We all look quite fresh and ready to kick a little a.
Little did we know there would be PRs crushed, sickness overcome, torrential downpours, challenges beyond what we trained for, orca sightings...
Casey and Stacie took off from the getgo... fast and furious (my cheese is showing) they are. Best quotes of the day, come from the two of them. Stacie; "I'm not fast, I was just trying to catch up with Casey to tell her she was going to fast... ten miles later, now I'm just running too fast". and from Casey "I remember thinking it felt surreal, that if I woke up and it was all a dream I wasn't going ot run in the AM".
Susan has leapt ahead as well, she's not only speedy but can hold onto her pace for a long, long... long.. long, long time. Making it look incredibly easy. She finished the marathon in 3:41:39, literally seconds over the qualifying mark for Boston, maybe I shouldn't mention that part.
BooBoo, Deb, and I ran the first six miles together. There was lots of inappropriate giggling due to a rather funny man, we'll call him Dwight. Up ahead we can see the incredible back (both upper and lower) of our girl Meghan, and the medical journal calves of miss Miniken. Talking about/admiring the fit bodies around us is a fun distraction.
All around there is chatter, and lots of "Wow, can you believe how perfect the weather is"??... oh, the joy of running for hours and hours, with a moody sky.The three of us have split up, we've got music on and a hill to climb... for the next three to four miles, I'll be running hard to catch back up with Deb, Shannon, and Meghan. When the 1/2 and full runners split, I get my first glimpse of Blythe and am moments from catching up with buddies.
We're on the west side now, the weather is still wonderful.. perfect some might even continue to say. I've caught back up and things are looking up. We pass by a water station where the woman tells us there are whales to be seen up ahead.
*In a parallel world there was BooBoo, moments apart and running past the whales with a shrug of the shoulders as if to say "I could give a ______ about whales."
Running on the WEST SIDE was such an incredible highlight, sweet friends, amazing views, sherpa husbands and wee darlings, and nice friends dropping off fresh fruit.
This was going to be a fabulous marathon...
On the turn around Kim has met up with us, and it's turned into a bit of a gaggle of rooting, friendly, silliness. My stomach has started to cramp and I'm trying my darndest to ignore it and let the girls around me do all the talking.
Still sharp pains in my abdomen, nauseous, and countless stops to the bushes... I apologize west side. My shame has left, and I'm alone. Waving on my patient friends ages ago.
I've got the locals to keep me company and my sherpas.
Around mile 17 my sunny disposition has disappeared, much like our perfect weather. I'm downing in both tears and rain. Miserable, is an understatement.
My thoughts now, were almost completely on our friend L. I'd go into that more, but really don't want to minimize any of it.
I'm now three miles away, pretty sure my fast friends have finished and I'm fighting the urge not to hop in the husbands truck next time he goes by.
Thank goodness for a Cere.
Driving by with thoughts of cheer, she finds me struggling (and yes, still crying). Without a thought she hops out of her warm car, put up her rain jackets hood and is now running with me in her Uggs mind you, and telling me both funny and shocking, if you knew her stories. Everything I needed!
I'm now a quarter mile away, and there's my BooBoo. I burst into tears (again), she runs me around the corner. Where my Clark is waiting. Both BooBoo and Clark are running me up the last hill. My partners.
I can see the clock, my family, my people, the end. I fall into the arms of my Daryl. It's over. done. finished. completed. accomplished.
It all turns into a weepy love fest of the best kind.
THIS **people who are reading and not understanding why one would put themself through such agony** IS WHY WE DO IT.
Running on the WEST SIDE was such an incredible highlight, sweet friends, amazing views, sherpa husbands and wee darlings, and nice friends dropping off fresh fruit.
This was going to be a fabulous marathon...
On the turn around Kim has met up with us, and it's turned into a bit of a gaggle of rooting, friendly, silliness. My stomach has started to cramp and I'm trying my darndest to ignore it and let the girls around me do all the talking.
Still sharp pains in my abdomen, nauseous, and countless stops to the bushes... I apologize west side. My shame has left, and I'm alone. Waving on my patient friends ages ago.
I've got the locals to keep me company and my sherpas.
Around mile 17 my sunny disposition has disappeared, much like our perfect weather. I'm downing in both tears and rain. Miserable, is an understatement.
My thoughts now, were almost completely on our friend L. I'd go into that more, but really don't want to minimize any of it.
I'm now three miles away, pretty sure my fast friends have finished and I'm fighting the urge not to hop in the husbands truck next time he goes by.
Thank goodness for a Cere.
Driving by with thoughts of cheer, she finds me struggling (and yes, still crying). Without a thought she hops out of her warm car, put up her rain jackets hood and is now running with me in her Uggs mind you, and telling me both funny and shocking, if you knew her stories. Everything I needed!
I'm now a quarter mile away, and there's my BooBoo. I burst into tears (again), she runs me around the corner. Where my Clark is waiting. Both BooBoo and Clark are running me up the last hill. My partners.
I can see the clock, my family, my people, the end. I fall into the arms of my Daryl. It's over. done. finished. completed. accomplished.
It all turns into a weepy love fest of the best kind.
THIS **people who are reading and not understanding why one would put themself through such agony** IS WHY WE DO IT.
*this was Blythes and Tamaras first half marathon plus Kristi and Kims first full.. congratulations my lovelies.
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