First 1/2

As I'm wont to do, impulsively, I signed up for the Denver 1/2 Marathon about 10 weeks before the event.

In preparation, I:

- spent some time researching training plans,

- created a training spreadsheet,

- learned I was *surprise!* late on beginning,

- developed a 4-week cough that sent me to the doc: bronchitis,

- took antibiotics that wreaked havoc on my GI tract, freaking me out on my "long" run, pre-race,

- remembered it was probably the antibiotics not just the running that necessitated proximity to the trees,

- felt accomplished at surviving that 90-minute run,

- tried to get a few more 5-mile runs in, hoping my body would remember it should expect a serious pounding soon,

- purchased a new "you-look-like-a-pro" running shirt and socks, and borrowed some capris to complete "the look",

- made crock-pot spaghetti, since we were without a few appliances (though the fridge was conveniently located next to the LaZBoy (sp?) in the living room, making it all-too-easy to reach for that training-mandated, extra (insert sweet treat)),

- assisted Scott with kid-wrangling, floorboard glueing, appliance moving, moulding-painting, wall touch-up, and assorted other bent-at-the-back tasks (all essential parts of race training, according to RunnersWorld),

- rocked out with the girls at Wicked on race-eve (ditto on the parenthetical above, especially if it can limit your pre-race sleep to about 8-10 hours in two days...oh, but if you throw in a coupla days of carbo-loading, it's even better),

- created several race-day prep lists, laid out all race paraphernalia in one spot, moved it to another spot, set the alarm for o-dark-thirty, and actually managed to sleep through to the alarm with only one "Did-I-Over-Sleep?!" waking,

- met up with Alayna at the park-n-ride to head downtown,

- may/not have earned a ticket at 6:00am at the intersection of 6th and Lincoln, as we wound our way over to the start area, looking for parking,

- marveled at how the weather cleared for race weekend (previous and post-weekends had/have been mis.er.able),

- visited the bank of portapotties, solicited help from fellow runners on how to attach our race chips, threw goodie bags into the stashing area, and cued up the Shuffle, and joined the throng of runners hitting the pavement.

Whew! It was an amazing experience! Part of me dreaded it, and part was super-excited and actually a little Zen. Huh? I think all my excuses led me to be able to just take it easy, and not get all anal and competitive about the whole thing. Of course now I think I could have done better, but that's for next year...