After months of preparation, and ironically three weeks off due to injuries, the weekend of my first half-marathon had finally arrived. For those of you that have never run a big race, I hope to convey the excitement from beginning to end.
The activities start well before race day. There is the packet picket pick-up where you get your racing bib number, shoe tag for electronically timing your race, and any pre-race information you might need. In addition, there is the expo where they gather exhibitors to sell anything from running clothes and running shoes to energy bars and drinks. There is also a social side to this expo where you meet up with your racing friends and take pictures to remind you of the special day.
The activities start well before race day. There is the packet picket pick-up where you get your racing bib number, shoe tag for electronically timing your race, and any pre-race information you might need. In addition, there is the expo where they gather exhibitors to sell anything from running clothes and running shoes to energy bars and drinks. There is also a social side to this expo where you meet up with your racing friends and take pictures to remind you of the special day.
Because I was also running with Team in Training (TNT) there was a motivational pre-race carb-load dinner on Saturday night. As we walked into the venue, we were greeted by our trainers and mentors dressed in Mardi Gras like garb blowing horns and ringing bells to congratulate us on making it through the training. Besides a fabulous dinner, we were reminded about why we were actually there. The speakers were all survivors or people had been touched by a loved one who had this cancer. It was an amazing night and the excitement made it hard to sleep.
The next morning we had a 3 AM wake-up call so we could meet our TNT team by 4 AM (does this convey excitement?). This allows the team manager to make sure no one oversleeps and misses the big race. After our early morning team photo, it was time to line up in our corral to wait for the National Anthem and the start of the race.
The first four miles took us through California Adventure and Disneyland, past sites that have been etched in my memory since childhood. It was difficult to not want to stop and take pictures with the characters or jump on for just one ride through It’s A Small World. Outside of the parks, I was amazed at the throngs of people scattered throughout the course ready to cheer on the runners as they passed by. In addition, the cheerleaders, bands, and musical and dancing groups that kept us motivated were unbelievable. Just as I felt like I couldn’t go one step further, I would look off and see a group of students willing to give up their Sunday to cheer us on. I couldn’t give up. One of the most inspirational parts of my run was the Leukemia survivor that I encountered at Mile 7 who reminded me of why I was running this race.
I won’t lie, as inspirational as this survivor was, the highlight of the entire race was actually running through Angel stadium at mile 10. I am not a huge baseball fan, but I think no one could fail to be motivated by rows and rows of cheering fans sitting in the bleachers or your face plastered on the Jumbo-tron as you run out of the stadium. I will never forget those ten minutes through the stadium.
Finally, I could see the finish line in the distance. It gave me that final burst of energy I needed to finish strong and sprint across the finish line, right in front of Mickey Mouse, to complete my first half-marathon in under 3 hours at 2:58. The best part was that we finished as a family. Sean ran in right before me at 2:56 and amazingly, Niall and Brent came in at 2:10 for their first long race ever. You can see by our finish line picture, we are tired but very proud of ourselves for achieving this seemingly insurmountable goal…WE DID IT! One more step forward on my road from flabby to flabulous.
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