On Sunday, May 17, I ran my 5th Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, Virginia and while the weekend didn't work out as totally planned, we had a great time.
We were leaving on Friday the 15th to make part of the drive up to VA. Jeff volunteered at the BMW Charity Pro-Am on Thursday and Friday and needed to see his doctor before leaving, so that put us somewhat behind, but still with plenty of time. After his appointment, we got an Rx filled, stopped to pick up Christina and hit the road. We had an absolute blast driving up to NC, stopping at Johnnie Carinos to eat and pulling into a Sleep Inn in Creedmore, NC for the night. I knew that Jeff did not feel well at all, but he had a good time too, laughing and telling stories.
On Saturday morning, we got up and continued North. Jeff had a rough night with a fever starting causing chills, but was still holding out hope for what he referred to as "a miraculous recovery" so that he could participate in the half marathon. We got to the Expo in time to hear a nutritionist read her PowerPoint slides (with her back turned to the audience) and waste about 30 minutes of our time. Dang! I was actually looking forward to that part! The Expo was not very large, but I made a few purchases and we went in search of food. Thank goodness our friend Ryan met us there with his handy Blackberry and was able to locate a Chipolte for me. I think Chipolte may be my new favorite place to eat. Well, there and Blueberry Frog, but I'll save the Frog for another blog. We went downtown and walked around for a little while. It was the first historic courthouse I've seen that looks like a church. We decided that still full from our late lunch, we would skip the pasta dinner and headed to the hotel. Christina & I later walked across the street to Wendy's for a baked potato and a Frosty. Yes, carb loading at its finest.
The morning of the Half, I slept in to the absolute latest minute I could. I think that makes Jeff nervous. We left the hotel and there was a slight mist. I was nervous ... more nervous than I've been for any recent races. We got stuck in traffic and had a difficult time finding a parking space so Jeff dropped Christina and I off as close to the start as he could get. This would be weird for me - running a half without my husband. But, I knew that he did not feel up to it and was still fighting a nasty infection. The rain continued to lightly fall, but no one was going to let that damper the spirit of excitement present. The race staff really made waiting for the start very fun. We weren't lined up for too long before the gun went off and away we go...
There was huge spectator participation all along this course. I saw Jeff around the one mile mark and it was good to see him as I got started. I knew that this route was mainly flat with a few hills the first 10 miles, but miles 10-13 were uphill. I wanted to go slow and save it for those last 3 miles. With each mile, we were getting faster, but both Christina and I were very comfortable and able to carry on conversations with each other so we just decided to stay in our zones. As we came into downtown Fredericksburg, the bottom dropped out and it started pouring rain. All we could do is keep on running and laughing, even though our shoes were weighed down with water and we were slogging along. At each turn, Marines marked our way. It was pretty funny that at mile 7.5, they were saying "You're halfway there". Now I am the fine product of a top-class Anderson County education, and I even know that 7.5+7.5=15 miles, not 13.1. Thank God for my Garmin!! At around mile 8, Christina and I parted company, she was feeling great and I was slowing down, so I told her to go and run her race. The next 5 miles involved some walk breaks, but I ran as much as I could. I was somewhat disappointed in myself that I couldn't make it the whole way. After all, that was the point of this half - do the 13.1 with no walk breaks. I really have to learn to push past the mental wall that goes up. As I came upon the Finish Line, I heard 80s music marking the way. All of a sudden, "Footloose" came on and dang! I wanted that to be my finish line song! I tried to kick it up as I remembered high school memories of Crystal, Tina, Susan, Tracy and myself going to see that movie at the Old Colony movie theater in Easley. However, it must have been the American Idol 2-minute version of Footloose because I couldn't quite make it. I heard my name and looked to my right and there were Jeff & Christina. Christina ran out and ran back across the Finish Line with me. That's a true friend right there - one that ran 13.1 miles and then go back to run more. It meant a lot to me. I was happy that I had a new PR - 2:35:03. And in case you are wondering, "Dancing with Myself" was my Finish Line song.
Our initial plan was to go into Washington DC that afternoon, but it was cold and rainy and Jeff felt miserable. We talked about it and decided to drive back home. After a long hot shower, we packed up the car and came back to home sweet home with one more medal for the wall.
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