So, Memorial Day Weekend 2013 was the time - I entered the lottery on the first day possible and was thrilled when I was offered a 5 person relay team! The team went through many different iterations and got stressful at times, but about 3 days before the marathon we firmed up our team and the legs we were running. My 5 person relay team included 3 former coworkers and a friend from another institution in Vermont.
One of my teammates, Becky, and I picked up our bibs and walked around the race expo for awhile on Friday afternoon. Everyone running got a drawstring bag with some coupons along with an awesome tech shirt (literally my favorite shirt now - I've seen so many people running with them since the marathon!) They had lots of great things, but my favorite thing was the outlet-style sale of old VCM gear. I got an amazing zip up sweat shirt for about 70% off!
Love my new gear!
The weather was looking pretty bad for race day - unseasonably cold (like in the upper 30s) and rainy, which started to dampen my spirits the day before, mostly because I wasn't mentally prepared to run in winter clothes again. However, I packed 2 full outfits so that I could change right after my run and decided that I would do my best and have fun.
Race morning I met my parents at my younger sister's apartment so that we could watch the race go by the end of her street and try to see my first teammate, Kath. We ended up spotting her at 2 different places during the first leg and cheered like crazy both times! I was pretty bundled up, including the awesome homemade tank tops that we had made for our team over a long sleeve fleece tech shirt, running tights, gloves, a poncho and an umbrella. My family and I stuck together and found a covered spot to stand for about an hour as I tracked my second teammate on my phone. When she was about a mile from finishing her leg, I walked over to the relay exchange to get ready to go!
Aislinn and I found each other pretty quickly when she arrived in the relay exchange. I yanked off my poncho and handed it to her, grabbed the relay bracelet and took off!
The first think I did was accidentally step in a giant puddle. The forecast had been right and it was raining and about 40 degrees, so that didn't start me off on the right foot...but I realized that I was going to get wet no matter what so I just embraced it and couldn't wipe the smile off my face!
My mom snapped this picture from where we had been watching previously - looking good despite stomping in a puddle about .2 miles before!
Once I found my groove I actually felt great - it took about a mile for my feet to thaw out (my toes literally felt disconnected from my feet) but after that I ended up taking off my gloves and warming up nicely. The run went by unbelievably quickly - I flew through the first 3 miles without hardly noticing. There were tons of spectators, despite the bad weather and they were so motivating. As I approached the location where I had volunteered back in high school, I really reflected on how far I've come since high school. I've completed college and started a really wonderful professional career, plus I've done the unthinkable - I've started loving running and was participating in the very race that started to motivate me!
As I approached the second half of my leg it started to get much colder - we were running along the lake and it was pretty windy, so I got splashed a few times and put my gloves back on. The route followed the bikepath which I run frequently, so I knew exactly what to expect at each turn. It was a fun experience to run with a thousand other people, even on my "home turf." I continued to feel great as I rounded my final turn towards Battery Street.
"Assault on Battery" was the reason that I chose to run the third leg of the VCM, but as I approached the bottom of the hill I was questioning that decision. When I saw the taiko drummers at the bottom of the hill I knew that it was really happening - I had to run up this ridiculous hill after running 6 miles. I knew I could do it, but it wasn't looking super appealing.
About half way up the hill I spotted my parents, who were standing along the side of the course cheering me on. My lungs were burning and I was exhausted, but seeing how proud they were of me accomplishing my goal of running in the VCM pushed me to keep going. Just a minute later, I spotted 2 of my teammates, Kath and Aislinn, who went crazy cheering for me in my final push!
Passing someone on Assault on Battery? WHAT?!
I reached Battery Park, found my teammate Becky and headed off to change into dry clothes!!
What a great experience - the race was well organized, the volunteers and audience were amazing and I felt in shape and happy. I can't wait to run in the VCM again!
3/5 of team #admissionsproblems after my run!
Post-race shot! Even though I was pretty comfortable throughout the race I couldn't get changed fast enough into my dry clothes in the back of my parents' car!
Team #admissionsproblems finished with a final marathon time of 4:32:56. We'll be back VCM!
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