Ronalyn, the one eyed runner...

Clever little title.. but if you could have only "seen" what I meant.. I literally ran this race with one eye. It's one of those moments where everything seems to be going wrong and you have every legitmate reason to quit... but you tell yourself F*** it, Let's do this!

And as the cannons went off and the countdown started I said to myself "Self, you've only got one life to live, you'll be glad you did this, one eyed and all..."

So here I am at 6 am, my left eye was swollen shut... but still smiling :)

 

I try to share this quote with my kids but more importantly I try to show them what this means to me. The good thing about "dreams" is that there is never one big enough or too far fetched that you can't achieve as long as you don't give up.

I've been to many races before, but this one takes the cake... I was one in nearly 30,000 !!!!

Finish line was in the stadium where hubby was waiting for me :)

And my official race photo... (I don't look so thrilled for someone who actually had fun).
(I'm not giving up, there were so many photographers that day, I'm determined to find more :)

The experience was worth it and will definitely do it again next year!

8.2 miles went by effortlessly. Of course I've been training for nearly 10 weeks, so its a compilation of my body getting used to the increased mileage. I never recommend anyone just picking up and running 8 miles on the fly.. well unless your that "guy" (aka Barney on How I Met Your Mother, remember that episode where he ran the marathon?) Also to clarify, the route is rather flat, with a slight uphill towards the end... but a road race is simpler than a trail run for sure. And when your running with a crowd that large, you are so well entertained watching everyone around you that you don't realize 4 miles have passed.

For a number's kind of person, (it's all about the stats)  I wasn't too thrilled at my time. I was running at an easy pace of 11 min/miles, but this has proven to be my long distance pace.. (I was more excited at last weeks 4 mile run with a 10 min/mile pace) But as with any race, it pushes you to train harder to always try to beat your last race time.

The thing about races.. is when you are done with one.. you come home to sign up for the next one..

Comments

[anne]

great job

[V]

I can't wait for the run we signed up for. You are a great inspiration for your kids, friends, family, and anyone who reads your stories.