I did it!! Marathon complete. John and I had an amazingly fun weekend in Richmond. He's a really great cheerleader. Here are our Lessons Learned in order:
One: Make sure you pack everything. Make a list. We went down on Friday midday. We had to circle back and get the camera and my nausea medicince just in case. Once we were underway again, it was smooth sailing until we stopped in Deliverance. It was terrifying. Who knew places like this existed? It was a gas station/grill ironically called Ambiance. There was a Spam sandwich on the menu. John thought I was abducted because I went back to the car. Anyways, we survived. Sidebar: Once we got unpacked I also forgot toothpaste and a hair brush.
Two: Make sure the hostess knows the plan. Friday night we had dinner at Europa which was really tasty. The scallops in a smoky cornmeal concoction were delicious. John had called ahead and asked that they make a big deal out my birthday, but they did not. He was sad; I was totally fine!
Three: Pack waters! We kept having to hunt them down and pay three times as much for them!
Four: Always stay within walking distance of the starting line. This made all the difference!
Five: Get to the starting line and find your pace group way ahead of the gun shot start. I thought I was close enough to the 4:30 group but actually was not at all. I couldn't find them. Ended up following behind the 4:15 group, but knew I wouldn't be able to maintain that. I'm not sure how I ended up finding the 4:15 and not the 4:30. That makes no sense. I know. I started out way too fast for the long haul. I felt it later on!
Six: Make sure your brand new iPod that you bought just for this occasion and spent lots of money downloading music for actually works. After a few songs of "shuffling", I was confused as to why it was only shuffling Lady Antebellum. Well, because their first album, Higher, and SheWolf were the only songs that actually downloaded. I was so disappointed and deflated. I stopped dead in my tracks...but not for long. Just had to keep going. *^&%^$^$&(%^#$%#
Seven: Have a post race game plan. John missed my grand finish. Probably because he did not recognize that stride. I was ready to get it over with. I turned it up as fast as I could...at least for that last little chunk. Anyways, we couldn't find each other for quite some time. I ate pizza and bananas, but I knew he would be worried. I borrowed someone's phone and left a message. When he saw he had a 703 missed call, he about had a panic attack. Poor thing. Obviously we found each other, but it was a little anticlimactic afer all that.
Eight: Always carry your own water. I was so happy I had it on me despite the bulk.
Nine: Aleve is a must. It was my saving grace!
Ten: Wear lip gloss. Pack Chapstick. Here's how this conversation went down.
John: You weren't kidding about getting up and putting on make-up.
Me: Ummmm, no. I am a competitive cheerleader by birth. essentially. We compete in full make-up.
John: Oh, okay. I think you look the same without it, but you don't smell the same when you're done.
Me: Thanks.
When it was all said and done, it was a great journey. I enjoyed the training and everything I gained (and lost!) over the past few months just as much as I did crossing the finish line. John, my parents, and my sister were integral to this process. They spent a lot of time with my girlies while I put down the miles. They deserve a medal too! It is addictive; I hope to do it again!
