This is it! I’m hydrated and rarin’ to go for the big race. Stay tuned for pictures and results. Wish me luck!
Update: I did it! Well, sorta. The course was actually pretty hard and I had to walk the last couple of hills. I think my increased pace from the “race day adrenaline” made up for it, though, because my time was pretty much the same as it was on the treadmill (despite my unfamiliarity with running outdoors and the pounding heat from the sun). Here are the official results, which show me coming in at 356th out of 663 participants. (Note that I was just beaten by a ten-year-old. Sheesh.) I was disappointed that I had to walk at all, but the Snook pointed out that everybody except the first few runners had to walk the last hill. So that made me feel better. And I was definitely not last. There were hundreds of women running, jogging, and walking, and it felt good just to be out there among them challenging myself.



The first is good ol’ number 7929 before the race. (My tummy is really not that round, I swear. It’s the shirt.) I’m squinting because although it’s only 8:30 a.m., the sun is bright and it’s already above 70 degrees. The second is me sprinting towards the finish line. My mouth is open because I’m trying to yell “I’m going to die!” at the Snook but I lack the moisture to form the words. The last is me after the race, wearing my little “participation” medal and picking up my goodie bag of drinks and power bars. Man, it felt good to be done. That was seriously one of the hardest things I’ve done in years.