I felt very blessed to even be running this to begin with. Money is extremely tight and on a whim I entered what I thought was a contest for registration for the half in November courtesy of CamelBak. When I found out it was the Marathon, I was a bit sad knowing I am not ready for a full just yet. I contacted Sally at BSIM and she was more than accommodating! Then I found out a mom from my sister chapter, San Jose MRTT, was starting a relay group! I timidly emailed Sally.... she was amazing once again and switched up my registration to be in the group. (Keep in mind this is about 10 days before the marathon.)
Race weekend came and we started off by going to the Expo on Saturday. We had a meeting about how the relay would work. I had never met our team captain, Aleks, before so I was a bit nervous about finding her. While we were standing in line for bib pick up I was talking to my cousin Chelly (our leg 3 runner) about how are we suppose to find Aleks..... when the girl in front of me turned around and said "Oh thats me!!!" How lucky were we??!! We picked up our bibs and our baton -- A SLAP BRACELET!! So cool!
We went to the meeting about the relay and learned all about what to do with sweat bags and how the race was going to work. We still did not really grasp the concept but this whole relay was about just going along for the ride anyway (we just decided to do the relay about a week and a half before the date!)
We decided to walk around the Expo for a bit and picked up a few race day essentials. Saw the booth for Sport Hooks and Flip Belt -- both who support MRTT mommas! We decided that it was time to go so we started heading out when we remembered that Jeff Galloway was speaking. I knew that he was not going to be there again until 3:00, so just to possibly see if he *might* be around, we ran upstairs..... only to find him standing by the meeting room signing autographs! Waiting in the line for him took quite a while, only because he took his time to speak with each.and.every.person. Which in my mind was AWESOME! It was personal, not just a quick signature and go. He really listened and that is something I admire in someone who does what he does!
Race day came and I had to wake up at 1:45am to leave by 2:45am ... to be there by 4:00am when the first bus left. We made it with time to spare and spent a little while talking to some of the other runners. This was my first "branching out" experience with a race as I have only done local 5k's. It was a very different experience. I was not cold, but I dressed in layers. They told us to expect 40 degree's but to me it was tolerable.
One by one we said goodbye; First to Sherri, who ran leg one and left a little after 4am, then to Nicholay for leg #2, Aleks for leg #3 (the hardest of all 5!)..... and that left Chelly and I waiting for a while. We visited the port-a-potties and found some new people to talk to. The buss's came rolling back in and then I said goodbye to Chelly for leg #3, and finally I boarded a bus as the sun came up.
I had the pleasure of meeting a great woman who ran multiple marathons and had two high school age sons! We got up the hill and to our spot in about 30 minutes. The buss's all parked along the tiny highway (props to the bus drivers for maneuvering so well in that very tight space) and then our wait began. It was VERY cold where we were waiting (Mile 22). After about an hour, I started to smell something so yummy; BBQ?? I decided to try and brave the outside cold and head to the port-a-poties. I got off my bus to find all the bus drivers hanging out in lawn chairs next to the buss's (on the mountain side-- not road side) and BBQing!!! What a great idea! If you're going to be hanging out for several hours, why not!!!
Got back on my bus and went back to my seat. Almost everyone was asleep waiting for their team runner to come in which would be at least a few hours. One young man was even sleeping on the floor! I was a little jealous that these people were all sleeping .... I tried but could not get comfortable enough, not to mention I was giddy like a school girl that I was even here to begin with!
The course is so beautiful and the people running are so nice! The locals bring lawn chairs out to the side of the road and cheer all the runners passing by! I was the last leg (#5) that started at mile 22. I was really disappointed that while I was waiting for my teammate to come in and had off the baton to me, my phone died! I think it was searching for a signal the whole time and you have NO signal most of this course. I am a little tech challenged with my new phone so I was not even sure what I could do to prolong battery life ... so the lady I was sitting next to told me that I need to invest in a garmin (for tracking my pace time) and also bring my old trusty iPOD next time! Point taken!! I was really worried about not having my brand new playlist to run to since I have never done 4 miles before, but it ended up working out for the best!
Our leg 3 runner, Aleks, came in to my starting point. When my teammate with the baton came in, I ran the rest of the way with her, having the best timing ever -->> PR BABY! She talked to me the whole time about changing my Paleo diet a bit to help improve my running. Also how I could MAKE my own almond milk super easy! Man she was such a great inspiration to me!! I hope I have the pleasure of running with her again soon!! (Want to read more about my running partner? - She has her own race blog www.aleksruns.com. She even wrote an amazing post about our Big Sur run with LOTS of pictures!!)
Not only was listening to her talk to me so amazing, but just the breathtaking views. It felt like every few steps there was a reason to stop and take pictures. The weather was perfect when it came time to run, even though it felt so cold all morning! We went up a little hill, down a little hill, had a little flat running, another little hill, down around a bend or two and all along the way amazing volunteers (who were not paid to get up at 4 am!) cheering us along the way! I thought it was really impressive for all these people to be out here when they really did not have to be. It was a sight to come upon bands, drummers and people dressed in these intricate costumes along the way. I think breathtaking would be my one word to sum it all up!
-- Yes by Mile 26 I had lost my mind and started singing HALLELUJAH with these awesome ladies that have been standing in the same position all day ... wait ..... ;)As we came upon the finish line we could hear the announcer cheering us on. I look to my left and a man and a women were holding signs! His said something along the lines of "Smile FREE beer ahead" and for the life of me I cant remember hers but they both made me chuckle!
Right after this couple, we turned the bed to find it all opened up and we can see the finish line!!!!! I see a sign that says "Go Christy" and "way to go momma" being held up by my husband and daughter!
I ran over to them really quick and smooched my little girl -- looked at Aleks and said lets go! I cant remember ever having that much energy after already running before. We crossed the finish line and I felt like that soccer player that fell to her knees and ripped off her shirt.
WE DID THIS!
Our official results:
Split 1: 00:46:39
Split 2 (13.1 mile marker): 02:05:07
Split 3: 02:26:46
Split 4: 03:33:25
Final: 04:31:21
BSIM already announced their date for next year; April 27, 2014 -- >>Registration opens 7/15/13. Make sure to put a reminder on your phone because this event is very popular and sells out quick ..... and now I have first hand experience as to why!
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