Not Sore ... and Other Surprising Observations of the Day After

Here's some of the things I saw, felt and wondered yesterday.

1. Waking up to thunder and lightening doesn't necessarily mean you should bag it and go home. I was ready to get in the car and head for home, but my smart husband convinced me to wait it out. Very glad he did.
2. I was right to pack everything I owned. I didn't know what I was going to need and I couldn't have predicted what I actually ended up in. I was one of a very few with long running tights (most opted for shorts or capri-length tights). I started with a tank and long-sleeve shirt, both fast-dry wicking fabric. I shed the long sleeve around mile two. 
3. Running shoes dry quickly. I plotched in a big puddle around mile three and was worried that one soggy shoe would produce friction and blisters. But, happily, I never had to give it a second thought. 
4. Wet, however, does equal chafing. My tank was a new one ... as in I'd only worn it once before. And I have a raw red patch on the inside of my left bicep as big as a dollar bill. And it burns like a mofo. 
5. I carried a mini hand sanitizer in my cleavage. Never trust that there will be some available in the Porta-Potties. (Sanitizer, not cleavage.)
6. 1100 people on a start line is a lot. I started in the middle of the pack and tried to "keep up" at first. I realized about a half mile in that I was running too fast and wouldn't be able to sustain that effort. So I backed down and tried not to get caught up in the waves of people that were passing me. I relied on the pacers (people who run the race at a specific pace and hold up a sign to tell you what it is ... so you can choose to follow them if you wish) to help me judge and in the end, I was just fine trusting them and my internal metronome. 
7. 1100 people is also too many to keep track of. So, for a while I'd spot someone I thought I was running fairly even with and try to maintain a distance behind them. And they'd switch up, pull off to stretch, stop for water, etc. ... and I'd never see them again. And with so many people, it was easy to just lose "brown shirt/flowered skirt" in a crowd. Which reminded me that I have to depend on myself and I left it at that.
8. It was GREAT to have people all along the route cheering and ringing cowbells. The family that had the funny old-fashioned bike/clown horn honking out of the porch window around mile 6 made me laugh out loud.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_gFmnj2xQQ
9. There were split clocks at miles 5 and 10. I didn't expect that, but it was really nice. 
10. I didn't hydrate enough. It was so cool and damp, that I wasn't really thirsty. I also didn't stick to my plan on the gummy supplements. I took two at mile 4 and then got a wave of stomach bleah, so I skipped my planned mile 8 serving. But by mile 12, I was tired. And after crossing the finish line, I got a little light-headed ... which has never happened to me before after a run. I slugged back two bottles of water and ate two cookies and felt better. 
11. LOVED the approximately 11-year-old boy between mile 12 and the finish line who had wheeled his basketball hoop to the curb. So glad he tossed me the ball and wish I had sunk the lay-up! (But I was moving too fast and was too far under the rim before I got my shot off.)
12. Also loved the lady with the yard full of signs around mile 10 ... one of them said, "For all the ladies that never thought they could run this far ... keep going!" Another had a skull and crossbones on it and simply said, "Don't die." That made me smile. 
13. I did plug my iPod in somewhere after mile 10 and kept it in until about mile 12. The songs I heard? Billy Squire/The Stroke. Followed immediately by James Brown/I Feel Good. Then two Black Crowes. And the last one I listened to was The Black Eyed Peas/Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night. After agreeing with that sentiment, I pulled the buds out of my ears because I wanted the full effect of the crowd for the final mile. 
14. I finished ahead of my expected time. Knowing I run an 11-minute mile when I'm on my treadmill, and knowing I have run 10-minute miles in shorter distances, I expected to finish between 2 hours 15 min and 2 hours 30 min. But I finished at 2 hours 8 minutes ... much to my surprise!
15. I did NOT finish strong. I was all in by the end. But contrary to what the photos look like, I did finish running. A slow run. But a run. 
16. I was 669th overall. Out of 1105. And 30th in my division (women 40-44), dead middle of 60 entrants. However, to make myself feel better, I dissected the numbers a little more. For all 44-year-old women (there were 12), I was 5th. I also finished directly ahead of women who were 27, 24, 24, 34, 26 and 20  years old, respectively. 
17. I did get a medal after all. It's kind of ugly. But it's hanging on my mirror ... for now.

The post-race celebration included chips, salsa and Dos Equis. Now it's time to quit eating like I'm training and get back to real life. 

And I'm sort of sad to see it go.