Done with state #26 on Ohio!
I’ve been running a half marathon every weekend since September 1. It hasn’t been that bad. The one thing I miss is staying home during the weekend. When I stay home I catch up with work and TV shows or just simply relaxing. Now I find myself traveling early on Saturday morning and coming back on Sunday afternoon/evening. Yes, I am tired when I get back but I know I have a couple more races and then I can relax at home.
I almost cancelled my trip to Cleveland. I was tired. I don’t know if it is because of the running, work, or lack of sleep. Or maybe a combination of all of them? I was up late on Friday and then woke up early on Saturday for my 8:30 am flight. Luckily, the flight was only 45 minutes but by the time I landed, took the train to the hotel (cab was $40 and train/bus ride was $5), and checked in, it was almost 1pm. I got directions to the convention center to pick up my packet and was going to walk but instead took advantage of the free trolley.
At the expo I bought two more Nike shirts at 50 percent off each and a pair of Nike Free 5.0 in pink. I’ve been told that they’re not training shoes but instead are to be used for speed and short runs. I might sell them on Amazon or just keep them because they’re just so cute! Afterwards I was tired and hungry but unfortunately could not find a decent place to eat. I was already in a bad mood. I then found a Chinese restaurant close to the hotel. However, after I ate and walked back I noticed a sushi place even closer. I made a mental note to be more observant to the places around the hotel. I did not let that bother me because I ended going to the sushi place for dinner. It was delicious!! That night I went to bed around 10:00 pm.
On race morning I was tired. I got dressed and went downstairs because the hotel was providing free breakfast. I had coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. I wasn’t really hungry but am glad I ate because I got really hungry during the race.
The race began at 8:00 am. It was humid. I was feeling a little dizzy too so I decided to take it easy. Each mile was very difficult for me. It was hilly the first 3 miles. There was one downhill so steep that I swear that if it had been raining, we would all have been rolling down (that was my fastest mile). I almost quit halfway through the race. I began questioning myself and wondering why I was running the race. Then I remembered, “Oh yeah, my 50 states goal.” I walked and ran each mile. I stopped at two medical tents because I was chafing in my bra area. I cursed the bra, the sweat, and everything else. Yes, I was tired but I kept on running.
The weather was nice. I had checked the weather that morning and the day before and it was supposed to rain. It didn’t. I was dehydrated and could not wait till the race was over. The 2:30 group passed me and some walkers were walking faster than me. Yikes!
The mile markers were way off compared to the Nike+ app. As you can see below, I finished mile 13 in 2:28:35 but yet my official finish time is 2:35:41. I remember that at one point it was off by .30 of a mile so I knew I would finish at around 13.40. Once I reached that point I thought “Where is the finish line”?
Overall, it was a good race for being an inaugural race in Cleveland. There were plenty of water stations, race began on time, and not enough port-a-potties (typical of many races). I don’t know how many people registered but the last corral number I saw was 8. There weren’t too many vendors at the expo but that has been the case in other “small” city races.
Next race is ING Hartford Half Marathon where I will be reunited with JB.