I did it!

Surf City 2011 was to be my very first half marathon so needless to say I was pretty excited for race day. The previous Saturday was supposed to be an easy 6 mile run with the team, but due to stomach issues I called off the run at 1.8 miles.  Let me tell you, it was a looong lonely walk back to the parking lot in front of the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center.  I felt like I had let my running partners, Tony and Claudia down.  I started feeling down and wanted to cry. I kept thinking, if I can't do this 6 miles, would I be ready for Sunday...did I mention it was a long walk back to the car?  I called Tony and told him I was on my way home, he heard it in my voice and tried to make me feel better.  I called coach Kiley and told him I was headed home and not to look for me at the finish line.  I don't know if he heard the disappointment in my voice, and I haven't asked him, but a few hours after the run, he sent out an email giving a little pep talk about injury/illness and how it takes courage to "call of the dogs" and get healthier than it does to gut out a training and risk more injury/setback.  That email made me feel 110% better about my decision.  THANK YOU Kiley! 

I decided that I would rest on Sunday and run on Monday night, if I felt better.  Monday came and I was 100% better, I did a 5 mile run with my dog, Cookie! She was an awesome partner and kept me company.  

Tuesday night was our send off dinner with the team at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Monrovia.  I took Nani with me; she was excited to meet Tyler.  She had a great time watching the slideshow, because she was in it! Nani declared to Coach Pete that she was gonna run just like mommy! Future TNTer! The food was great and the company was even better!  A great time was had by all! We heard some tips and encouraging words from our mentors, coaches, and honored teammates, Virginia and Tyler! 

Wednesday, the team met at Arcadia High School for some speedwork or Yassos.  At first I was confused, but quickly caught up!  My partner for the night was Claudia, she is such a fun running partner.  Always keeps us on our toes and laughing! I rested up on Thursday and got my sleep on Friday since Saturday I would most likely have "the first day of school" jitters.

I headed out to Huntington Beach at about 2...darn google maps was not "pacific" and was more "atlantic" with the directions...instead of staying on the 405S I took the 22E and went allll the way around through Newport Beach...<sigh> 

I checked in at our hotel, The Shorebreak Hotel. It was a very nice hotel with a nice view of the Huntington Beach Pier.  

I walked down to the expo to pick up my packet and took a nice picture of the mile markers.

The Surf City Goodie bag and shirt were really cute. Lots of goodies to be bought at the expo; I didn't walk away empty handed. I finally found an arm band that my EVO fits as well as a 13.1 bumper sticker (I almost put it back not wanting to jinx myself before actually getting out on the course). Tony and I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Inspiration Dinner and load up on carbs!

Tony, Bertha, Liz and I went a little early to the Hyatt to have a drink before the dinner. We met up with Coach Pete and had a pre-dinner drink. Monica aka Kid Dynamite met us for a drink; it was a nice little hang!  We made our way to the ballroom for the dinner; as we were nearing all I could hear was cowbells, whistles, bells, screaming, clapping! Then it dawned on my why Bertha was wearing a whistle around her neck! TNT mentors and support staff lined the staircase and made us feel like super stars!  I wish I had a picture, but I was too shocked to take out my phone!

The food was awesome...lots o' carbs! We listened to an Honored Teammate, please forgive me as I can't remember his name :(  He is a great storyteller and had us all laughing.  I can now understand when people say that laughter is the best medicine.

Tony, Bertha, Liz and I headed back to the hotel; since there was no dessert, we decided to get some dessert.  Carol and Monica joined us for more carbs! We all decided that a pizookie was in order so we walked to BJ's!  We ordered the party pizookie and ordered peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip and macadamia and white chocolate.  It was very yummy! Team 1 - Pizookie - 0

Before

After

Little side note: Carol had a great run on Sunday and has attributed her PR to the pizookie the night before, so we will be getting pizookies before every race! :)

We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the big day and get some rest.  I finished putting my ribbons on the back of my jersey and laid out all my gear for the next day. 

Woke up 5:45 am to get ready and head down to the lobby and check-in with the team. I was really excited! Race day, what I had been training for since November, was finally here!  Quick photo of the team before heading to the start line. Sorry for no flash!

The weather was perfect, not too cold! I didn't even need a jacket, and for everyone that knows me, that's a big deal!  Monica, Judit, Liz and I couldn't pass up a photo opportunity with the start line behind us.  I didn't realize it at the time, but the very first picture we took together was December 4th before the South Pasadena Tiger Run.  Here we are again before the 1/2 Marathon!  

20,000 runners/walkers for this event! It was a crazy/awesome feeling to see so many people!  We found our corral, which was based on expected finish times. I didn't want to break my rhythm once I started running, so I used this time to stand in the long lines for the restroom.  The gun finally went off and it seemed like forever before we started to move towards the start line.  It was our moment and I will never forget when that horn went off and I took that first step!

Miles 1-3 were great. I loved running down PCH towards the pier. There was a ton of crowd support even at 8:10 in the morning. I saw my hubby and baby girl waiting for me. Since I didn't see them earlier, I stole a quick kiss from both of them and got back to the run.  We made our first turn and saw Coach Kiley to cheer us on! As we made our way up the largest hill of the race my breathing was great.  Tony needed a little bathroom break, thankfully the line wasn't that bad. As we headed back to PCH I saw my little cheering squad, my hubby and two girls with a sign that says "Go Mom, You're DynOmite"

Before I knew it were at mile 6! Tony and I had gotten into our rhythm, we had a good pace going for us and we felt good!

I'm not gonna lie, I hated that back stretch...it seemed forever before we crossed the median to head back.  The signs along the way kept it interesting, along with seeing "Troy Polamolu" a cow wearing a cheese head in honor of the two super bowl teams.

Along came mile 10 and we saw the TNT cheering section of Gail, Rosemarie and Lindsey.  A little further down we saw Manny, Ranee, Coach Ryan and Janna...they ran with us for a bit and gave us more support!  All the love on the course was awesome and gave us energy.  

As the coaches told us, we broke the race into 3 parts; the first 5 miles, get warmed up and enjoy ourselves, the second 5 get into our rhythm and the last 5K, run our race.  We were at a good pace the entire race. We were pretty much consistent in the 13 minute/mile.  Tony started to cramp a bit on the last mile. We walked a little and then jogged a little hoping it would pass. I saw the finish line ahead and then the adrenaline kicked in. The chute or alley was incredible! Everyone was cheering you on. When close enough to see my name, people were shouting it! That's when I kicked it into high gear and sprinted toward the finish line with my hands held high! As I crossed the finish line, I let out a big "yes, I did it!"  The feeling is unbelievable! 

There are few opportunities in life where you get to find out what you are really made of.  This was one of them. Not being a "runner", I did it! It doesn't matter if you are fast or slow, just as long as you go! In my opinion there 3 things TNT runners should do.

1. Leave it all on the pavement 

2. Don’t give up, no matter how much it hurts 

3. Don’t forget that you do this because you love it and it makes a difference in someone's life

Here is my official time:

15738 Lynn Castro F 35-39
Half Marathon Start:   Gun 7:45:11     Chip 8:10:52
Splits:	3 Mi	8.2 Mi	Finish	O'All	Sex	Div
Times:	41:47	1:51:52	2:59:14	11421	6874	1132
Pace:	13:56	13:39	13:41

I can’t wait for my next race.