Saturday:
My friend Angela and I arrive in Philly in good spirits early in the afternoon. We met up with my fabulous trainer, Taj Harris, from Crunch Fitness, who was also running the half-marathon.
We had dinner with some good friends from college. Jamie, who happens to be an excellent cook, prepared her version of pho, a Vietnamese beef noodle soup that was very tasty, and a good source of carbs. Perfect for the night before the race!
Angela and I were back at our hotel room by 9:45 PM. I set up three different alarms, drank some Gatorade, laid out my clothes, and went to bed. I was feeling a little anxious earlier in the day, but at this point, I was more excited than anything!
Sunday:
5AM--Time to wake up! After a quick shower, we head out for breakfast. I ended up ordering pancakes and a cup of coffee.
7AM--Final preparations back in hotel room. Here I am putting on
some KT Tape for my knees. I also rubbed some Icy Hot all over my
hips and took some Ibuprofen beforehand.
Before the race--on my way to start line. The race starts soon,
but I had to make time to pose in front of a Philadelphia
landmark!
Here I am, hopping around to warm up.
A fellow runner helps me secure my timing device. At this point
I was so nervous, I couldn’t figure it out on my own.
Posing with Angela. She was a great source of moral support for
me!
A moment with the Good Book while I wait for my corral to take
off. This helped ease my last-minute jitters.
Crossing the start line!
The run was OK, up until I hit the 12th mile, at which point I thought I wanted to die. I’m exaggerating, of course. I was way beyond the point of comfort, though. But the thought of you, dear Shape Up! readers, and the friends that were waiting for me at the finish line, kept me going.
2 hours, 32 minutes, and 52 seconds later—finished! YAY! Here I
am, alive and THRILLED, but also exhausted.
And one last snap, with my finisher’s medal!
So there you have it, guys! I didn’t cry when I crossed the finish line this time. Instead, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. It was definitely worth all these months of training, But now, all I have is one question: What next? I plan on being active for life, so now I need a new goal. Any ideas?
Plus:
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