Good morning Divas, it's race day!
5:20am-- Off goes the alarm.
5:25am- my ass is out of bed and I'm stumbling around the hotel room to the bathroom in the dark.
5:45-Dressed and drawstring bag put together. Enjoying my peanut butter and toast. Also wishing the hotel room wasn't so cold.
6am-- Ben (who was probably re-considering our relationship and wondering why he is dating a runner) and I are in the car and heading out to the race site! Expecting to arrive between 6:30-6:40.
6:40-Hit traffic a few miles out from site.
6:50- start to panic.
7am-Panic has set in realizing that there is no way unless the cars part like the Red Sea that I will be able to park by 7:15....we've also barely moved a mile.
7:15- Ben and I stare at the car clock. We're still about 4 miles out. I start contemplating either turning the car around or jumping from car to car to see if I can get closer.
7:30- My co-worker, who is also running the race, texts me saying "omg traffic! Did you hear that they delayed the start?"...a bit of relief goes through my mind.
8:00am- Pull into parking. Have heard that start has been postponed to 8:15....8:30...
I realize I have time to go to the bathroom and actually run into my co-worker!
8:20am - bag dropped off at bag check and I head for the start line.
8:30-- announcement is made that they are delaying the start another 15 minutes so more cars can get in (the road that leads into the winery is part of the course and that's where cars are sitting bumper and bumper)...so I do what any girl would do (or Diva in this situation) and start to befriend the girls around me.
8:45-Still no start and I'm starting to be very grateful that it is not hot out!
8:55- And we are off!!
Instead of doing the originally planned waves with 5 minute breaks, they just had everyone run which made it for a very fast quick pace start! I also kept bumping into girls who started out the race walking! Huge runner pet peeve of mine, people who aren't honest with themselves and put themselves up a lot higher than they should be...if you plan on starting a half by walking, get in the way back please! My mile 1 & 2 were my fastest splits and I knew I had to slow my pace down or it would come back and get me in a few miles.
I am glad I did because most of the first 6 miles were hills. And not just a little "push yourself a little" hills, but HILLS. I felt that I would be prepared for any hills because of where I live but wasn't expecting most of these. I even said out loud at one point when it was just hill after hill (or really mini mountain after mini mountain), "shit, another one?!". I do have to say I was pretty proud of myself for being able to get up all of them and not having to walk or slow down, like a lot of ladies it seemed.
Then came the gravel or more like the dirt roads with gravel on top of it. Big no no in my opinion because you are having to watch your footing. I slipped a few times, can't speak the same for some other women who slipped and landed pretty badly or scraped themselves up pretty rough. The whole time I just stayed focus on my music (my playlist will be listed below) and enjoy the lovely morning. Seriously couldn't ask for a prettier day to run!
Around mile 9, I knew I was going to PR from Disney (yes!) and just knew I had to keep my pace going for the remaining 4 miles. At this point, we were back on paved, non hill roads. Miles 10-11 were in a neighborhood where we did a big loop and it was so nice to see some of the families come out and cheer us on. One street in particular was even making a tailgate out of the event, kids were lined up along the street cheering with posters and dads were passing out little cups of beer to us!
My mom's and my song, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, came on around mile 12.5 which brought a huge grin to my face! The song gave me an extra boost of energy and I flew to the finish. My finished time was 2:09 (though my garmin forerunner said I ran 13.22)!
Besides the medal, they also had roses and sparkling cider waiting for us at the finish. After gulping that down and getting my official finisher photo taken, I fast waddled (I guess that's what you could call it cause my legs weren't really moving in the motion of walking) to collect my bag and find Ben in the crowd.
Despite the panic at the beginning with traffic issue and the unsure of what exactly was going on, I was pleased with my run! Knocking off 4 minutes is a big deal in running and my body wasn't as tired or sore as it was after Disney, though I was grateful to have Ben drive afterwards!
After having my first ever burrito at Chipotle (usually a small taco girl), Ben and I spent the rest of the day laying around and watching tv, perfect way to relax after a half!
Diva Half Playlist:
A Little Party Never Killed Nobody - Fergie, Q-Ti &GoonRock
Roar- Katy Perry
Anything Could Happen- Ellie Goulding
This Kiss- Carly Rae Jepsen
Heart Attack - Demi Lovato
Edge of Glory- Glee
Thriller/Heads Will Roll- Glee
Circle the Drain - Katy Perry
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Aint No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye
Feel This Moment - Pittbull
Firework - Katy Perry
Applause - Lady Gaga
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Bulletproof - La Roux
Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus
I Wanna Dance with Someone - Glee
Like A Prayer- Madonna
Next to Me - Emeli Sande
S&M - Rihanna
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
See You Again - Carrie Underwood
Flashdance -Glee
Dance in the Dark - Lady Gaga
Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Titanium - David Guetta & Sia
Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Judas - Lady Gaga
Don't Stop Believin ' -Glee
Old Time Rock n Roll - Glee
Rain Over Me - Pitbull
Diamonds - Rihanna
We Found Love - Rihanna
United States of Pop 2009 - DJ Earworm
Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan
Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
Glowing - Nikki WIlliams
Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls
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