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| The start of the full and half marathon (Memorial Dr., Newport, RI). |
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| Nearing the finish! |
The Amica Marathon (United Healthcare Half Marathon in Newport)
13.1 in 2:11 (not official) - and I AM DONE!!! Woohoo! More to come after I ice my knees and nap! :)
Update: 2:11:44 is official. Now, that I am rested and don't feel hungover (I guess to due dehydration), I can type my experience. I awoke at 5:20am and got everything together - my gels, iPod, throwaway gloves and headband, chapstick, sunscreen, etc. I had a big bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and strawberries and a cup of coffee around 6am. At 6:35am, I was out the door.
7:00am - I hit dead stopped traffic off of the bridge into Newport. I waited there for almost 30 min. before I entered the parking lot. I normally allot a lot of time to getting to the race and end up standing at the starting line for a solid hour - not good for my body temp or my nerves. And now, this time, I thought I would be late! By 7:34, I was parked at Newport Grand and waiting in line for shuttle to Easton's Beach, where the starting line would be. It was COLD (about 40 degrees), so I put on my gloves and bounced around a little to keep my blood flowing. I got on the bus around 7:38 and was soo super nervous because not only is this my first race, but I was going to be late. We finally pulled up to Easton's Beach at 7:50am...I had a few minutes to spare and I desperately needed to use the restroom.
I go over the port-a-potties - holy line! I inquire to a group of guys if they're in line - they point to the back (about 30 people behind them) and exclaim they have been waiting for more than 10 minutes. Now, I'm really nervous...and desperate. We're in the middle of a beach. It's 40 degrees out. And there is nowhere to go to the bathroom. I frantically search for another less crowded restroom or port-a-potty, but they're all at least 30-40 people deep....
I see a construction site, which is very desolate. And then I see three old parking ticket booths (a little hut with 3 walls). I immediately run over, ducking (a cop was about 50 ft away!) and pop a squat into a small trashcan that was inside the hut. Disgusting, yes, but this is was necessary. I was half afraid of getting caught and having my ass stuck in the trashcan! I felt pretty badass for having skipped an entire line of people waiting for a port-a-potty, which gave me a little high. I had 2 minutes left to spare and I ran over to the starting line.
Promptly at 8, the gun shot sounded and we were off! One of my slowest miles was actually in beginning because of all the congestion. It finally thinned out around mile 2 and I was able to keep a nice pace of about 9:20-9:35. I was feeling good...we went into Fort Adams (mile 4) and I literally closed my eyes, took a deep breath and felt thankful to be alive.
I kept running...thoughts popping in here and there. I was so afraid my foot would be hurting, but it actually felt great. And by great, I mean I loaded the puppy up with Aspercreme (think of putting menthol on your foot) and the menthol felt like acid on my foot once I warmed up. The feeling of my flesh being ripped off (even though it wasn't really), was enough to take away any foot pain I was feeling (and thankfully, I was feeling none!).
Mile 6, 7, and 8, I felt good. When I was halfway through mile 7, I was surprised how good I had felt. Just two weekends ago I had run 7.1 miles and was kind of winded by then. I wasn't breathing heavy at all (even when I finished). I wasn't fatigued and my muscles felt great.
Then it came: The Wall. I had hit it and I hit it hard. Mile 9 was the death of me. And not because I was tired or had no energy...I actually felt pretty good. But my knees were THROBBING. I knew this pain was not going to go away, but no matter if I walked to ran, it as still going to hurt.
I repeated some sayings in my head "Pain is just weakness leaving the body.", "Pain is temporary, pride is forever.", "Every wall has a door." Really lame stuff. But it actually helped. With the internet results posted, I knew I had to do well because everyone in my family would be checking and it's also on there forever
I trudged through mile 9 and 10 taking periodic breaks to stretch my knees (no longer than 10 secs at a time). The last three miles felt like they were forever. I busted out my Gu that I had stored in my bra (Tri-berry, very tasty!) and sucked it down. I didn't feel like I needed the energy, but I thought that even if it helped psychologically, it would be worth it.
My knees ached and ached. At mile 11 (nearing 12) I spotted an athlete competing in a wheelchair. I literally thought to myself, "What am I? An asshole? So, your knees hurt...get going and quit complaining. This man would KILL to have his knees hurting." This provided a little more fire under my ass to trudge through miles 11 and 12. As I neared mile 13, I knew I was close. The last stretch was Annendale Ave/Memorial Dr. and as I was nearing the corner, the crowd got louder and more people were standing around. The last part was pretty downhill, so I was able to pick up some speed. I passed a few kids that had their hands out and I gave them each a high five - it was adorable. I zoomed down and started to head into the narrow section before the finish line. I ran and ran as I heard the crowd cheering. I looked to my left and saw Scott, my Dad and Karen saying 'Go, Kelly!!' and ringing their cowbells and pom poms.
I sprinted toward the finish line and pumped my hand in the air. I was DONE. A volunteer placed a medal over my head and I walked off to the side. The clock said 2:15, but my watch said 2:12, so I knew I was somewhere closer to 2:11/12 for my net time.
Scott, my Dad and Karen rushed over and gave me hugs and congratulated me. Aside from my knees, I felt fine. I wasn't winded or tired, but man, did my knees ache.
We walked a half mile to the car (UGH!) and went out to breakfast. I sucked down coffee milk and four glasses of water (including a full water bottle). I was feeling queasy, but I knew I had to eat. I should have really noshed on a bagel and banana, but instead I opted for cinnamon french toast and home fries. It sat like lead in my belly. I went to the bathroom a few times and I felt seriously hungover.
On the drive home, I had to stop at a place to use their restroom and after that last stop, I felt much better. I chugged more water throughout the day and took a little nap (I barely slept the night before!). Later on, I watched Marmaduke with Scott and chilled on the couch icing my knees with bags of frozen squash! Aside from the pain, I felt really accomplished. I can't wait to do it again next year...but this time, I'll train! :)
I ate like a cow yesterday. Even though I burned 1800 calories (give or take), I should have relaxed a little. I knew it was my cheat day, but I totally went overboard. I'm back to eating healthy today...here's a sampling of what I devoured :)
Oatmeal with blueberries/strawberries
Jelly Belly energy beans
Gu gel
Cinnamon French Toast
Home Fries
Coffee milk
Two pieces of Italian Bread with butter leftover form my carbo load the night before
M&Ms
One blueberry muffin
Four pieces of pizza
3 Cinnastix
Chocolate covered apple (1/8)
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