Start Me Up

“You don’t stand in front of a mirror before a run wondering what the road will think of your outfit.
You don’t have to listen to its jokes and pretend they’re funny in order to run on it.
It would not be easier to run if you dressed sexier.
The road doesn’t notice if you’re not wearing lipstick.
Does not care how old you are.
You do not feel uncomfortable because you make more money than the road.
And you can call on the road whenever you feel like it.
Whether it’s been a day or even a couple of hours since your last date.
The only thing the road cares about, is that you pay it a visit once in a while.”

I’ve always loved this quote from the movie What Women Want. To me it’s dead on. Running is a feeling of freedom and accomplishment. Running the half marathon on Sunday was empowering for so many reasons, I don’t think I can begin to explain or even fully comprehend myself. I’ll start at the beginning. Saturday afternoon my Mom and Dan picked me up from Tulsa to drive to OKC. We arrived in OKC to find mass chaos on the highway leading to the Cox Convention Center which is where packet pick up was. The OKC Thunder and LA Lakers were playing game 4 of the playoffs at the Ford Center which was also downtown that evening. Once we finally got to the Convention Center, my mom and I ran in to pick up the packet while Dan killed time in the car. It was definitely nice to be dropped off and have the car waiting when we were done. Not only was it crowded but there were also moments of rain and wind. Luckily we timed it all perfectly and missed a cloud of rain while we were inside getting my packet and bib number. While in the convention center, I was able to pick up my packet and t-shirt. Of course they made you get your packet and t-shirt in 2 different places so that you had to walk through all the booths selling running gear. Lucky for me, my Mom and I ran across a cute pink shirt that read “yeah I run like a girl” on the front and “try to keep up” on the back. Of course I had to snag this cute marathon memorabilia. I think my mom wanted one for herself, that or marathon momma. My Mom was her typical self, taking pictures of pretty much everything including me getting my packet. Oh yes exciting stuff! But I won’t lie, seeing her excitement and pride in my accomplishment made me feel pretty good. From there we went directly to eat dinner. Pasta and lots of it! Olive Garden was surprisingly packed for 5:30. Apparently prom was the same night but luckily we still got seated quickly. I had the seafood alfredo and for dessert, my Mom and I split the lemon cream cake which was to die for! From there, I went back to my hotel room, took a bath to relax, and got prepared for the next day. I fell asleep at approximately 9 but woke up to slamming doors and the sound of people running up and down the hallway at about 10:30. I was super annoyed but tried to remain calm and fall back to sleep. Unfortunately these kids didn’t have a big race the next day so they continued to wake me up for the next hour or so. When my alarm went off at 4:15 AM, I had mixed feelings. One, I was of course still tired and two, I thought wow this is really it! Immediately I got up and ate my clif bar and drank some water. I finished getting ready and went downstairs at 5AM where my mom and Dan were waiting to pick me up. It took us about 30 minutes to get downtown. There were already runners scattered throughout the streets, either heading toward the starting line or the free pancake breakfast. I however was going to meet my running partners at the Renaissance where they stayed the night before. I waited as they finished getting ready and we left. It was rather chilly and windy so Amanda asked the concierge for 4 trash bags. We each poked a hole in the top where we put our heads through and wore like a trash bag coat. These weren’t normal trash bags either, they were big, hotel trash bags! We looked pretty silly and made a swishing sound as we walked but it helped keep us warm. We lined up with the 2:15 pace group when we got to the starting line, where I started to feel even more jolts of adrenaline. There’s something about lining up for a race that is so exciting, especially your 1st half marathon!  The announcer said there was 10 minutes until gun time so we shed the trash bags and got rid of our water bottles.  We did some last minutes stretching and deep breaths and before I knew it, it was time to go!  We started out slow because of the large crowd of runners in front of us but eventually got going at a good pace.  I'm pretty sure I smiled through the first half mile or so because there were so many people cheering and rooting us on.  I was so happy at that moment to be exactly where I was.  Well except for the fact that I had to pee!  We all did, well except Haley, so you've got to love her for stopping when she didn't have to.  Around mile 2 we had to stop at the porta potties because before the race began we all drank a bunch of water.  We were told that there would be porta potties near the starting line but we had no such luck.  So here we were, 2 miles in and already had to stop.  Luckily with the line and all, we were only stopped for about 2 minutes.  Take two!  We were back on course, now with a little time to make up.  We looked for the little balloons with 2:15 written on them but they were already too far ahead.  So we forgot about the pace group and got into the groove of our run.  Still fairly early in the race, Amanda brought my attention to all the people running in front of us.  It was the coolest moment of the race for me.  I looked up and as we were running up quite a lengthy hill, I saw thousands of runners.  It was beautiful.  That sounds crazy but it was such a memorable moment.  The rest of the run went pretty much as expected.  I tried to take in every moment.  I tried to be conscious of the people there cheering for us, the motivating songs on my iPod and the signs people had made.  Some of my favorites read Toenails are for Sissies, Run this Bitch, RunHERS for Life, My Pace or Yours and My Aunt Rhonda is Faster than your Aunt Rhonda.  I got a kick out of all of them.  I continued to look at my Garmin throughout the race.  At one point I recall Amanda saying only 1 more hour and I thought oh jeez!  But believe it or not it went by pretty quick.  Before I knew it, we were coming up on 3 miles left.  In my mind I was thinking we're going to have to pick it up soon, we're almost done... but then I thought what am I going to sprint the last 3 miles??!  No way I thought so I coasted through another mile and with a little less than 2 miles left, I picked up the pace.  I knew it was time to get this thing over with.  I felt pretty good.  Tired but strong.  I knew these were the moments I'd worked so hard for.  I kept talking to myself and looking for the finish line.  I won't lie it felt like forever waiting to see those 2 words.  Finally there it was in the distance.  I was tired but I thought I can't walk now, I'm so close.  So I kept going, kept fighting.  The cheers got louder the closer I got and finally I crossed.  I was finished.  I just ran my first half marathon.  Unaware of my time, I looked down at my Garmin and it said 2:14:59.  My goal was 2:15 so it almost made me laugh.  I had done exactly what I'd set out to do.  My goal was to cross the finish line and I did.  I caught eyes with my Mom after I was done and walked through what felt like a mile long fenced off area filled with everything from water and chocolate milk to bananas and cheeseburgers.  I grabbed a cookie, water and chocolate milk and proceeded through all the people.  Keep in mind there was 22,000 runners, 6,000 volunteers and 50.000 spectators.  It was crowded!  After we got out, we took a few pictures and went on our way.  I realized afterwards that I ran 13 miles and forgot to stretch.  I was so caught up in the moment.  About an hour or so later, I was told that my official time was 2:17:37.  I hadn't met my goal.  I had forgotten about the 2 minute potty break that my Garmin didn't account for.  But I didn't let it dampen my spirits.  I was so proud of all that I had accomplished. I encourage anyone who has an inkling to begin running or to start anything that scares them to just do it.  This is one of THE BEST things I have ever done.  I will never forget the people I ran my first half marathon with or my family and friends who have offered me so much support.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  As the song on my iPod said during the race, If you start me up... If you start me up I'll never stop."  This is just the beginning for me.  I'm hooked, and quite possibly a runner for life.