I ran my first half marathon over the weekend. On Friday Trent, the kids and I drove two hours to Savannah and picked up my race packet from the convention center and then checked into the Holiday Inn at the airport (at $175.00 a night it was the cheapest hotel I could find for race weekend!). The hotel had an indoor pool and jacuzzi so that made the kids happy and it had a Cracker Barrel across the street so that made me happy (Hello carb loading pancakes!). After swimming and eating, we settled in our beds for an evening of rest and TV. In the middle of watching Sponge Bob Squarepants, Currier stands up on the bed, pulls his pajama bottoms down, waves his hand in front of his penis as if presenting a five course meal and says, "Hey Everyone, feast your eyes on this!" Trying not to burst out laughing I said, "Currier, that's inappropriate where did you learn that?" He said he just saw it earlier in a movie preview except the kid bent over and pointed to his butt. "I thought it would be way funnier to pull my pants down and do it to my pee pee!" he said. He was right! The next morning Trent and the kids slept in while I got up at 5AM, ate a high protein breakfast and took a shuttle with twenty strangers to the start line. Hardly a word was spoken on that dark and early ride into the city but the van reeked of Biofreeze, nerves, adrenaline and fear. Once I got to the start line I met some members of the Tri Sports run club for one last pep talk from our trainers, Shelley and Peggy, and my nerves seemed to calm a bit. "Just have fun", they said. "You trained four months for this race. The hard part is over. Now just have fun!"
And that I did! Who would have thought running 13.1 miles could be so much fun!? There was a live band at every mile and the spectators were an absolute riot! Some held signs that read, “Don’t stop—that’s what she said!” & “This is the worst parade ever!” & "If running were easy they would call it your mom!" & " Go complete stranger Go!" Since this was a marathon to benefit the American Cancer Society, many of the runners ran in honor of or in memory of loved ones and many cancer survivors themselves ran—the motivation and inspiration was too awesome and emotional to describe. I ran this one for my mom who battled a brain tumor for five years before it took her life at the age of 43.
Crossing that marathon finish line was an incredible feeling. My time as 2:46 which I know isn't a record breaker but not bad for a first timer with a knee injury. I followed the trainers' advice and took my time at a 12 minute mile pace, hydrated at every single water stop and even stopped and waited in line and peed at mile five.
The kids thought I won the race since I got a medal (I'm okay with letting them think that) and Trent couldn't stop telling me how proud he was of me (I'm also okay with that!). After a few race beers at the finish line, we headed back home to Charleston. On the way home, I was talking on the phone with my friend Stacey and telling her all about the funny signs that spectators were holding and Currier was obviously listening and taking in every word because after I hung up the phone he said, "If running were easy they would call it my mom!"
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