In September I took a trip to LA with Bobby and a few friends to run the Disneyland half marathon. This trip was super fun, but the race was not my best. I had several issues that slowed me down and made me question why I put myself through the torture of 13.1 miles. The first night we were there we did some shopping and met our friends from a run club here in town for a big carb-filled dinner. The next morning we woke up and I felt super nervous for the race. Once we got to Disneyland to start I realized I forgot my run watch. I rely on my watch to pace myself, so I started to panic. When I say "panic" I mean full-blown-anxiety-attack-puking-in-the-porta-potty-PANIC!!! I could hear the National Anthem while I was getting sick. By the time I was "OK" I realized I missed my corral. I had no phone to call Bobby, and I KNEW he was on his way to get breakfast with my friends that weren't running. I felt like I had no choice but to run. I pushed through the other corrals to get to the front with hope that I could start with the 2nd of the 5 corrals. I pleaded with a security guard to let me run with the 2nd corral, but he was a jerk and made me wait for EVERYONE to start before I could go. I guess he felt as if he needed to punish me for being late. This probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but I had to run through thousands of walkers and slow joggers, and it really was a challenge. I had no idea what pace I was running, so I was upset. I think I cried the whole first 2 miles. I must have looked like a maniac sprinting as hard as I could through people while bawling my eyes out. There was a turning point for me during the race though, and I quit feeling sorry for myself and began to enjoy my surroundings. I laughed at the MEN in Tinkerbell outfits that were running together, and appreciated the cheerleaders out there, but the most magical part of the race for me was running through Angel stadium. I can't explain how amazing it was to run around the bases of that field. The stadium was empty and it was HUGE. It was breathtaking, really. The last 4-5 miles of the race I had good times. When it was over I still felt proud that I finished it despite the set backs I encountered. My time ended up being slower than I hoped. As always my sweet husband was waiting at the finish line cheering me on along with my good friend, Luke and Shawna. It is SO nice to have people support me. Bobby even looked for the security guard who was mean to me. I'm glad he didn't find him because I may have had to bail him out of jail!! After the race we went and ate a huge breakfast, then napped back at the hotel, and THEN it was off to see the Dodgers play. We had a great time at the game. I saw Jason Lee there too! All in all it was a SERIOUS great time! I LOVE weekend vacations. I'm also glad for challenging circumstances that force me to dig deep inside and keep on truckin'!
Distance HALF MAR
Chip Time 1:50:46
Division Place 28 / 1340
Age Grade 59.4%
5K 24:57
15K 1:17:44
Checking in for the Disneyland half marathon.
Looking through my race packet.
Bobby relaxing.
Bobby helping me get ready.
Shawna and me.
Finishing....finally
After the race.
Shawna, Melissa, and me.
Melissa and me after our race.
Getting ready to go root for the Dodgers.
Tami and me walking into the Dodger game...very SORE from our race.
Loving the baseball game!
Good times. Great group!
3 comments:
Oh man that is crazy, but so glad you made it through and did so well!! You look amazing after running that far, really wrong!! :) Love ya good job you hot mama!
You look very happy in the picture of you after the race. How fun and what a cool experience.
Oh I am so glad you took the time to write this story down! It definitely is one for the memory books. Reading it, I was getting mad at that security guard all over again! He was psycho!! And your time was amazing!!! Be proud of yourself.
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