Pictures Coming Soon

The race was wonderful! I had a great day and felt really good. My finish time was 1:27:24. I still can't believe that I was able to run almost an hour and a half. Three months ago, I could barley run to my mail box without sucking wind.
We arrived at the starting line about an hour early. Shortly after we got there it started raining. I should have kept my jacket with me, but...of course, I left it on the bus. Needless to say, by the time we actually started I was freezing. I have never been to the start of a running race before. It is a unique experience. There are so many people from so many backgrounds with so many goals, but for a few minutes, they are all singularly focused. It's like nothing I've ever experienced.
The first mile was down hill. I focused hard on staying slow. I'm glad I did. After the first mile we began the climb to the bridge. It was very steep. Luckily I was not alone. Many of us were walking up the hill. Once I hit the bridge, I took off. The rain stopped and I kicked up the pace.
After the bridge we went downhill through the a grove of eucalyptus, which smelled wonderful, and followed the shoreline into Crissy field. By this time, I was feeling great and sped up even more. It took until mile 5 before I felt sluggish.
I wanted to walk so badly, but I knew that my body was okay. So I kept forcing myself forward in short distances until I saw the 6 mile mark. I knew I could run another mile and a half without a problem, so I pushed a little harder.
It's difficult to explain my emotions when I saw the finish line just ahead. I was so happy that the run was over, so happy that I had done it, amazed at how far I've come, a little frightened at how far I have to go. So many things hit me at once. I looked around and realized that there was no one I know there to share the experience of that moment. Usually I would feel hurt by this, but this was a totally different experience. This was MY victory. Even if no one was there, it happened, I finished well. That made me very proud.
I found the bus and grabbed my jacket, then headed off to pick up my tee-shirt. I walked down to the wharf and looked out at the Golden Gate, amazed at how far I had come. Then I headed to the Buena Vista for a nice hot Irish Coffee or two...maybe three. That's where I was welcomed into the Tribe...but that's another post.