http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/cmc09/sperry
I am at the "Final Countdown" of the marathon... I only have 3 weeks left and I am not going to lie, this totally just hit me about 5 minutes ago when I was on the phone with Michele. I can not believe how fast time has flown by... and how incredible of a journey this has been. I have met some AMAZING people that I know will be friends for life and I have been able to accomplish things that I really didn't think that I could do.
Even though I did it last year, this year is totally different. I know I have said it before, and I will say it again - this year is SO much better. SO much more fulfilling and it has truly saved my life... brought ME back. Again, I had a blast last year - Colleen made it incredibly special for me , but this year it has just been a totally different experience.
Anyway - enough of that - let's get to the 20 miles that I ran this past weekend. And for the record, when I say RAN, I mean, RAN THE WHOLE F-N THING. The waterstop stops probably didn't even total 5 full minutes and we did the whole thing in 3:52 (woohoo). Our half marathon time was about 2:23 (I think)-- so we are on pace for a pretty solid time this year. I am so excited for that moment when Kristina and I cross that finish line - it will be such an amazing feeling - and doing it in our home town - with our friends and family there to cheer us on! :)
The run itself this weekend hurt like hell -- well, at least the end did. The first 14 miles were great - we were freaking flying. Kristina has the most amazing watch that will tell the pace that you are keeping -- and so we are able to make sure that we aren't going too fast. I know that we were trying to average 11 minute miles but the first 10 miles we were going between 10:15 and 10:30, but it felt good so we just let it happen.
We have these speakers that I keep on my water belt that really makes the time pass -- we've had them since the 15 mile run -- and they are AMAZING and really keep people entertained on the course... which is something that we are really, really good at. Not trying to toot our own horn, but we truly are nothing but a good time out there. We may not be the fastest folks, but we certainly have the most fun while running. Between the speakers, the heads and our AMAZING bedazzled (well technically they aren't bedazzled) visors, we really do bring a smile to peoples faces when they pass us. Or maybe it is just my horrible dancing and singing skills that make people smile/laugh. But with all the fun we do bring to the course, it is a little unnerving that during the last 4-5 miles we are all alone on the course, but when we do run past people and they are smiling, it makes us feel good and forget our pain.
Anyway, back to the run, as we passed the 14 mile mark, my hips and knees started to really ache and then got REALLY bad at the end (specifically 17-20). Oh and let me also mention that my right foot was asleep for most of the run - which ALWAYS freaks me out (the whole circulation thing is a killer). Honestly, I would have probably just walked off the course and called a cab had it not been for Kristina. She was amazing. She knew that I needed help and she was able to get past all the negative thoughts in my head and keep me moving forward. I would NOT have finished if it wasn't for her. She made me kept going and I am SO lucky to have her with me. She is such an amazing friend and person - and I can't believe how lucky I am to have her with me every step of the way. It really was her who got me to finish those last 5 miles.
The course itself was pretty good - we had it broken up into four 5-mile increments, which made it easier for us to deal with. The first half was great - it was really that fourth quarter that was killer! :) But we did it and that is all that matters. Oh and I can't forget to mention that in the home stretch, Mickey was there to run us in. And in the last few yards, they both grabbed my hands to run in, and it meant more to me than anything. Knowing that he stood out there for about a hour after he finished to run not just us, but EVERYONE in, just says what a great guy he is. He is truly one of those people that come into your life and you just want to let everyone have a little piece of him because he is so great! Both him and Kristina have quickly become such great friends to me, I just don't know what my life was like before them! :)
Now that we have the long runs out of our way, the last thing that we have left to do is taper down and finish the run! I am excited about it and I know that we are going to have a blast during the actual race and I am excited for it to get here. And knowing that it isn't the end also helps -- knowing that I am going to be traveling to Nashville again and only running 13.1 will be great -- so I can really experience the town again. Kristina is making the trip with me too, so I know it will be SUPER fun the whole time!!! :)
I can't post without an update on fundraising - I have officially reached my minimum! :) I am very excited about that! BUT I still have my PERSONAL goal of $3000, which I am still about $800 away from... so if you haven't already, please donate. I sold tshirts to the team and raised about $160 from that, so I am happy with that, and I am selling my amazing visor decorating skills for $25 per visor (and $50 for a singlet) -- with all the profits going to TNT. I am not sure how many of those we will sell, but we will see!
Well as the time ticks down to the first race, I will continue to post and let all the millions of readers that I know follow this blog know how I am feeling... hahahaha
Anyway, thanks for reading and thank you for your support! :)
GO TEAM!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/cmc09/sperry
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