Run like a girl...

Today was the Nike Women's marathon. I decided to enter this race months ago, and had to vie for a spot online with thousands of others hoping to get their hands on the Tiffany necklace that awaits each finisher. That, and of course, the entire event is dedicated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, my favorite cause. The race sold out in hours. HOURS. Crazy! And man oh man, does Nike know how to put on a show!!! This had to be one of the best organized races I've been a part of, and that's incredible considering there were 22,000 people running this race, the majority of which were women, running for Team in Training. Purple TNT jerseys galore! I felt right at home with my TNT peeps. Can you imagine that? 22,000 people. The St George marathon had 7,000 people. My Maui triathlons had something like 500 or 600 people. 22,000! Awesome!

I entered the race with a friend Melinda, who lives in Sacramento, so we've been "virtually" training together. That's her below.

The race started at NikeTown San Francisco and ended at Golden Gate Park. It was so packed that we had to line up around the block on Stockton and weave our way to the start line. It took almost 30 minutes to make it to the start line from where we were starting, after the gun went off at 7am. Then, once we got to move from a walk to a run, as we crossed the starting line, it took a good 5 or 6 miles to feel like we actually had some space to move. It was literally shoulder-to-shoulder most of the way for those first few miles. So many people. But, I'll tell you this, we could not have asked for a more beautiful San Francisco day. The sun came up around 7, and the skies were beautifully blue and clear. I was dressed for cold weather but dumped my clothes at the coat check at mile 2.5 and ran most of the race in a tank top and shorts.

This course had to be one of the most scenic and most beautiful I've ever run. We ran through Fisherman's Wharf, past the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Presidio, North Beach, and down the beach (Ocean Beach) to Golden Gate Park. I was so mad at myself for not bringing my camera along, or at least my cell, to take pictures. Amazing scenery. The final prize for finishing was a Tiffany necklace. It's a really nice one too. The aid stations along the way were one of a kind. There was an oxygen bar, a pedicure station, chocolate station, DJ stations, all the Luna Bars and all Gatorade you could ever ask for. We took our time, stopped at most of the stations, and engaged in plenty of girl talk to pass the time. Before we knew it, we were at the finish line!!! And of course my incredible hubby was there to snap the finish line pic...

There were 2 pretty good sized hills, but not nearly as steep as Whiting Ranch (for my Foothill Ranch peeps). 1 was a good mile long, so it was challenging. I'm still recovering from a quad injury and a bum left knee, so I was trying not to push it and was praying hard that I wouldn't have to bow out of the race....thank goodness God was watching over me.

My entire family was there to greet me at the finish line. I was so thrilled to see them and to finish this race, given I had 1 bum leg and 1 sorta-OK leg. What an amazing experience. And to think, all to save lives from cancer!!! This was such a wonderful way to cap off my 2007 race season. I will now finally, finally, get a break from training, for the month of November and will then be back to training in December, as I start preparing for the Ford 1/2 Ironman on March 29, 2008.

Now I can take full advantage of my Tempur-Pedic bed, as I will finally get to devote more hours to sleep and less to training. =0) YAY!

Aloha -

e.m.y