Random Wednesday:Marathon Prep

Happy Random Wednesday Marathon Style, 

Race weekend has come and gone and I have SO much to tell you. It’s going to take several posts to cover it all.

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Leading up to the race I had been really struggling with “rest” days. I had been training for so stinkin long that it hurt to not do anything. Who am I???

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I was SO preoccupied last week. Surprise!  But, I really was not able to focus on anything. I mean I literally started a fire last week. Not kidding. 

I got up to heat some water for a cup of tea. I dumped the water in the sink and replenished it. I turned on the burner and put my tea pot down. I left the room and a little while later I questioned that I didn’t hear anything…what’s the smell? I forgot to remove the silicone cover. It caught fire.

This is so not like me. Don’t worry. Everything is fine, but I was forbidden from the kitchen until the race was over. :-)

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I was allowed to consume carbs last week. One night I was out with my Book Club crew. We went to an Italian restaurant. I didn’t think it was going to be like that. I thought we were just meeting to pick the books. I somehow missed the “dinner” part of the plan.  I had Ishi’s (hibatchi chicken) for lunch and I saved half for dinner. That was the plan.

Then I walked in and it smelled so good.  I looked at the menu and figured I could just have a slice of pizza. I didn’t read the menu close enough. They didn’t offer slices individually after 4 pm except for those under 12 and over 65. Seriously?  I asked and they refused. Now I may have gotten irrationally angry, but I DID get angry my friends. I ended up ordering the bruschetta appetizer and was very unsatisfied.

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You can tell I was nervous since I didn’t wear nail polish for two weeks. That’s so not like me, but I was picking at everything. My poor cuticles. Nail polish would not have survived.

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There was a lot of talk and concern about the weather for a week. The percentage of precipitation changed from 80% to 30% to 10% back to 90%. It wasn’t pretty. This threw off everything for me. I packed a hat so that the visor would keep the rain off of my face. I stopped and grabbed a jacket at Marshalls. I could take it back if I didn’t end up using it. It didn’t zip because it was too small, but it was the only thing they had that would keep me mostly dry.

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As I was packing I was watching an old episode of The Middle. I missed the beginning, but I was laughing hysterically. All I saw was Sue on a high school track with crutches. Her friends and family were at the finish line. As she got closer to the finish line it started to pour. Then her crutches broke so she was hopping. She leapt for the finish line only to land 10 feet short and then crawl to it. All I kept thinking was “That’s TOTALLY ME!”

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The day before I left, I met Running Buddy in the park for one last jaunt. She had her son in his stroller so it wasn’t our usual pace. We still got 3 miles in, but we got to talking about things. I mentioned a pain I had been having. When my leg was in a resting state I had a pain in my leg about 4 inches below my knee and off to the side.

When we were done she had me sit on the bench and she started probing my leg. She is a former physical therapist. At first I felt nothing. And then I was screaming in pain. I have adhesions. My muscles are stuck to my bone…by a nerve. It was awful. We couldn’t do too much because it’s not a good idea to do anything deep tissue so close to a race.  This means that I have to get it worked on later.  I may pass out from that.

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My journey would take two days. I would drive to Mom’s after Girls on the Run on Thursday. Then Friday we would drive to Rehoboth to pick up the race packet.

I got on the road and I brought lots of veggies. When I stopped for gas I also needed lunch. I went to Papa Johns. They would not sell me an individual slice. Instead a got a personalizd pizza. It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t eat the whole crust. But, I lost time because they had to make it from scratch.

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I am a little surprised I slept so well, but I did. And soon it was time to get on the road. We needed a couple stops first. Had to go see Mom-Mom first. She was so excited for me. She told me to Win. Haha. Then we went to the grocery store for some Gatorade and toothpaste. Mom was so cute telling everyone we saw that I would be running a Marathon the next day. She asked if I was embarrassed. I told her absolutely not, if she didn't I would :-)

There was also a quick stop at Panera for some more carb loading…mmm Mac’n’Cheese.

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For previous races I have gotten distracted the day before and have not quite got my hydration in until late at night. I would not let that happen this time. That sort of meant a whole bunch of potty stops on the drive. At one point I saw a sign for the Visitor Center in Annapolis. I figured that would be a good stop. Okay so maybe it was a little out of the way, but we had a lovely detour through Maryland’s Capital.

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One of the reasons why I was trying to get to the packet pick up early is because there are a limited number of  Womens jerseys. I wasn’t just picking up my packet, but also Ms. Emily’s also.

When we were about a mile away I saw the sign warning of traffic delays the next day. I almost peed I was so excited…and let’s face it, I was super hydrated!

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I have mentioned the Facebook group for this race and how Awesome it has been. I have made so many new friends through it. I had done most of my training by myself so it was wonderful to connect to so many others who were experiencing what I was.

One of my new friends, Ms. Selene, was volunteering at packet pickup. She had commented that she would know me from my many pictures (ie Selfie Queen). And she did. :-)

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A couple of months ago they posted pictures of the design on the race jerseys and the sweatshirts. I fell in love with the red sweatshirt. They only had a small number of the smaller sweatshirts. When I got there they only had Large left. I liked the blue mediums, but I LOVED the Red. So I got a bigger sweatshirt than I usually wear. It was a little hard to go up in size, but the red was worth it.

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So packet pick up was up the stairs at the Cultured Pearl. Thank goodness we got there when we did. The line was huge after us. I was even recognized when I picked up mine and Emily’s packet. My mom was getting a kick out of that.

I stopped to see about the womens jerseys. They only had small left. Now I’ve gotten smaller, but I am not sure I could ever fit in that small. It’s okay. I like the navy blue over the pink anyway. I called Ms. Emily to tell her they were out, but I was switching out our shirts for small Unisex. The mediums were HUGE for us.

Small victory!

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I cannot tell you the thrill I got seeing my pink bib. I have wanted one since I first saw them. I was beyond excited to see mine.

On a side note, I had NO idea until after the race that my number was a reference for Pot. I did not 

request this number. My friends and family think it’s hilarious that Little Miss Goody Two Shoes got 420. Well at least I didn’t get 666. I would have had to wear my bib upside down.

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I think the best part of Packet pick up was that Starbucks was offering a $3 grande frappucino special. It was after 4pm so there was no way I could have caffeine. I had been seeing Candy Cane fraps and so I ordered one. Vanilla bean with Peppermint. Oh Dear Heaven. It was delicious.

After our stop I drove mom around Rehoboth pointing out coffee shops that would be open in the morning, checking out the Christmas lights, and showing her the start line. Plus I showed her to places to park. She hadn’t been to Rehoboth in a long time and I wanted her to feel comfortable.

Then I had to go find the house where Ms. Emily was staying to drop off her bag. She was too busy running a 5K to pick it up. Haha. Just kidding. That woman is Amazing! I want to be like her when I grow up!

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We got to Dad’s and it was Carb Loading time!  HOLLA!  Dad made Friday Spaghetti for me. That means egg noodles, stewed tomatoes, and lots and lots of mozzarella. YUM!

We looked at the map, since I was trying to memorize the route.

And then Heather arrived!  YEAH! I miss her. I got to hear all about her First Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago. I am so proud of her.

I gave her the label of Lady in Waiting for this race. Her job was to keep me calm, hydrated, make sure I get to sleep on time, and get ready in the morning.

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While we were eating my smart phone alerted me that Aunt Flo is coming. JUST what I wanted to see. I already knew this and have been completely paranoid she would come early out of spite. I did not need to be worrying about that. Grrr…

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After dinner we ran over to Ocean City. Ms. Danielle had arrived. Mom and my family would stay there. Heather and I would stay at Dad’s. When we got there we found out that everyone else were running late and would come in the morning. So they busted out the markers, pictures, and paper and started making posters. I heart my family!

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Don’t worry, I remembered to charge my ipod. That was NUMBER ONE on my list. I was taking no chances. I also packed my emergency ipod just in case.

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Heather did her job and I was in bed by 11. My alarm was set for 4:45. I did fall asleep fast, but I also woke up several times throughout the night.

Alrighty kids. That’s it for Part 1. See you tomorrow for Part 2: Race Day!

Have a Blessed Evening.

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