#DreamBig : 13.1 in all 50 states : DreamBig 2015

State #37 - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Yuengling Shamrock - Anthem 1/2 Marathon
Finishers: 8,872

March 21, 2015

My morning started slow - it was one of those "I know I need to go somewhere...but I can't figure out where it is" getting out of bed mornings. It probably doesn't help that Gregg and I had gone out for food and beer the night before to watch March Madness. Yes, I had 2 beers and ended up roaming the streets of Atlanta in an attempt to get my FitBit 10,000 steps for the day which typically results me in walking to Yoforia for FroYo. But regardless...I had a slow start to the morning but finally got up to pack, shower and make a breakfast sandwich before strapping on my measly backpack and walking the one mile trek to Midtown Marta. I hadn't realized the trains ran on a less frequent schedule so I started getting nervous with my flight so soon. Of course, my worries were unnecessary because as I rolled up to the airport, I got a message that my flight was delayed an hour...greattttt. I usually wouldn't care but the expo up in Virginia Beach ended up at 5pm and I wasn't sure how late I would be delayed. I am a super travel worry-wart so just to play it safe, I emailed the race director to see if there were any additional options if something crazy were to happen and I didn't get there in time -- always having a back up plan. I was treated to first class due to my status from a busy year of travel in 2014 and finally landed in Virginia Beach around 3. Once I picked up the car, I made it to the Virginia Beach Convention Center with more than enough time to spare around 3:45. I picked up my bib number first and was flabbergaster to see it was personalized with #DREAMBIG on the front. Then I remembered after a few minutes that I had been the one to personalize it to begin with and I felt silly. I picked up my bag and shirt as well as some energy chomps and a new shamrock headband for the race (all on sale price since it was after 4PM) and I head out to explore Virginia Beach. Okay, this is a lie - I went to do a dry run of where I was going to park in the morning so I had all of my ducks in a row. Once I figured that out, I went on a hunt for postcards. I guess I am an old soul because none of the first FIVE tacky souvenir boardwalk shops I stopped in at had postcards. I finally found what I was looking for and thanked the lady for preserving the art of snail mail and continued on my walk to the beach. I ran across where the finish line for Sundays race would be and saw the man constructing the "sandcastle" with the race sponsors cut outs. I also found the huge statue of Neptune and decided he may make a cameo in my race photo. Once I had done my finish line exploration, I walked the far walk back to the car and made my way to the hotel. I had no idea the Westin was in such a swanky little town center so once i parked my car I only had to walk downstairs to pick up my pasta and sweet potato fries from Yardhouse which I ate in one of my queen beds while watching more March Madness. I made sure I had all my gear set out and then instead of staying up late, I forced myself to go to bed at 10:30PM. I had a race to snooze for!

#DREAMBIG race number for tomorrow!

Good ol' Neptune - asked nicely if he could be in my pic post race

March 22, 2015

I woke up with a start at 3:30AM -- why do I wake up so early? Because I have horrible race anxiety. Crazy, right? This will be the 37th time I have run a half marathon but I still get sick to my stomach and nervous and anxious every time. This is why I sometime enjoy traveling to my races alone before I feel bad putting fellow travelers through the nonsense. So the routine usually includes pacing around a bit, slowly getting dressed, and checking to make sure I have everything all while taking small sips of water and debating on what I can eat. At around 4AM I couldn't stick around the hotel anymore, so I decided to just hit the road. Please note, the race is not for another 3 hours. I swung through the ATM to get cash and then got a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel and Oatmeal from McDonalds. Another weird thing about me - I either am so nervous I can't eat a thing or I am so weird that I can eat enough for a small army right before a race. The lady in the drive thru told me about getting stuck in last years race traffic but then wished me good luck and off I went. Mid morning I decided to call and audible on the parking situation and found a garage right near the finish line. I thought it would get packed so I wanted to get there early -- no one else was there at 5AM but whatever. I took some time eating my breakfast and jamming to the radio and then decided I wanted to go on an adventure to find a bathroom. The garage was connected to the Hilton so I casually strolled in through the second story bridge and pretended I was a guest and then broke into the conference center to find gorgeous bathrooms you never encounter prerace. I didn't even have to go - I just wanted to find them. I went back to the car and it was still super early so I just took a little cat nap until 6:15am. I also did a little reflecting about what brought me to that specific race in the first place. Last year at this time, I was scrolling through twitter and saw a horrible news alert from NBC that said a 16 year old had died during a half marathon. I read more into it and learned she had no prior medical conditions but she finished the race with her friend, gave everyone hugs and was thrilled to accomplish her first race and then just suddenly collapsed and passed away. Her story brought me to tears then and it continues to tear at my heart every time I think about it. However, the legacy and the positive message she left behind has continued to touch the lives of people across the nation from Virginia to San Diego. Her mottos and motivation from her life included her words to her friend at Mile 12 saying "Let's Finish This" to the verse she would use to cheer on her teammates on the swim team from 2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Such a young girl with such a positive heart. I knew I had to run that race, as I'm sure many others felt the same way, to carry on her will to fight and to never lose faith. "Let's Finish This" was on the back on the official race shirt and I am happy to be able to carry that message.

Once I woke up from my nap, I went back to the secret bathroom and then headed to the start with my Delta blanket I always steal from my flight for warmth. It was the Shamrock Run so everyone was decked out in their green and festive spirited outfit. The music was great - they said a few words about the spirit of Cameron running with us, and then the first corral took off around 7:02. I was in corral 5 so I didn't have much time to wait. As always, I got a little emotional - I never really cry I just always get choked up like I am about to absolutely lose it. But then I obviously pull myself together and get read to race. I had broken the race down into 4 parts a few days earlier (small wins) so I took off on leg 1 which was through the northern part of Virginia Beach towards the military base - we ran up Atlantic from 40th to 83rd (about 2.75 miles) before turning off down a very wooded "Shore Drive". I was so impressed by the amount of Cameron posters and signs and by the course support. You would be amazed by the amount of beer stations there were outside of peoples houses as well -- those crazy beach rats. I said a little prayer to Cameron and good ole Lutzenkirchen (whose bracelet I try and wear during my races) and just said "Hey you two - grab some Gatorade and some snacks and feel free to carry me through this one". Part 2 of the race was slightly uphill with not much to look at, but at this point I had caught up to the teams who push disabled kids in wheelchairs for the whole race and again that always gets me emotional. People are so passionate in the running community. When the wooded area ended we were right near Mile 6 and turned into Fort Story which is the military base. Again, not a ton to look at. Their was a lighthouse at Mile 8ish and I took my phone out to make my typical running snap story around there. I was still cruising at a good pace and had no clue what my time was because I never wear a watch -- I'm a mess as it is without knowing my time. I pace my miles off of my music and usually estimate about 3 songs per mile so as I get towards the end my motivation becomes - 12 more songs, 9 more songs, 6 more songs, etc. When we turned off the military base, I heard an announcer say "This group is on pace to hit a 2 hour time -- only 53 more blocks to go!" Oh realllllyyyyyy.......a sub 2 hour? For a race I really hadn't distance trained for (big surprise...). 52 blocks is nothing -- expect it was like 3.5 more miles. I tried really hard not to watch the street signs as they counted down and just focus on my pace. The crowds started to pick up again now that we were back on public roads - as did the beer tables. I could've stopped but I had that mental note of possibly hitting 2 hours and I didn't want to risk the small chance so I kept going. Around 60th street, I started playing a game where I would take the number of streets I had left, in this example 30, and remember my 30th race (Chicago). I would think about that race and who was there, how I finished, how I felt, and that would distract me until the next street. This helped to keep my mind off things and pass the last 3 miles. As we got closer, I could feel the crowds picking up and I couldn't think fast enough to remember races. Around 37th street we took a turn onto the board walk by the ocean and my mind starting going nuts. I could see the big Neptune statute and the Finish line but they were a lot further away than I felt. I saw a few more pictures of Cameron and her signs and I started to pick up the pace as much as I could. I was gassed - I wasn't having my normal calf cramps I sometimes get at the end I just obviously had given the race all I had and didn't have much fuel left in the tank. I pushed in those last few blocks and crossed the line with a race clock time of 2:02. I knew that was unadjusted, I just didn't know how much and honestly I didn't care. I felt great about my race. Again, as always, I started getting emotional walking to get my medal. 37 races - I had run 37 races. I wasn't emotional long as I got excited about my new medal and the new hat and towel they were giving out along with the normal snacks. I got a quick finishers photo and then ran out to the beach to get some strangers to help me with my official #37 Instagram photo by the sandcastle as well as by the Neptune (thanks strangers). I raced back to the car and was able to shower and get on the plane to catch an earlier flight to get home by 4. While taxiing to the gate, I was finally able to pull up my race results -- 1:55:22. Only a minute and a half off my PR of 1:53:54 but way better than I could have dreamed to have done. I owe it all to Cameron and Phil for having my back and being my little half marathon angels =)

POST RACE! Pretty cool what can be done with sand!

Official Race Pic - 37 states down, 13 more to go! #DREAMBIG!

Medal - Check

37 races down, 13 more to go!
#DreamBig

A bunch of other pictures I bootlegged from the website - yes, I was crying crossing the finish line. All of the Cameron posters at the finish line got to me...