And that's pretty much how it went.
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OK, now I'm ready to dish. Had a hot shower, hot soup, hot sex...oh, no, that was the dream I had while I was nodding off in my soup. Darn.
So, I'm gonna tell it to you straight. No adornments. Just the facts. Cause I'm ready to pass the #@$*& out!
I got up at 5:45(really 6:45). Made coffee, my first thought on any given day; made oatmeal;ate a hard boiled egg with the oatmeal..maybe I should fast forward to the good stuff.
So, I get to Staten Island at 8. I was with Miss Ani Go & Diana for the ride down and we huddled in the low 40's degree weather to keep warm. It was chilly!
The race this year was uber-organized! There had to be "like" 1000 "Johnny on the Spots" (aka "porta-potties"! And they were fancy schmancy ones! Actual toilet paper and hand sanitizer!
Sorry, back to the story. I started my run with a couple of menfolk, Bill and Bob. They were very kindly and we ran a couple miles together, but when it comes to racing, everyone's your best friend before and after the race, but during, it's every Gabby for herself.
The run felt fresh until mile 23. The crowds were out in droves! Special thanks goes out to the lady with the peeled banana around mile 23. May G-d bless you and keep you. May G-d shine his radiance upon you and bring you 10 sons.
I saw lots of friends on the course, including from Team Joe, Riccke, Lysa, Kristine & Kryssie. Plus I saw my friend/manager from work, Carrie, and my brother! I admit I may have lost about 30 seconds stopping for hugsies, but it gave me the boost to finish with a smile on my face.
Around mile 18, my left quad got seizy( new word), but I just thought to myself, "It's only another 8 to go. That's nothing! Think of all the delicious mochi you can eat afterwards!" And it worked! I finished very well! Click above to see my times. I finished in 4:04:05..BUT, my age graded time is 4:00:39. Now, if anyone knows what that's all about, please comment and let me know. Is a time not a time not a time? Is there sci-fi going on? Because I am 35, am I so old that 4 minutes gets shaved off my time? I can't walk around telling people my time was 4:00:39! Then again...
Anyway, I walked off the muscle cramping after the race, after I thanked heavens I was done and told myself I will never run a Marathon again(again). I walked for 1:40, because that's how crowded the streets were! However, the walking helped ease my sore muscles, and by the time I got home, I was barely sore at all! Yay!
I met some friends for drinks at 5, and am now home at 8:30. Not a bad day, all in all! Race, friends, food, drinks!
Plus, we raised about $1500 for Breast Cancer Research!
Thanks everyone for your support, monetarily, emotionally, and any other -ally you can think of.
I'm going to sleep!
