But holy moly was it HUMID. At 7:30 a.m., it was almost 80 degrees and like 80% humidity and my body felt every bit of that disgusting weather. I met up with my friend and boss from work before the race, took some pictures and then dispersed to our corrals. I was in D (the slowest corral hehe) and Erin was supposed to be in C, but she dropped back to D with me. After slowing inching forward as A, B and 2 Cs were sent on their way, we were off!
Erin pulled ahead and once I took my first walk break, I lost sight of her. With the heat and humidity, I was really sucking down the water, and around mile 2 I started feeling a little dizzy. I started getting super worried that I had gotten in over my head and was going to be carted off with an IV strapped to my arm.
If you are aware of what I went through over the winter, you'd realize how real that fear actually is. I got so dehydrated after my first surgery, that I would black out just taking a shower. I couldn't even stand long enough to brush my teeth without feeling like I was going to pass out. That's what happens when you have no colon, you get dehydrated VERY easily. That's what your large intestine (colon) does, it absorbs water into your body. Just looking back at to my physical state just 8 months ago gets me a little sad because I was so bad..... ANYWAY.
But I reached the first water station without passing out, and was able to take a toilet break too! I never pass up a toilet, so I had to wait for one to become available too. So no wonder, my mile 3 time was the worst of the bunch with my toilet and water break, because those tiny Dixie cups were not enough for this colon-less lady. I needed to refill my water bottle TO THE BRIM.
When I started off again, I am pretty sure I was the last one on the course.... I kept looking behind me all the way up Spring Garden (which was f-ing BRUTAL by the way, because we were running into the sun and there was next to no shade) and I didn't see a single runner bringing up the rear. But thank goodness, my dizziness subsided and I was able to truck it past a few people and catch up to some of the runners I recognized from miles 1 and 2.
By the time I was approaching mile 4 (and turned down 4th and out of the sun's death rays), I was really hitting my stride. Of course it was as I switched from listening to Preston and Steve's podcast to music and heading through Old City, so with the prettier scenery and the music I was able to pick up the pace. It also helped that the police officers were started to let patient (or frustrated) motorists sneak across the course because runners were so spread out so far. I always chuckled as I saw the cops hurriedly waving cars through, like "Hurry up! There's another runner coming and if you don't get through now, you're gonna get stopped!" They did a great job at timing that out, and I never had to stop for a car to pass by. Go Philly PD :-).
My left ankle started hurting randomly around mile 4.5, but then the theme song from the movie Up, came on and it made me think of my husband (we had an Up-themed wedding) and that made the ankle twinge go away, and made a little exhausted emotion well up.
Then I see the second water station ahead! I know I am getting close because my RunKeeper lady is telling me my mileage and people are yelling that I am so close. By the final right turn onto Tasker, I am one of the only people running left, everyone else is walking. And I hear a girl yell to the spectators, "We've got a runner!" so I guess they had a lot of walkers before me too. I've never run an event like this, and it was so cool to be high-fived and cheered on by so many strangers.
Then "Run and Tell That" from Hairspray came on and that took me across the finish line. I grabbed a water, a banana and my commemorative race map and heading to bag check. I wish I could have hung around for the festivities, but the beer line was just way too long and it was still SO. DAMN. HOT.
Now I get to run another 6 miles this weekend for a group training session, now at least I know I CAN do it!
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