Let's be honest: I had started to regret signing up for this race a little bit. You know, the abstaining from alcohol on New Year's eve = not my favorite. The getting up *before* the ass-crack of dawn after staying up til midnight the night before = not my favorite. This running while injured and not getting better thing = not my favorite.
Holy shit, I think I just found my first gray (well, really more white) hair. I pulled it out and am holding it in my hand and I keep staring at it. I don't know what to do with it. Holy shit.
Ok, moving on... (I put it in my mirror case and am taking it home to see if Preston thinks it is white. Is that normal? Holy shit!)
It was freaking cold race morning. I dressed just as I did in Dallas, with the addition of my new arm warmers, but I didn't account for the wind. I quickly realized that I was going to be cold.
Found parking on a side street and walked over to packet pick-up. Nice bag, long-sleeved shirt, mug, etc. Porta-potty lines were short, and everything was still clean! Hauled ass back to the car because I was freezing. Sat around for a while, then with about 15 minutes to marathon start (30 to half start), headed back to the start line with my big jacket on, which I'd give to Preston before I started.
Hung out a bit, and we were off. This race is small, maybe 200 people in the full and 200 in the half, if that. It is run on concrete paths through the woods and around lakes. It is really quite lovely. At the beginning the organizers had printed out motivational signs with everyone's name on them, so it was fun to look for your name as you ran by. It was also fun because you got to see everyone out on the course as they came opposite you. Got to see the leaders run by. It felt intimate, and like there was more camaraderie than I normally experience at big races.
I loved that the course was only two loops, too. The first loop I felt like I was exploring, and before I knew it, I was done. The second loop was about finishing, but I was also really and truly enjoying myself.
I was doing my patented "Injury Intervals", which means running til it hurt, then walking til it didn't. I kept going back and forth with the same few people, and we started greeting each other, joking, and laughing.
I tried to smile encouragement at the marathoners.
And in the midst of this environment, I found that I was really really enjoying myself. I was *happy*. I was running. On the first morning of a new year. I was injured, but I was still running. I was seeing so much of this beautiful world before the hangovers had even made it out of bed. I was cold, but it was a clear day, and crisp. I discovered that my arm warmers made good hand warmers. And I laughed because I'm sure it looked goofy.
Before I knew it, I had reached the turnaround. It was so much earlier than I expected, I actually thought the kid in front of me had cut the course when I saw him coming back at me!
I was hurting by the end, yes. I wore the Glycerin 7's, and I'm sure they are what gave me trouble with my arches when all this injury shit started. I won't be wearing them again. But I wasn't hurting terribly, and I was in a *great* mood.
Finished in 2:45 flat (2nd in my age group!! (Of 6 ;-))). Got my medal. Freaking BADASS medal, btw. HUGE. Texas-sized. Awesome medal. Will post pics soon. And headed home, still happy, with Preston, who also noticed my stellar mood.
Now, if only I could heal, then combine the high of the Ten for Texas with the high of the Texas Marathon Half...
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