Done with state #26 on Ohio!

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I’ve been running a half marathon every weekend since September 1.  It hasn’t been that bad.  The one thing I miss is staying home during the weekend.  When I stay home I catch up with work and TV shows or just simply relaxing.  Now I find myself traveling early on Saturday morning and coming back on Sunday afternoon/evening.  Yes, I am tired when I get back but I know I have a couple more races and then I can relax at home.

I almost cancelled my trip to Cleveland.  I was tired.  I don’t know if it is because of the running, work, or lack of sleep.  Or maybe a combination of all of them?  I was up late on Friday and then woke up early on Saturday for my 8:30 am flight.  Luckily, the flight was only 45 minutes but by the time I landed, took the train to the hotel (cab was $40 and train/bus ride was $5), and checked in, it was almost 1pm.  I got directions to the convention center to pick up my packet and was going to walk but instead took advantage of the free trolley.

At the expo I bought two more Nike shirts at 50 percent off each and a pair of Nike Free 5.0 in pink. I’ve been told that they’re not training shoes but instead are to be used for speed and short runs.  I might sell them on Amazon or just keep them because they’re just so cute!  Afterwards I was tired and hungry but unfortunately could not find a decent place to eat.  I was already in a bad mood.  I then found a Chinese restaurant close to the hotel.  However, after I ate and walked back I noticed a sushi place even closer.  I made a mental note to be more observant to the places around the hotel.  I did not let that bother me because I ended going to the sushi place for dinner.  It was delicious!!  That night I went to bed around 10:00 pm.

On race morning I was tired.  I got dressed and went downstairs because the hotel was providing free breakfast.  I had coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.  I wasn’t really hungry but am glad I ate because I got really hungry during the race.

The race began at 8:00 am.  It was humid.  I was feeling a little dizzy too so I decided to take it easy. Each mile was very difficult for me.  It was hilly the first 3 miles.  There was one downhill so steep that I swear that if it had been raining, we would all have been rolling down (that was my fastest mile).  I almost quit halfway through the race.  I began questioning myself and wondering why I was running the race.  Then I remembered, “Oh yeah, my 50 states goal.”  I walked and ran each mile.  I stopped at two medical tents because I was chafing in my bra area.  I cursed the bra, the sweat, and everything else.  Yes, I was tired but I kept on running.

The weather was nice.  I had checked the weather that morning and the day before and it was supposed to rain.  It didn’t.  I was dehydrated and could not wait till the race was over.  The 2:30 group passed me and some walkers were walking faster than me.  Yikes!

The mile markers were way off compared to the Nike+ app.  As you can see below, I finished mile 13 in 2:28:35 but yet my official finish time is 2:35:41.  I remember that at one point it was off by .30 of a mile so I knew I would finish at around 13.40.  Once I reached that point I thought “Where is the finish line”?

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Overall, it was a good race for being an inaugural race in Cleveland.  There were plenty of water stations, race began on time, and not enough port-a-potties (typical of many races).  I don’t know how many people registered but the last corral number I saw was 8.  There weren’t too many vendors at the expo but that has been the case in other “small” city races.

Next race is ING Hartford Half Marathon where I will be reunited with JB.

Thank you for your comment!