The alarm is so painful at 3AM......especially if you have been waking up for every hour before hand and then every ten minutes of the last hour. Why do I do that?
We get up, have our morning coffee and begin getting prepared for battle. Well that's what is seems like. You put this on just right...no wrinkles, you put that on.....don't roll the tape, you jelly this and jelly that....no chaffing. Everything needs to be just right.......oh yeah, and it is 45 degrees outside. We forgot throw away clothes. I knew better!
Down stairs we go, hi ho, hi ho off to run we go. All of us boarding buses at 3:45. Marching like a bunch of cattle.....this seems familiar? We arrive at the park, head through the security, head through the lines of this and the lines of that......oh yeah, the lines to the port-a-potty.......thee had to be a gazillion of them. Standing in line doing the little shiver dance to keep warm. Time is up, let's head to the start line......or at least the corral. Talk about cattle! I'm in corral L but my wife is in N so I drop back with her. Waiting in the corral is the worst thing when you a by yourself. Besides, I had already decided that I was going to run part of the race with her. I didn't want to push too hard any way if I was going to run the full marathon tomorrow.
Okay, are you ready? The guy starts walking down the aisle and looks over at me sitting on the ground......I just smile......he walks past and then comes back to me and asks if I would do an interview. Sure! This is crazy. 25,000 people out here and we get picked. He asked my story and I told him my 2014 record and that I was planning on doing 14 in 2015 to raise awareness about diabetes.......HOW COOL IS THAT? Talks about publicity for my cause!
Up and out, dressed and finally warm again. We head out to one of our favorite places that we tried last year....SEADOG! It was quiet on a Saturday afternoon but that was just fine. We ate a burger and headed back to the Lodge. We both took a short nap......oh that felt good.....didn't want to wake up. But we did. Same routine, got all of our gear together for the next morning. New running clothes. It is supposed to be warmer in the morning and a high of 72.......much better than 58 the day before. However it was supposed to rain later in the day. Question was......could I outrun it?
We head to the corral and sit on the roadway......four lanes that regularly carry all the traffic into the parks. It was not too long before they started the silly dances out on the jumbo screens that were placed all over the parks. It was being broadcast on the local ESPN I believe. They had a few guys up on stage being silly like always and then they introduced one guy out there down in the corrals talking to people. He wasn't too far away from us.....I could see him and the camera crews. We continued to sit down on the road and stretch.
I hope to track the recording of it and post it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sd9lonnxmA
LOOK at 22:15
LOOK at 22:15
We had people coming up to us asking us questions and everything. There was my 15 minutes of fame......okay, maybe more like 15 seconds.
Finally the race begins and we start running. My wife had already planned to take it easy and do a run walk method. I was cool with that I wanted to support her. This was her first half in seven years......her first was right here on this course with me. We planned on running three miles and then walking one. Running three and walking one.
I do this for about six or seven miles and then decide to take off. Amazing how fast I seemed passing everyone. The course is very crowded with a lot of walkers so it isn't easy to do a great time. I wasn't keeping track and my Runkeeper had begun to goof up (no pun intended) it was rattling off every few minutes telling me crazy times. When it told me I was at mile fifteen (really mile eight) and doing a 1:47 minute pace.....I turn it off. That wasn't any help.
I run and actually feel pretty good. My ankle didn't hurt much at all. I wasn't sure of my time until much later. 2:47, and to think I was doggin it the first half. Feeling good sitting on the ground waiting for my wife to come across. She did a great time as well. Very proud of her.
Off we go to grab our bus, I'm being silly running circles around my wife. She didn't appreciate that very much. We get back to the resort and I load the tub up full of ice. Yep, ice bath. Wife first, me next. Man is that cold.
Off to sleep, I think I was out by 7:30. I was tired. Sunday was going to be something else. Hope I can do it.
Good night my friends. Sleep tight......I will.
ET This I Believe
Eugene Thompson
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