I Run To Be ~ NWM Race Report

I have been excited about this race since April. I love San Francisco. I love chocolate. I love firemen, in fact, I found my new boyfriend. We hit it off like a house on fire... grin.

I love spending time in the city. Of course we had to go to Fisherman's Warf and Pier 39.

We flew in to SF on Saturday, the day before the race. I think that is when everyone else came into the city as well. The expo was so crowded...the line for the packet pick up was crazy long.. It was worse than the lines at Disneyland in the middle of summer, only it was cold. Oi Vey! But they were efficient and the line moved quickly, we were only in line for about 20 minutes. With packet in hand we left to explore the city. 

Each street seemed to have a bigger hill than the last. I was getting a little worried about how I was going to handle the hills with my knee, it had been aching a little all week...I did just run the STG marathon two weeks ago. I was running this race against doctor's orders. (8 weeks in between races is what was recommended). But since this trip was already paid for and the bling came in a little blue box, I had to do it! 

By the time we got back to the hotel, I had myself all worked up. And not in a good way. I was feeling apprehensive and nervous. I was having self doubt. I don't like feeling that way, so I pushed it away. I took my GABA and went to sleep, and slept surprisingly well. 

The alarm went off at 5 am. I went through my routine. Ate a yogurt, a banana, took my vitamins (multi, B12, vitamin C, which aids in the absorption of the B12, fish oil, and glucosamine chondroitin. AND I remembered my immodium! (: I  got to Union Square about 6:25. I was still feeling a bit uneasy.

I turned on my Garmin and it couldn't find the satellite, but I started the timer anyway as I crossed the start line. (I ran 1.75 miles before it found the signal). As I started running, all the uneasy feelings went away. I had this! It felt like clockwork. Nothing mattered any more, because I was doing what I love. I was running and it felt so good! The course was great. The hills were not as bad as I had anticipated! We started at Union Square and made our way to The Embarcadero..we basically ran the whole coastline of SF. I absolutely loved running through Golden Gate Park. The Eucalyptus trees smelled so good in the rain. We ran around Lake Merced and ended on the The Great Highway.

I was really emotional during the last half of the race. I don't know if it was because of all the estrogen around me, but I kept getting teary. And then when I finally saw the finish line I started weeping. I tried to stop and I was doing a pretty good job until I crossed the finish line and then all the emotion came out! The first thing I noticed were the beautiful firemen..then I notice the red carpet...then the beautiful firemen...very nice. I accepted my little blue Tiffany's box from a handsome man in a tuxedo and made my way through the finish area. I was trying to hold back my tears. I was freezing, and they were out of mylar blankets! One of the volunteers said, "If you had come in an hour ago, there would have been a blanket for you. Why did you come in so late?" I wanted to kick him in the balls! But I restrained myself..I went to the medical tent and the kind man looked at my teary face and asked, "Do you need a blanket?" He unfolded it and wrapped it around me and tied it, all while I just cried. I have never been so emotional at the end of a race before. Estrogen? I think yes! I didn't even stop to get a finisher's picture...ah well, they all turn out ugly anyway, right? (:

And later, when I opened this...

 I cried again...

Keep running!

Thank you Little Caesars!!