FINISHER!!

That's right, I'm a Finisher!! I even have the t-shirt to prove it.

I did it!! I completed the TC 10 mile race!! Talk about an accomplishment. And not only did I finish, but I beat my goal time. I finished the race in 1:44:49, which is 11 seconds ahead of my goal to finish in under 1:45. 11 seconds is 11 seconds. That's 11 seconds that I could have walked but ran instead.

And I got a foil blanket wrapped around me! I felt like the coolest runner ever when I got it. Other than finishing, I'm pretty sure it's the highlight of the race. To me the foil blanket meant that I was finally a "real" runner.

I'm so happy that I completed the race. I remember a year and a half ago when Tracy suggested that we should run a 10k. That's 6.2 miles and at the time I thought that was going to be a feat to accomplish. And it was. And I was so proud of myself after I finished my first "Get in Gear" 10k race. We both ran the "Get in Gear" 10k this year and about a month or two after the race, it was Tracy who suggested that we run the TC 10 mile race. She had found out about a running clinic that the Running Room offered in preparation of the race. So we both entered the lottery, managed to get in via the lottery, and went about training for the race. In the middle of July when we started training, October 4th seemed so far off. I thought that I would never be able to run 10 miles! And now it's come and gone. The race has been run and finished!

Out on the course (and at the starting and finishing lines), we were definitely the "woot woot" girls. Anytime we saw someone we knew from running clinic we called their name and followed it up with a "woot woot". I mean, really, how can you not be excited as you're heading to the starting line?! And when we saw our cheerleaders along the course, we yelled the obligatory "woot woot" to thank them for standing in the chilly morning air just for us. Then at the finish line when we saw our fellow runners and finishers, we had to cheer out yet some more "woot woots" for them.

Tracy and I both had lots of cheerleaders out on the course cheering us on. So THANKS to all of you - Mom, Alicia, Bridget, Justin, Dee, Donna, Jean, and Aaron. Without you, I wouldn't have been near as motivated and inspired to keep on trekking. And also THANKS to Krista for the glittery signs you made. Without those, we never would have been able to spot our cheering section. THANKS to Lena, Amy, Dennis, Josh and Ellie for showing up early to the finish line. Finding you guys at the end made it all worthwhile.

I guess that's it... I FINISHED!! We'll have to wait and see what my next race is. Sara has suggested running a half marathon. We'll see. Right now, my legs and feet are asking for a bit of a break and I think I just might give it to them.

Time to Shine!

Note the picture at left. These are my pre-race "rewards" from the race expo. I like to think of it as my reward for all of the hard work I did training and getting my body into race day shape. Besides, who doesn't love baked chips? Who doesn't want some granola bars and granola cereal? Who doesn't need some soft baked cookies and raisins? And, who doesn't want some free juice, a water bottle, and a stress ball? I paid my race fee to have the opportunity to run 10 miles, I earned these goodies. And I definitely maximized my time while perusing the various race sponsors. I made a haul!

On a more serious note, tomorrow is the big day. The TC 10-mile course is calling my name (well, my name and 10,499 others' names). I've prepped and planned. I attended every race clinic session - woot woot for perfect attendance. I've run all of the long runs in preparation, including two 10-mile runs. I took my legs out for one last pre-race jog this morning. There's not much more else I can do other than show up tomorrow morning and give it my all. (I even have my race day outfit all laid out on my bed right now. It's like picking out your outfit for the first day of school!)

So, TC 10-mile, it's been fun preparing myself to conquer your course. I know that Tracy and I are going to give our all and show you that we're bigger than your hills. That your twists and turns won't get us down. Our friends and family are going to cheer loud and proud, holding up glittery signs and biking along beside the route, to show you that you are no match for our guts. We'll show you race course.

TC 10-mile race course... you're going down!! Finish line, here we come!!