So here is the tale of our racing weekend:
We left Saturday morning for Orlando around 7:10 am. Ryan, Molly, Roz, Artie, Maddi and myself drove our van and then my parents left about an hour later and came in their car. We arrived at the Wide World of Sports complex and as we were walking from the parking lot inside Maddi said that her legs where already tired. She is so funny when it comes to going places or getting out. She would rather just stay home and I think that she was getting a little overwhelmed by how big things where. We picked up the girls race packets and wasn't able to register Maddi because the races where all full. It was a real bummer but in the back of my mind I kinda thought that she would get to run anyway...any she did. I then had to stand in line for a while to get my race packet and pick up all the necessary info for the big race on Sunday. The expo was really nice and I would have liked to look around a little more but by the time that we got all of the necessary things collected it was almost time for the girls to race so we headed to the track. Each of the girls got a t-shirt and race number so we got them all suited up and my mom took Roz onto the track to practice. She was really having a blast until the announcer called for her to line up. I could tell she was starting to get apprehensive and when they said go she took right off, looked around and seen all of the other kids and flopped down on her hiney. I picked her up and tried to coax her down the track but apparently her legs just weren't working. I ended up carrying her across the finish line after the announcer teased her a little and she still got a medal. It was cute. Next was Molly's race.
Molly did so good!!! She ran her little heart out and "passed several boys" according to her. Maddi had no trouble getting to run and even received a medal at the end too. After they took off I frantically tried to get to the finish line before they did and got all emotional watching Molly pour her heart into running that race. It reminded me just how much I love being her mom!
Now for me. I have to admit that I didn't get the best nights rest before the race and had to be up at 3 am to get ready and head out for the starting line. I didn't really feel that excited before leaving the hotel and was really hoping that adrenaline would kick in when I got there. It is always weird for me before the start of the race...it seems like everyone is there with a group of friends and I am just milling around by myself. (Hopefully that will all change now...Ryan is getting into running!) So as I was waiting in the LONG lines for the port-a-potties I was listening to all of the other racers talk and I started to get excited. The starting gun was so exciting and I have to admit that I got a little emotional as they let off the fireworks and everyone was cheering right after the National Anthem was sung. It was truly unforgettable.
The first 6 or 7 miles were not exactly fun. There were soooo many people trying to get their pace it was almost impossible to move. If you are closterphobic then you would have really hated this. After mile 7 we moved onto the 3 lane highway and people started spreading out a little better. During this time one of the 'fans' on the side of the road yelled "Good Job Andrea, looking great". I couldn't believe that someone right beside me had the same name! Then a few miles down the road it happened again! This time I knew something was up so I looked down to see my name on my race number. It was so nice to have all of these strangers encouraging you along...and I needed it!
Things went really smoothly until about mile 19. I thought that I would die...literally. I slowed down to a walk for a while and tried to figure out how I was going to tell everyone that I couldn't finish. My feet tingled with every step and the exhaustion was unbearable. My legs almost fell completely off!!! I told myself that I would walk for 5 minutes and then run for 10 until the finish line until I realized that walking was actually harder. So I kept up the pace (somewhat slower) and stopped at all aid stations to get a good drink of water and snack whenever possible. By mile 24 there were so many well-wishers and the adrenaline had definately kicked in. As I rounded the corner to the finish line I spotted my dad and Ryan and once again the emotions ran high. It was totally exhilerating and exhausting at the same time. The feeling of finishing was unmatched by anything else. I felt such accomplishment. As I write about it, I can't help but think that must be what it will be like to make it into heaven. YEAH!!!
The next few hours were spent resting and eating. I am so glad that my family could be there to share this experience with me! I can't wait for the chance to do it again!
Here are a few pics of the big day
I hope to post on Roz's big birthday soon!
Until next time....
