plus, everyone in the universe kept saying how completely awful the hills are in this race. and then the evening before i ate at my favorite mexican restaurant and had tons of chips and salsa and a gigantic bean burrito. not exactly the ideal pre-race meal. that night before i woke up every 20 minutes to check my clock so that i wouldn't oversleep. the race started at 7am, so heather and i were on the road at 5:30am in order to park and stretch and pretend to be really good at running with the other racers. then the worst thing ever happened. occasionally, certain circumstances will trigger morning sickness. i am not pregnant-REPEAT- i am not pregnant, but sometimes by body remembers what it is like to be pregnant and wants to perform an encore. my deadly-barf-inducing-combination is honeycomb cereal and sneezing. the two of those together is what i call a perfect storm. and this perfect storm happened as i was driving down the interstate. heather nearly had to grab the wheel as my eyes rolled back in my head and waves of nausea overtook me. there were many fed exed prayers as i made my way downtown. by time we got there, my pre-race jitters overtook my nausea and i was ready to strut around with all the other 4,000 runners and pretend to stretch and discuss my "strategy" and be knowledgable about racing. and i am sure that i fooled nobody. my strategy was this: don't ever stop running. EVER. no matter how much it hurts. i am sure the others were impressed.
pre- race, still smiling.
the final stretch to the finish line.
closer now so that you can see it is really us and not two other extremely sweaty yet cute sisters running nsync. at this point i was fighting back tears i was so proud of myself. i also cried during the national anthem. i am tearing up as i type this.
and by the finish line, drenched in sweat and pride. that sounds like an gospel or classic rock album title. heidi and heather, drenched in sweat and pride, the greatest hits.
the best part of the race was the swag that gave you for participating.
my bragging rights t-shirt.
i nearly wore this ensemble to church today:
the visor, the sweat-wicking running shirt, the tote bag, the flip flops that said "finisher" across the toes. and drumroll.....and a huge freaking medal!!! i didn't know that everyone got one and i nearly kissed the girl that put it around my neck. i still haven't taken it off. i hope my mom doesn't mind me wearing it in the next family picture. do you think i can get on a plane with that around my neck?
20 comments:
Wow Heidi! Way to go girl! I can't believe you were so humble at church! Why didn't you say anything? I am seriously in awe at your awesomeness! As Carie and Rochelle would say "Ser-ious-ly!" (sound it out when you say it.)
wow heidi. i'm really impressed. congrats!
dang girl!! you're my inspiration. i was just about to get my butt into gear and go running today for the first time since our moving process began WEEKS ago, when i sat down to check blogs, and now i'm actually pumped up to go!!!! i still got to find me my 10k to run here this summer.
and have we figured out yet where the central meeting point is for me you and natalie, yet??
You are amazing, what other way can you say it. Congrats and may I say you legs are looking good:)
Awesome Heidi!!!
We are planning on coming out that way around the second week of July. Email me sometime, my email is in my profile, so I can get your email address and start planning a time for us to get together on our trip home.
Props to you! I still haven't run since my 10k race last month. But you've inspired me to go and look into adding on the childcare to my gym pass today. :)
I am so jealous of you- I can't work out in air conditioning and look that good!
Good job Heidi! Is it too late to start training for Bejing? Seriously, I like running but I have no desire to do a 10K. I think I would die. And I'm so glad you ran ALL THE WAY. I hate it when people run a race and then stop and walk for a distance, then start running again (and in my case pass me). Do you see people doing that in the Olympics!?
Wow Heidi. That's amazing. I'm getting leg cramps just reading your blog. I love all the Swag too. The Medal and flip flops are my favorite. I hope you're still wearing the medal next time I see you.
Seriously, isn't it SOO fulfilling to complete a race, especially one that you didn't think you could or should do? And then all the goodies at the end of it -- a sweat-wicking-away shirt -- THAT IS AWESOME!
Yes, I've heard horrible things about that Hospital Hill run, so congrats for doing it. That really is such an achievement. And I've decided that being able to run at all after you have a baby is a huge deal...I'm dying on my daily walk/runs, so good job for being so fit and quick to return to the pavement.
And AWESOME to you, too, Hemabe!
That's awesome! Congratulations!
You crack me up! You should be proud. I would be. That's a long way and up hill both ways. Any chance of a marathon in the future? I bet you would do well.
hey--if I finished a 10k, i would request to be BURIED with my medal draped around my neck.
NEVER. TAKE. IT. OFF.
ps way to go!!
I am so so proud of you! I have never done more than a K, but hope to do a 10K soon. What was your time? I LOVE the last picture of you in all your get up! I bet you still have on that medal!
Awesome job, Heidi!!!
As I type this I am bowing down to you and Heather. My lazy butt hasn't started working out since having Carter. Seeing the pictures of how amazing you are just kicked my butt in gear!
Congratulations! Way to go! I have the perfect reward for you a book that we just finished in our book club, 'The book of mom' by author Taylor G. Wilshire. This book is a hoot, and a first that we all loved. It is a beach-type-read packed with insights on life, spirit and passion. It's about a mom that feels overwhelmed in her marriage and life as a mom and how she finds her self, her breath and her passions back. Have you read it?
i'm so proud of you too. and me. mostly me. i was tired!
Just reading this post gave me such a feeling of awe. I feel like a proud mama just knowing that someone I know ran that far. Great job! It is currently 10:13 pm and I still feel the need to go run aroun outside.
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