1:30 til we reach the start line so now i'm running.......
mile 1 heading up on ramp and feeling really good heading onto hwy 202 (they shut down one entire side of freeway)
mile 2 on bridge and seems like alot of it is uphill (note to self that'll be fun coming back over right before the end) notice i'm surrounded by Galloway Pacers.....check out which one (5:30 pacer) PERFECT I am aiming toward 2:45 for my half. and we're walking. even tho i don't feel like walking i know i need to force myself to because this is going to be a long race
mile 3 still hanging with the pacers and feeling really good and checking my pace tattoo and we are dead on. Impressive I think I will do pace groups all the time
mile 4 yep still with pace group and we are not off the freeway and headed down suburban jacksonville, the people here are so supportive, wait was that a garage band wow this is amazing.......what a fun city...
mile 5 you guessed it I am still with pace group and because I know we are on track I don't find myself doing any crazy mind wandering. I really like having someone say walk.........................5...4....3....2....1.. run come on let's move it. starting to feel a little militaryish but i think i kinda like it..........
mile 6 oh no the sand..........yuck.......all i can think of is don't fill your shoes with sand it sucks... Too late...wait we are almost half way. Sweet.........focus...........oh no there goes my pacers.................ugh now it's just me. Should've just done 26.2 so i can keep going. kidding
mile 6 after 2 miles on sand (or at least that's what i was told) I'm ready to hit the streets again. (ok not too much sand at least i don't feel too much)
Mile 7 kinda fuzzy on this one, I think much of it was due to trying to figure out how i can continue to pace myself without the group. well back to my own style feeling myself settle in. Feels great omg there are spectator support people out on their balconies all along here, people handing out gatorade, lemonade, water, you name it.
Mile 8 BATHROOM............yep i'm doin it..........leaving a big one in the port-a-let. Ok feeling great, wait now i'm feeling a little tight. sitting was not a good idea plus now my pants feel as though they are not quite where they were before. oh well back to running. See girls with flower headbands I think they were pretty much on pace with the pace group I'll stick around them. yeah....
Mile 9 I'm about 4 min off my pace tattoo i think from what I remember. I'm thinking at this point i was hurting in my other 10 mile race i'd done and i'm not feeling it yet so this is good. Just hitting my groove, walking when i feel like it and running when i feel good
Mile 10 starting to notice inside of my arms are rubbing the three layers I have on, starting to notice my hands are swelling up and it's starting to really bug me
Mile 11 Is that a huge blister on the ball of my foot? oh god it surely is just my sock bunching up isn't it? stop to check and pull sock tight.....can't run i'm in pain this is excruciating I feel like the balls of my feet are on fire I look around at everyone else surely someone else feels this way don't they? OMG it's killing me, walking up bridge I think the inner part of my arms might break open..........OH gross the one on my right foot just popped and ooozed all over my toes............but wait that was relief........
Mile 12 because that blister popped i found myself able to run again..........saying come on just one mile like this before it blisters again. This is nothing compared to women who went thru chemotherapy, surely I can get thru this with blistered feet.........I realized that at mile 11 it was still under my time i did for my 10 miler which puts me in good position now i'm shooting for under 3 hours..........
Mile 13 I know I can do this. I just keep thinking don't walk cuz in the end when it's 3:01 you'll kick yourself.........go.........go ..........go........and I went went went........crossed the finish line and it said 3:01:10..........I did it ( remember I was 1:30 behind in the beginning) all my work paid off and I was sooooo happy but never felt more alone at the finish........it was weird.........I just stopped and tried to capture the moment. and where is my friend that i left behind in the first mile? was she ok? I better stop my phone.......I stopped my runkeeper and the phone completely goes dead...great......can't even call anyone to let them know I did it!!!! this kinda sucks!!! OH GOD my feet hurt......ice yea.........chair yea.........ok MEDIC>>>>>>>>>> I'm sitting my feet on ice and some girl sees my socks and says oh yeah I had those nike socks they suck........yeah thanks........wish now that i hadn't just worn socks I'd never tried before. Ok sitting for like 30 min.........hey kid......give me a wheelchair ride back to the bag check........so he did :)......got my bag and just sat on the curb there and it started to hit me what I'd just accomplished.......soon my friend came and looked like she was hobbling like me.......she sits down and tells me that at mile 7 her hip flex-or popped on her when she twisted her foot a tiny bit on some unlevel ground and went to the tent to have it adjusted.........wow that sounds horrible......we get up and hobble to the beverage area and get a beer and head over to the smoothie tent mmmmmmmmmm beer and smoothies' not quite what i had in mind......we share a few tears in our accomplishments and proceed to find our bus and take the 1 hour shuttle back to hotel......where we get cleaned up and head to the resorts private beach where we spend the rest of the day soaking up all the sun and fun we possibly can.........then we wore our medals proudly that night........and I have to say to all the people in Jacksonville, THANK YOU for your amazing hospitality and your appreciation for what we endured............Can't wait to show you I can do it again next year......
