I wake up at 2:30AM on race morning and hopped in the shower. I had to be at The W Hotel by 3:30 to meet my TEAM. Team in Training arranged our own transportation for the race since there were going to be 25,000 people transported from downtown Seattle to the Start line in Tukwila. Anyway, I get ready with my purple jersey and stuffed my shorts with my GU and cash. I was just ready to get this thing started and not nervous at all...
Until, that is, Garrett - bless his heart for waking up that early and never once complaining - dropped me off at The W Hotel at 3:30AM. We both looked in the lobby and it was a ZOO of purple people. It was then I got the worst feeling, I don't think I'll ever forget this feeling, in the pit of my stomach and realized I should have eaten my breakfast at home, instead of heeding my coaches advice of bringing our breakfast to the hotel (instead of eating at 2:45AM) and that there would also be a breakfast available at the hotel. So, I assumed there would be some hot water around to pour in my instant oatmeal. Well I assumed wrong. And so the nerves began.
I got on the bus around 3:45AM and arrived in Tukwila at the Start line around 4:10AM. It was still dark. The race didn't start until 7AM. This helped add to the horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Thankfully there were tons of bananas, bagels and bottled water at the start line. So I grabbed a half a bagel and 2 bananas found a spot on the sidewalk and started nibbling.
**Warning: Graphic details in the following paragraph**
I got the bagel down and decided that I should head over to the porta potty before the lines started. I stood up and all the sudden felt nauseous and sprinted for the nearest porta potty. I made it just in time and you guessed it I vomited everything up I had eaten/drank that morning. Which wasn't much, obviously, and christened the nice clean fresh porta potty. This happened another 4 times during the 4+hours that I waited around before the race start. I'll spare you the details of these 4 times as they were very similar experiences as the first. I was in shock and couldn't believe that my nerves got to me so bad. I mean this has never happened to me before and I'm not a nervous person, ever. I was extremely worried that I would now be starting the race very dehydrated and there was nothing I could do except wait to start.
And wait I did. I found my corral number, 26, and waited there for the start. I ended up going across the start at 7:41AM - 41 minutes after the official start. The first few miles were a blur. I had a few side cramps but I was really just so happy to get warmed up that they didn't even bother me much. There were bands at almost every mile and they were a fun distraction. I remember at one point I heard a band in the distance and just started tearing up. I guess I was emotional because of all the stuff I had gone through that morning. At the end of mile 3, I ate a GU and boy can I tell you how much better I felt after - it was like a new me! I knew that there was a big elevation gain from mile 4 to 5 but it turned out to be very gradual and again, I was just so happy to be moving.
At mile 6 I saw the most beautiful bald eagle I have ever seen. It was just perched on a tree branch watching everyone run by. I've never seen anything like it before! Miles 6 to 9 were very flat along Lake Washington with breathtaking views of the Lake. I heard lots of people, most likely out of towners, comment on how beautiful the views were. We lucked out with clear skies and highs in the low 70s and the mountains were out in all their glory. Once I got through mile 6, I was finally feeling good and muscles were warm. I took another GU around mile 7 and walked through a water station. There were tons of local cheerleading squads every couple of miles who would cheer me on and even say my name since it was written on my jersey - this really got me through a lot of these miles.
Around mile 9 I entered the I-90 express lane tunnel where we gained some elevation. I wouldn't have known it because, like I said, I was in a tunnel. For me, this was a good thing mentally that I couldn't see that I was running up a hill for about a mile. I just wanted to get out of the tunnel and get some fresh air!! At mile 10, I took my last GU and realized that, even though my knees were sore and my body was tired, I could get it done. Miles 11 and 12 were tough for me because I could see Qwest field (the finish) but I knew that I had a few more miles to get though. These miles actually took us around Qwest Field in sort of a half circle which was a big brain teaser for me. The only thing that kept me going on these last few miles were the spectators rooting me on. I'm so glad my name was on my jersey because it made me run that much stronger when people on the sidelines said "Looking strong Lauren" or even "GO TEAM". With the finish line in sight I was baffled that I was actually going to finish this race and tears started to well up again. See first photo below...
Right after this photo was snapped while I was trying to get my tears under control, I was pleasantly surprised to see my neighbors, Drew and Emily, and did a spastic hands.in.the.air jump... See photo below...
Right after I saw Drew and Em, I noticed our good friends Brian and Sara (who ran the race together) standing with Garrett on the sidelines. Once I saw Garrett the tears just started to well up again and I almost started to sob. But got it under control when I realized that my ultimate goal was to Finish the race with a HUGE smile on my face, not big tears rolling down my face. So, I somehow managed to pull it together and crossed that finish line with the biggest smile on my face that I could bear! I cannot wait to see my official finish line photo! My final chip time was 2 hours 39 minutes and 20 seconds. I could not be happier. I got my medal which is beautiful and took a picture at the photostation with my medal. Then ran into Mike and Sandy on the way out of the finish area and we went in search of Garrett and friends.
Garrett and I after the race! Garrett set his new Half Marathon Personal Record (PR) at 1:43!! Yeah!!!
Garrett and I with Brian and Sara after the Race! Brian and Sara did awesome as well and both PR'd in under 2 hours!!!
What I learned from my first Half Marathon: You can prepare yourself mentally and physically, but you can't prepare your nerves. When in doubt eat a GU. Roll with the punches.
What I would do different: Not wake up at 2:30 AM. Find my own transportation to the race. Eat my own breakfast at home (which I honestly should have known better, but again my coaches told us not to eat that early and that there would be bfast in the hotel).
I LOVED my Team in Training experience and would reccomend it to anyone who is a beginner and wants to run a Marathon/Half Marathon for a great cause!! If I can do it, YOU can definately do it!!!!
