Lesson learned - pee beforehand

The soreness has subsided, my temporary tattoo faded, but my runner's high is alive and kicking. I am really proud of myself for sticking through and finishing the half marathon, despite not making the three hour mark. I ran it in 3:18, give or take a few minutes based on when I crossed the start line.

Herb and I woke up at 4:30, ate breakfast and had a quick shower. We took a taxi to the starting line, dropped off our luggage, and headed towards the waiting area. On the way, we passed a McDonald's, and I decided to wait in line in the restaurant to use the facilities. Since the line was barely moving after five minutes, Herb suggested that I go during the course and that we head to the waiting area instead. We joined the crowd, plugged in our iPods and stretched, and when 6:30 came around, we joined in the cheers and set off.

For the first five kilometers, we ran at a steady pace and kept up with the group. By the time we got to the first water station at the 5k mark, I decided I would go pee. Herb kept running and wished me luck. About 10 minutes passed before I was finally able to rejoin the race, and by that point, the pack had trickled to a few stragglers. It was a bit lonely to run by myself, but I kept up as much as I could. By the 7K mark, I started walking/running, and I saw Herb on the opposite side, still with a good size pack of people.

I finally got to the turn-around and was overwhelmed at the distance that I still needed to cover. I ended up running with the same people, overtaking them and being overtaken by them. By the time I got to the entrance of the tunnel, it was 8:25am (we had to finish by 9:30am), and I was only at the 13K mark (8K to go). I knew by that point that I wouldn't finish in time, but oh well =)

Out of the tunnel and in Sheung Wan, I looked across the harbor and could see how far I had already run, and that gave me the motivation to keep going, although by that point, I was mostly walking. Somewhere along Wan Chai, the elite marathoners had passed me (and they started an hour after me). The people at the water stations and some of the marshalls were cheering us on, but there were no actual cheering spectators until we reached the last kilometer of the race.

Finally, I reached the 20K and tried to go for an all-out sprint, but my upper body immediately started cramping. Bad idea - so I kept up with a jog for the rest of the way. I was so happy to see the blue and green finish line, although no one was paying any attention to me as there was an old man struggling to get to the finish line for the half marathon and another elite marathoner who had just finished.

I felt okay after the race, although my upper body was still cursing me for that abrupt sprint. I scarfed down a banana and a sports drink, and picked up my luggage. I met up with Herb, who crossed at 3:10, and after resting for a bit, we headed home for some much needed showers.

We were already pretty sore by the afternoon, and by Monday, the soreness had made it to our upper backs. I also had sore toes from my toe nails pushing against the tip of the shoe and had to wear foot flops for a few days. Now, I'm pretty much back to normal, and I'll probably go for a run tomorrow. I'm already thinking about signing up for a 5km run and hike on March 21st. I want to do 13km, but I think one of my friends will join me, and she's not a runner.

Herb and I want to run it again next year, even though Herb had me on video stating that I would never do that again immediately after the race. I guess it's like having babies - you don't think about the pain of labor when you plan for another one! I'll keep training throughout the year, and hopefully for the next one, I can aim to run the entire distance. I am also hoping that I'll be done breastfeeding, the weather won't be as warm and humid, I can get my hands on some Extreme Jelly Bellys, and Aunt Flo won't be paying me a visit!

Oh, and the biggest lesson learned - pee beforehand. I think that peeing during the course really impacted my performance because running with the pack really helps keep the momentum and adrenaline going. Had I stuck with Herb, I think we both might have been able to cross the finish line before the three-hour mark.

Here's the link for the race route.

You can also see a few pictures and videos of me (I thought this was really cool, but had I known I was going to be videotaped during the turn, I would've kept running!). My bib number is W1687, and you can input my maiden name at the right of the screen. Herb's bib number is M5705, although he's much harder to spot in the videos (he has one arm in the air when he turns and when he crosses the finish line).