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When I got close to my thirteenth half-marathon, I stopped counting. I thought if I knew which one was No. 13, I’d jinx it.
As I got ready for this year’s McAllen Marathon, I wondered what number I was on. I didn’t do any sort of official count, but I figured the 2017 McAllen Marathon would be my eighteenth. And I must’ve jinxed it. I didn’t finish. Shortly after the Mile 9 marker, I slipped into the chair at the First Aid station. Ironically, next to me was a sign that read, “One day I won’t be able to run. Today is not that day." So here’s a different version of my usual 13 things.
So that happened. As I sat waiting for a relative to come and pick up my car (I wasn’t supposed to drive), I listened to the names of the people who were crossing the finish line. The announcement of each name made me twitch. It wasn’t a great feeling seeing everyone around me feeling accomplished and wearing their medals, which I had neither. But it was the right decision. It was just another reminder of the lesson I’ve learned before: Don’t worry about looking stupid. Stay alive. For the record, from what I saw, it was a good route. It changed from previous years.
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I am heading home after the Lack's Dasher & Prancer 5K in Mission. Here are five quick notes about the run:
The medal was in the shape of a reindeer and the race was in support of the American Diabetes Association. Oh, yah, I got a second place plaque. It just wasn't for me. The GM won, but he had to leave early. Next to taking picture on the pedestals for the winners, it's as close as I'll ever get to winning. Another year, another remix challenge done. It rained and rained. I'll go into more detail later, but here's a quick video recap. And here is the real race - trying to check out of the hotel as soon as the run is done. Dreary weather continued for the Harlingen Half-Marathon. I was tired from the half-marathon the day before.
I often see people posting photos of their race face. Some are determined and fierce. Others are excited. In sillier moods, I'd go for a frightened look. But at this run, I'm pretty sure I had a detached "Let's just get this over with" vibe going. That's all internal and nothing against the race. Other than finishing, my only concern was getting a finisher medal. Last year, they ran out by the time I crossed the finish line. Some quick notes: Once again, I lost one of my Race Dots before I even got to the start line. (I use them to hold my racing bib.) Those magnets are powerful and like car doors. When the race started, I got passed by probably everyone. Supporters giving high-fives to all the runners left before I reached them. The cyclists who I believe were watching the last runners were in front of me. I was slower than usual, which is hard for even me to believe. There were great snacks on the route. But I've already learned this lesson the hard way - don't eat anything you haven't trained with. I am going to add gummie bears and pretzels with peanut butter to my training list. There were plenty of medals still available when I crossed the finish line. Yay. And because I do silly things, I immediately made up the burned calories by ordering a cheese chili dog and fried Oreos from one of the food trucks at the finish line. I carried a small towel with me. That's usually just for runs in hot weather. I drench them with water and put them on my head. But it came in handy. I used it to cover the wet seats, when I sat down at a picnic table after the run. I may add that to my running gear list for rain. The exciting news is a full marathon is planned for 2018. And when I say exciting, I mean for other runners. I'm not running that. As the joke goes, I run half-marathons, because I'm only half-crazy. |
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September 2017
AuthorFormer high school water girl (really) finally running. |