I'd like to run like the wind, but my knees won't let me.

I suppose I should blog about the race. I certainly feel the logical pressure, the obligation. Surprisingly, though, I don't feel the desire. Isn't that strange? I finished. I did it. I achieved one of the most challenging goals in my life. The event seems best contemplated as a whole, in it's entirety. I ran a half marathon. Period. End of story. To parse out the details now seems almost anticlimactic.
But, in the interest of my mercurial emotions and my swiss-cheese memory, I will review the details anyway. I may well regret it if I don't.
Beginning Thursday night and continuing Friday afternoon, the guests arrived. My fabulously supportive sisters, Carrie, Meg, Zina, and Kass, came down to have a sisters run at the Hurricane Half Marathon. Carrie and Meg ran (read:walked) the 5k, while the other 3 of us tackled the longer run. After all had arrived, we took a quick drive to survey the route. Of course I have been training on the route, but my sisters had only heard about the monster hill that is Nemesis and wanted to see it for themselves. They were suitably impressed and intimidated. We stopped by the old elementary school to pick up packets and then headed back to the house for dinner. We had a carb-load dinner of penne with creamy pesto or Alfredo sauce, green salad, and garlic bread. Yummy!
After the aunties headed over to the motel (not enough room at the house for 4 extra adults who really want a good nights sleep), I got the kids settled down and turned in for the night. Got to sleep about 10pm. I nearly forgot to change the alarm, which would have resulted in a terribly Charlie Chaplin (maybe 3 stooges - minus 2) morning, but thankfully my brain remembered this minor detail before I totally drifted away. I actually slept very well, which was unexpected but very welcome.
5am arrived right on time and I rolled out of bed, dressed, ate a banana and was out the door by 10 after. (It's amazing the difference a bit of good preparation the evening before can make. I just wish I could convince my kids of this.) Because it seemed silly to drive 5 blocks so that I could run 13 miles, I walked down to the school. We sisters found each other and got on the bus and headed out to the starting line.
What a crush of people! I've never run a race like this before, and wasn't sure what to expect. But everyone was so friendly and easy going, it was nice to sort of wander around and look for people I knew. I also was able to use the port-a-potty to do #2, thank goodness. (Not a particularly big deal unless you are going to be running for the next 2-1/2 hours. Then it looms a little large.) Before we were even really ready, there went the starting gun, and the crowd was off. It wasn't as bad as I though it might be, trying to run in a large crowd. Everyone was pretty relaxed and spread out quickly so there was lots of elbow room. We were near the back to begin with, though, so things may have been different up front with the very determined runners.
The first 2 miles or so we 3 sisters stayed pretty close together. Then Kass started edging farther forward and we waved her off. About 2.5 miles in I got a little cramp and had to walk for a short distance. (I will probably not eat anything the next time I try a early morning race, but maybe rely on runners goo to get me through.) It went away quickly, but by then Zina was quite a little ways ahead of me, and although I got close once at about mile 5, I never really caught up with her. I started feeling my IT bands twinging about mile 5, which did not bode well for a great run. I walked up the hill (which I planned from the beginning) and then headed out over the ridge. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Sunrise over the hill, snow on Pine Valley Mountain, the red rocks across Sand Hollow Reservoir...breathtaking. I would say I ran about 80% of the rest of the race, walking occasionally when the IT bands got to where I couldn't even step anymore. I am so glad I took 800mg of ibuprofen before I left the house, or I would have been toast. I would run about a mile, then walk a block or so, then run another mile, etc. The last few miles were killer. But I was determined, and as I got closer to the end, I quit walking. Mandi Beard was out on her front lawn cheering, which was so nice. And there were people I knew cheering me in at the finish line. Liz Dansie and Cherie Santiago stood out of the crowd. Thanks, guys! That cheering makes a surprising difference. As it was, I made it to the finish line about 13 seconds under the time I had aimed to beat. 2:19:47 was my final time. And at the finish line...surprise! My husband and kids were there to congratulate me. That was especially nice, as I didn't expect that. Crowds aren't Russell's favorite milieu, so I hadn't even asked him to come, knowing he'd be more comfortable at home. But he thought I'd like the family there cheering for me at the end, and he was right. It was so satisfying. Then Russ took the kids home again, my sisters and I stayed to see the awards and cheer the final runners in. Carrie won a backpack in the drawing. I bought one of last year's medals that they were selling off. These old medals had the old Hurricane Half Marathon logo on it, "She's fast, but she ain't easy." I didn't see this logo on anything from this year, although I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was because of the route change, or perhaps it was in the interest of political correctness. Whatever, I hope it comes back. I think it's quirky and fun. The we went to breakfast at Barista's (good food, but quite pricey) and got Zina and Kass on the road back to their families. Carrie and Meg stayed until Sunday afternoon, which was nice. I love company.
The whole experience was wonderful. My knees were very sore the remainder of the day. I kept them iced for a while, and kept up the Advil for the day, and by Sunday morning, they were only a little sore. Monday felt almost perfect. So the physical recovery was quick, really. I do wish I had been able to run at my fastest pace for the entire race, but I'm satisfied that I did the best I could do. And I did it. I ran a half marathon. So cool. Don't know what's next. Kass says try the marathon in October. I don't think so, maybe another year. Kass and Zina would both like to do a relay at some point, which I think would be very fun. I'm sure I'll run in shorter local races as I can, like the Hurricane Trails River Run in July (plug, plug!) In terms of a large goal, I think I'm going to try a triathlon. Maybe not this summer, but definitely by next. And I'm hoping to be up to running the Hurricane Half Marathon again. And next year, watch out!