Nonfat Raspberry Greek Yogurt (Chobani), Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal, Coffee (Brewed From Grounds), Cream (Half & Half, Fat Free), Sugar, Go Lean Crunch! - Honey Almond Flax. Dinner: Green Peas, Boneless skinless chicken breast. Snacks/Other: The Orchard Pink Lady Apple, Special K20, Mini Luna Bar - Caramel Nut Brownie. more...
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2483 kcal
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Exercise:
Shopping - 1 hour, Driving - 1 hour, Sitting - 14 hours, Circuit Training - 1 hour, Resting - 2 hours, Sleeping - 5 hours. more...
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