I tried to go to bed early on Friday night, but it was a little difficult. I wasn't in the habit of going to bed as early as I needed to, and I was nervous and anxious and excited, so my mind just wouldn't rest. Daniel read a little bit of Harry Potter in Spanish to me to help me fall asleep. And that worked pretty well.
I had to wake up at 3 in the morning to start getting ready. I got dressed and made a bit of breakfast for myself, gathered the stuff I thought I would need, and then Heather came to get me and we drove out to Azusa. It took about an hour to get there and another half hour at least to park and get on the bus. The bus was to take us up to the starting point of our race, 13 miles up the canyon. But our bus driver did not apparently know where he was supposed to go, because we drove around, a bit aimlessly, and he turned around a few times before we got on the right rode. We rode around like that for at least 20 minutes before we started up the canyon, and I was dying because I had to go to the bathroom so bad. The whole ride was a little nerve-racking, on top of which I was anxious about the race already.
We finally got up to the starting line around 5:30am or so. And it was crazy up there! And FREEZING! There were at least 50 little port-o-potties up there, and Heather and I estimated at least 200 people milling around. We picked a spot against a rock wall to hang out, and just watch what was going on. Everyone was wrapped up in sweaters and emergency blankets that the race company provided. People were sitting and laying down; there was loud music playing; some were walking and jogging around, eating, talking to people, getting ready. Heather and I just sat and watched and talked a bit.
When it was almost time to start, we took some pictures and followed the herds of people heading out to the Starting Line. We threw our Drop Bags onto the truck and swung around with everyone else to start. The gun went off, and we were still trying to get to our place; we didn't officially start the race until about 4 minutes after it started, but ... we weren't in any rush. There was a chip in our bib that tracked our time from when we crossed the starting line to when we crossed the finish line; so it didn't matter too much that we didn't get out right away.
The first mile was weird, because we were so cold, and our bodies had to warm up to running. Plus, everyone was so bunched up at the beginning, for at least the first few miles, that it was a little hard to navigate through the crowds. After that first mile, we started shedding our layers. I was surprised how quickly I warmed up and started feeling warm. So after about 2 or 3 miles, we started feeling really good. We were going along at a fairly good clip, and we both felt strong and energetic.
Heather and I stuck together for most of the race. There were a few slow and steady, but long, hills where we got separated for a short time. And we did take one bathroom break around mile 7. But other than that one stop, and the few real short ones to get some water, we ran the whole time. That was my main goal: to run the whole thing without walking. I was surprised with how many people would stop and walk for a while, especially up the hills, and then start running again. I felt really good that I was running the whole time, and very consistently, too.
We did the first 10 miles without really any difficulty. We felt good! We were doing it! It was wonderful and so fun! It was around mile 11 that we started to feel it. Heather's knee started giving her grief and I was just all around tired. I noticed that my lungs and heart were doing just great; but ... the rest of my body was getting tired. The road that we were running on was slanted to one direction or the other, and my ankles were really sore and tired. On top of that, my hip flexors were getting really tired, and my quads. That's about the point that we separated. I tried to keep constant, and even pick it up a little, though I was tired. I knew if I slowed down, it would be difficult to keep it going. But Heather fell behind a little bit.
The last mile was -- Killer! Right at mile 12, we turned a corner, and as I turned it, I saw the last mile ... climbing a little hill. What?! A hill, right at the end?! It was so sad. But. I picked up and finished, passing people on the way (which felt SO good) and it was so exciting. There were a whole bunch of people at the finish line yelling and cheering, and I saw Daniel and the girls there cheering for me. I finished in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 14.10 seconds, at about a 10:33 min/mile pace. I crossed, they gave me a metal, and then I navigated the crowds getting food and water. They had a ton of stuff: granola bars, water bottles, energy drinks, bananas and fruit, pie ... It was intense! So loud and crazy. I grabbed what I could, but I was more anxious to see my family and then find Heather.
It was such a good feeling! Heather and I were so proud and happy! It felt good to finish. And we were so tired and sore for days afterwards.
*Freezing up at the top! It was pretty cold.*
*At the Starting Line with about a million people. It was very exciting!*
*Beautiful race*
*Crossing the finish line! So cool!*
Stats:
| Bib # | 4474 |
|---|---|
| Event | Half Marathon |
| Chip Time | 2:18:14.10 |
| Gun Time | 2:22:27.59 |
| Start Time of Day | 7:04:33AM |
| Finish Time of Day | 9:22:47AM |
| Pace (min/mile) | 10:33 |
| Overall Rank | 686 |
| Gender Rank (Female) | 367 |
| Age Division Rank (F25-29) | 32 |
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