Juanita- The Real Story...

I'm back. I returned to my reality on October 18th, one day after running 26.2 miles. First, I will give you a glimpse of what one looks like the day after a marathon...this should give you a realistic starting place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-hCuYjvw2I

I'm going to break it down and give you the pros and cons (in my opinion) of the famous Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco.

Pros:
-the incredible energy of over 20,000 women (5,000 of which were with TNT) coming together in Union Square for the same purpose.
-this year's race raised $13 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
-participants names etched onto niketown wall (Nike store in Union Square)
-cute sweatshirts/clothes to promote the event
-packet pick up was fairly easy
-the whole course had tons of drink and fuel stations (ghiradelli chocolates, bananas, oranges, water, Luna Bars, ShotBlocks, etc)
-it was a challenging and beautiful course
-tons of supporters (including my fabulous spouse) and cheer stations
-awesome music stations
-most of the runners were kind and encouraging
-lots of TNT support on the course (the coaches were all spread out)
-Tiffany's necklace as your finisher's medal passed out on a silver platter by Bay area firefighters in tuxedos.
-really cute finisher shirt
-bag check in was efficient and there was no problem picking it up right after the race
-the expo had lots of fun sponsors
-stretching station after the race with mats and rollers, free massages (if you wanted one), and free engraving for your necklace (if you wanted it)


Cons:
-the Nike Women's Marathon website. It is terrible to navigate!
-the congestion on the course. Most of the walkers started at the same time as the runners and didn't place themselves in the correct corral. The first 11 miles was spent weaving in and out of walkers who wouldn't move over (slower traffic move right rule!)
-people were stopping to take pictures right on the course...like coming to a DEAD STOP in the middle of the road and organizing group shots. RIDICULOUS!
-The cold pouring rain
-there weren't enough 2010 Tiffany finishers medals. Anyone who finished over 5 hours got either 2007 or 2008 medals. The 2010 is supposed to ship in 10-12 weeks. Disappointing!
-The food at the finish. It was pretty much gone by the time I got there, and I was hungry!
-The cold at the end without enough thermal wraps. NOT OK!

Overall, a really fun experience for me. This year was my "do over". Last year the 13.1 was TORTURE with my weak body and IT band issues. What a difference a year makes. After the marathon a friend said to me, "you have to BE a runner to run a marathon" and I actually get that now. I worked my ass off for a full year, weight training, core work, copious amounts of stretching. What a difference a year makes.

For now, I'm proud of myself. I did what I could do. My time goal was to complete it in under 6 hours. I did that with some to spare (5:43'37). That is an 13'07 average pace. I walked each and every hill to conserve energy. I figure a good HOUR was spent on dodging the picture takers and walkers, right?

Some of you have heard about the famous video of my finish line experience. I'm going to share it here to give you a good chuckle. You may have to cut and paste it into your browser becasue I've spent way too much time tonight trying to figure it out. Just make sure you note who finishes about 3 seconds after me...yes, a participant USING A WALKER! Well, it is actually a three-legged roller. It's a good laugh....actually, I'm glad I CAN laugh about it! It is hilarious.

http://www.brightroom.com/view_user_event_video.asp?EVENTID=62004&BIB=20506&LNSEARCH=1&PWD=