Bayshore Half Marathon

I had a fantastic weekend. Friday my folks and I drove up to Traverse City, Michigan where I was supposed to run the Bayshore Half Marathon on Saturday morning. It wasn't the original plan for my parents to join me, but they insisted, and I wasn't about to turn down a free ride north. I swear, my parents were the Nervous Nellys of the three of us. I am so used to performing, being put on the spot, and often traveling distances to get put on the spot that I was not especially nervous about this race, in spite of all the work I've put into it. On Saturday morning, they woke up at 5:00AM, made sure I ate my bagel and peanut butter, that I drank enough water, that my race bib was pinned on straight, and then they drove me to the bus that was to take me to the starting line and walked me to the bus doors, all like it was the first day of school.

7:30 AM I crossed the starting line. Buckets of sweat, aching feet, many cups of water and Gatorade, and 2:45:21 later I crossed the finish line. Hooray! Hooray! The first 8 miles were fine. I warmed up, the sun came over the trees, the bay was always right there, and there were cute summer homes to admire and dream over. Miles 8-10 were very, very hard. My feet hurt, my calves and quads were seizing up, the aid stations seemed a longer than normal distance apart, and my stomach was making signs of rebellion. Miles 10-12 I was just numb. And that last 1.1 miles was the most difficult of the whole race. I wanted to be done so badly, and everyone I passed kept saying that it wasn't far now, only 6 tenths left, just keep going, you're almost there. But I never quite got there and my legs wouldn't move and I was tired and my feet hurt. I saw my family about 2 tenths from the finish and somewhere I found the strength to keep running, and then I found an extra gear and I picked it up for the finish. I did it!

But that was just the beginning of my awesome weekend. I got to go shopping in Traverse City with some of my favorite people, and then I got to spend some time at my most favorite lake in the whole wide world - Torch Lake. I soaked my aching legs and feet in the icy water and tried to be grateful for the moment.

Monday I was back in my apartment, I slept in, caught the early showing of Letters to Juliet (which I recommend, by the way, if you're looking for a chick flick with gorgeous scenery), had the least painful bra-shopping experience of my life (You know how it is. They discontinue your favorite bra, and no one likes bra shopping, so you have to gear yourself up for the torture of trying on bra after uncomfortable bra to find the one you can live with, only this time it took me just two tries and minimal discomfort), bought a few things at 25% off at Banana Republic, had a nap, and made this Shaved Asparagus Pizza (fantastic!!!) which I ate with a large salad from my garden and wondered how I got so lucky to have three incredible days in a row.

How did I get so lucky? Thanks for the encouragement from everyone who asked me how training was going, said "you can do it," or otherwise sent positive thoughts my way. This was an incredible undertaking for someone who's not especially athletic in the traditional sense of the word, and I am so grateful for your uplifting spirits. Thank you.