Nine minutes

According to the online race results, I ran the half marathon nine minutes faster this year than last. My finish time (gun time) was 2:33:23. Which means I finished two hours and 33 minutes after the gun went off. Of course I did not cross the start line for a bit after the gun went off. I will just have to wait to get my postcard, I guess, to see what my chip time was.

Friday, my DH took a half day of vacation to go with me to Duluth, to cheer me on, etc. We had been up quite late the night before, at the Twins game, so about halfway there, he asked me to drive while he rested. Which was fine with me, as I knew that he would be driving home the next day. Traffic leaving the Twin Cities was pretty nutso, but it cleared up pretty well, and we made decent time getting there. I picked up my race packet, then we headed into the spagetti dinner. Masses and masses of people there.

After that, we left and I showed Eric a spot near the DECC (where I would get dropped off the following morning, and where the race would finish) where he could do some fishing to kill the time when I was running. From there, we went to Superior to where we would be staying for the evening. Eric made nice with the people we were staying with, as I looked through my packet of information. I guess I was pretty self-absorbed at the time, I don't remember talking all that much. Seems to me I did the same exact thing last year. Is it bad form to ignore your hosts when you are getting prepared for a long race?

Anyway, I was completely tired at about 9pm, so I headed off to bed, setting the alarm on my cell phone. Eric joined me pretty quickly after that, and we drifted off to sleep. For some reason, I woke up in the middle of the night, paranoid about getting up in time, and had to wake up Eric to tell me what time it was, as I was not close enough to my phone to see it. It was about 2:15am. I was awake for probably half an hour, then fell back asleep. Woke up with the alarm at 4am. Got dressed, packed up my stuff, and we were out the door by 4:30am. The busses were to pick up participants between 5:00 and 5:20 am to take us to the start of the race. We got there at about 4:40, and I got on the first bus. It filled up quickly, and we were on the road and to the start area at about 5:10. Over an hour to race time. So, I sat on the side of the road, before the starting chute with a group of women, chatting and stretching. At about 5:45, we dropped our sweats to be transported to the finish area, and got into the starting chute, where all of the port-a-potties were located this year, to go before we started the race.

Then it was waiting, waiting, waiting for things to start. I was standing with one of the people I had been sitting with earlier, trying not to freak out with the crowd around me. Yep. I'm not claustrophobic, but I am afraid of large crowds of people standing around. I made friends with a group of 6 people who were behind me that gave me a semi-circle of space to be in... That and my headphones with Lorena McKennitt playing in my ears helped immensely. Seriously, my heart was pounding and I was breathing heavy more from the crowd of people, than from being nervous about the start of the race. Seems like it gets worse as I get older too...

Finally, they played the Canadian National Anthom, then the Star Spangled Banner. Then I guess the starting gun went off. I was too far back in the pack to hear it. Everyone just started moving forward. Jog, walk, jog, walk. Then to the start line. Like a lot of people, I reached up and slapped the overhead banner, and I was on my way.

To be perfectly honest, I don't remember a lot of the race. It was foggy, so there was not a lot to look at, and I was listening to my headphones, kind of in a zone. Mile 1 went by. Mile 2 went by. Mile 3, I stopped to use the port-a-pottie again. Mile 4, Mile 5 was where senic 61 joined express 61, then across the Lester River into the East side of Duluth. There were quite a few spectators there. Mile 6 water stop was the first place I walked (besides the pottie stop). Mile 7, Mile 8... my longest training run was 8 miles. Kind of hit a bit of a wall there. 5 miles to go. I told myself, I can do 5 miles... walking, running, getting to Lemon Drop hill. I made myself jog to the top. At that point I did walk to the side and stretch my hamstrings.

Where did mile 9 go? Mile 10, my time from the gun was 1:55 or so. That's about the time I heard "go Anneke!" Eric had decided he was going to watch the race and cheer me on at that point, then would move further ahead to see me closer to the end. Mile 11, getting into downtown, running on bricks, hearing all of the people cheering the runners on. Where was the mark for mile 12? Turning to run towards the DECC, up the viaduct, then down. Here comes the first wheeler from the marathon. (As it turns out, that was about the time I was running past Eric, so he was distracted from seeing me at that point). Turning the corner by the lake, seeing the woman who was down on the curb with medical attention... thanking the powers that be that it was not me.

Then I turned the corner to the last stretch. Running. Tired. Could not pick up the pace at all. Having one of the race officals shouting that we were all winners. Seeing a group finish in front of me, then me by myself... they announced my name for all to hear. Seeing a time of 2:33:23 on the timing clock. Getting my finsher's medal.

I did it.

Perhaps next year, the marathon.

~a