So it was time for another race. This year would be different. I would feel great, and BE great. Right? Kind of.
The 4 miler started like almost any other race morning for me; at 3:45 in the morning. Once Lauren and Tara got up (a few hours later), we got on the road. You see, the Charlottesville Woman's 4 Miler is a closed course race. This means that you drive onto the course, they close the course, you run the course, and they open it back up. All that to say that you have to get there crazy early. Note the puffy faces in the picture above.
Once we arrived, we parked and started jogging around the gorgeous hillside. At that point I started to feel yucky. I mean throw-up yucky. UGH. This was supposed to be MY race. This was the race that I started my journey on, and this was to be my triumphant return! My big reveal as a less fat runner!
Nerp.
As we lined up to start the race Terra and I realized we needed to use the bathroom. And also realized we needed more photos to prove we were running a race. Terra's FIRST RACE!!! So Lauren snapped this gem.
Needless to say, 3,000 nervous females= a LONG line.
Eventually we got in our timing corral, which is when I had to separate from Terra and Lauren. Sadness. That is also when the loneliness set in. Aaaaand my Ipod died.
The end of the race felt further away than the finish line of the half marathon. How? Not sure.
Too bad I continued my only 4 Miler tradition of puking at the finish line. The worst part? This year it was not an empty lane in which to puke in. I puked right next to a grandmother and her two grand kids to my right, and two guys around my age to my left. The kids screamed, and the grandmother covered their eyes and pulled them away. The guys were frozen out of mutual embarrassment. After I finished gifting the world with my vom, I stood up, wiped my mouth and saluted the two fellows who were mortified to be alive.
Great news though, I finished within my goal time! Chunks or not. :) YAH!
Congrats to Terra on her first race and congrats to Wubby for being awesome!!!