I know that you are probably about to drop dead from my stories of running and training, but the most exciting part of it all was the race, so I must tell you how it went! I hadn't thought much about the race at all during the week, but the race was always lingering in the back of my mind. Friday night I went to bed excited, but also very nervous, because I didn't want anything to go wrong. Friday, my mom picked up our packets that had our bibs and shirts in them. The morning of, I happily put on my new shirt, and pinned on my number. I went upstairs to have some last minute carbs with my mom, and then we left at around 5:00. Luckily, since I was so anxious and excited, I didn't feel tired at all! The second the garage door came up revealing the rain, our stomachs sunk. A million thoughts ran through my head in that instant. "Are my clothes warm enough?" "Am I going to get soaking wet?" "Is it going to be raining the whole time?" But at that point there was nothing we could do, so we hopped in the car and headed off to Salt Lake. As we got closer and closer to Salt Lake, the rain became lighter, and eventually stopped. We were so glad that the rain had stopped so we could run the race without being pelted in the face with rain drops the whole time.
Getting to the start line was very challenging. We first had to park under the gateway so our car would be there when we finished the race. After parking, we walked to the closest trax so we could hitch a ride to the University of Utah. There was a group of runners there to wait with us, and we later came to find out that there were also a ton of runners already on the trax. The "bus" was completely full of runners, and we hardly even had room to move. We were not just close because of our love for running, but because we literally were back to back. We rode for about a half hour due to all the mandatory stops along the way. At one stop, they kicked us off and had us wait for another trax which delayed us even more.
By the time we arrived at University of Utah, we were ready for some air, but also to use a restroom. There were about 20 port-a-potties lined up, but all 20 had lines with at least 30 people in them. We didn't really have another choice, so we waited, went to the bathroom, and then finally walked up to the start line. You never really know how a run is going to go until after it is over. So many things could happen, or go wrong, that really you never know. I ran past that start line with a smile, excited, and knew that it would go well.
There was a total of 8,000 people there, running in either the marathon, half marathon, or 5k. The streets were filled, and no matter what pace you ran, you were amongst a crowd. The first few miles flew by, and I was enjoying the people who had lined up along the streets to cheer everyone on. It was cool to see the people who lived on those streets that were blocked off participating as well. One guy was sitting on his porch, strummin his guitar and singing, "I love the way you run! I love watchin you run!" The song went on as he continued to make up it's lyrics for all the runners. It was also neat to see everyone who volunteered and helped with the race. At every mile marker there were people pouring drinks, passing them out, and cheering us on. The support system of the race is great, and really helps you to feel motivated and enjoy it even more.
What surprised me about this race the most was how well I felt. We ran to about mile 8 where we encountered a problem, a need for a bathroom break. We stopped at one of the many port-a-potties and started to wait in line when we realized it was going to be a while. I then looked over at a Fresh Market down the street and told my mom that we should go to a bathroom there. We ran down the street and into the store where we asked where the bathroom was. She then told us, "Down to the end, up the stairs, down the hall, and to your left." My mom and I looked at each other with a look of "Are you kidding me?" and ran to the bathrooms. Sadly this whole bathroom extravaganza took a good 10 minutes out of our time, but you can't stop nature when it's calling!
After leaving Fresh Market, we kept running until we entered gateway. The best feeling was running through the streets of gateway (which were filled with people cheering) and knowing what I had accomplished. I saw the finish line, and sprinted past it with all the excitement in the world going through me. They gave me my medal, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I was so happy, and wanted that moment to last forever. After absorbing the moment for a while longer, we walked to a photographer who took our picture and then continued on to the best part. Table after table were covered in oranges, bananas, apples, paradise bakery, protein drinks, and dried fruit. We took some food to nourish our tired bodies, walked through gateway a little while longer, and then went to our car which was waiting for us under the gateway in the parking garage. I am so glad that I made a goal and stuck to it, because the end reward was amazing. Now I truly know that I can do anything if I set my mind to it!
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