Registration: $95
Cause: Various Baltimore Non-Profits
Time: 2 hours and 46 minutes
Well, Team Rainbow Sherbet is at it again and this time we went BIG. It is definitely true that running gives you a "high", it also makes you do crazy things like sign up for half marathons one week after barely finishing a 10k. I can't say I trained at all for this race and I was nervous as crap about it, but it really was an awesome experience. I am convinced that I cannot have a bad time when I am around TRS. I had gotten us a hotel in Baltimore the night before the race, which if I do say so myself was an awesome idea. Most of the fun of these races is the pre and post celebrations. Erin and I had gotten there before the others so we did some sightseeing in Baltimore. Erin used to live there so she was my tour guide. A good idea besides the three pounds of chocolate I bought from the irresistible singing fudge makers.
And then in true TRS tradition we had to work on our attire and essentials, which I think we only improve on with each race...
And after watching Sex in the City 2 (worst $18 I have ever spent) we anxiously tried to go to sleep. I think Erin may have been the only one that rested. Abby, Linda and I just tossed and turned all night in complete terror of what we had gotten ourselves into. We all woke up early, worked on perfecting our perfect pig look, took the quintessential 5-hour energy shot and made our 2 mile trek to the start line...
The cool thing about the start line for the Half Marathon is that you get to watch all the Elite Marathoners run by. Even after all these races it still baffles me how some people can run so fast. I think I just watched in awe, they were so focused and determined. Most were no bigger than a stick and you could trace every long muscle they had. Of course most of them would finish the full in less time than I would finish my half, but I can't deny they definitely gave me that "hoorah" feeling. Unfortunately, my nerves had the better of me and my hoorah feeling quickly turned into "I have to pee". I should have followed Abby and Linda and peed in a Baltimore bush, a regret that lasted me for ten miles. Abby and Erin were sweet enough to run with me the first hour. But soon I had to walk and I didn't want to hold my piggies back so I waved them on and faced the next seven miles just me and the hills of Baltimore. I will be honest I don't remember too much of the race. I know there were great crowds who promised "it was all downhill from here", they lied. There was music and Gatorade, thank God for Gatorade and gummy bears, oh sweet gummy bears. By mile ten I was finally able to use a porto-potty, my bladder was very thankful and by mile eleven my knees felt like they were going to burst. By mile twelve I knew I just needed to do whatever I possibly could to finish, so I stared at the yellow lines on the road and just kept repeating "follow the yellow brick road", if it worked for Dorthy maybe it would work for me. I think at that point I was a little delirious. When I finally crossed the finish line and they put that medal around my neck, I was too tired to smile but boy was I proud of myself. Two hours and forty five minutes later I had seen more of Baltimore than I knew existed and done something a year ago I never thought I could do. We all met back up at our designated meeting space and although in pain and utterly exhausted we celebrated in true TRS fashion!
It was after this race that Piggly Wiggly finally caught on to how cool we are and put us on their website, http://www.pigglywiggly.com/. It feels good to be famous, next step sponsorship!
WAY TO GO PIGGIES, our possibilities are endless:)
WAY TO GO PIGGIES, our possibilities are endless:)
"Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot?" -Cowardly Lion, The Wizard of Oz
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