How the race was run.

Many individuals questioned how the P.F. Chang Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona in January ended. Well, in all fairness, in order to paint the true picture, I have to start at the start.
Because I was in flux with my employer, the airfare and hotel which was provided in conjunction with my fundraising was not available. So, I booked my room at the hotel where my running companions would be staying, and I booked a flight with my frequent flyer miles. I had trained long and hard for the race, and I would be damned if I was going to miss it.
I flew from Reagan Airport to Phoenix on the morning of January 15th and as I was waiting to disembark I started chatting with another passenger who was headed to Phoenix for the race as well. He was running the full marathon. We discussed upcoming races in the DC area and I told him I had already committed to several races in the fall. He passed me his card and asked me to email him a list of some races that I mentioned as he too had an interest in registering for several of them. I dropped his card in my purse as we continued to talk. He did not tell me his name; I don’t believe I asked, but I did find out he worked for the Department of Interior in Native American Affairs, specifically drug enforcement. Coincidentally, my cousin Robert Bealle won the Federal Duck Stamp Contest this year and his original work of art for the contest was being displayed at the Department of Interior. The gent mentioned he had seen it on display. We said our goodbyes and I headed off to baggage claim.
So, I grabbed my luggage and headed out to catch the hotel shuttle. I was high on the nervous excitement of my racing adventure and saw a tall thin man waiting for a shuttle. He just had that runners look: tall, lean, healthy and that he could run like the wind, so I introduced myself. I asked if he was running P.F. Chang and he said yes, “The ultra”. Ugh, an ultra, 50 miles. I was not embarrassed to tell him it was my first race and he was really nice and offered up come good tips. He mentioned that he is a tri-athlete. Did I say he had the look? We had a great chat, he was from Boulder, Colorado, and, nope, didn’t get his name. I mentioned I was from the DC area and he told me he had actually run with Mayor Fentey on an occasion and I thought that was pretty cool. Our respective shuttles arrived and we went our separate ways.
I loved arriving on Friday because I was in town early enough to relax by the pool. The bulk of the team would be arriving on Saturday so I spent my time, sunning, reading, hydrating, and eating meals not normally in my diet. I headed to the race Expo at the convention center and I was really excited by the hum and buzz. P.F. Chang logos were everywhere and I was feeling the tears of excitement again. I proceeded to packet pick up and until then never quite realized the size of the race. Packet lines started at the number one all the way to 47,000. Holy Cow, 47,000 runners. I had arrived!
I spent my time visiting the venders and, naturally, made a few purchases. As I was leaving the Expo I ran into two women who were taking their pictures under the P.F. Chang Warrior sing. Hmmm…photo op! I asked them to take mine as well which they did and it is a picture I absolutely love. Again, I was chatting with total strangers and the one woman mentioned to me she had run somewhere in the neighborhood of 235 marathons. She mentioned that this race would be her “come back run” and further explained that she’d had a mastectomy eight weeks earlier. Yup, eight weeks and she was back on her feet. Nope, you guessed, didn’t get her name. Anyway I wished her well and told her that as a brand new runner I would never complain about pain or injuries because anything and everything would pale in comparison to her journey back to the racing circuit.
I headed back to the hotel in a very euphoric state and I did go to bed early to continue to relax before the race. I was nice to run fellow co-workers on Saturday as they began to trickle in from their travels. The day was one of relaxation and catching up with folks I had not seen in several months and then off to a pre-race pasta dinner on Saturday evening. My running gear was chipped with my timing device and my shirt was tagged with my bib. I went to bed, could not sleep, tossed and turned with pre-race jitters. It was a blessing when the wakeup call came through.
I took a warm shower and headed to the lobby for the trip to the race. WOW! Throng does not describe the tide of people at the start. It was cold and we were there an hour before the 8: is start. Thank God I had on the layers of gear I intended to discard along the course. It was brrrrrr cold! We did the “ports john” dance and begin stretching and moving about to stay warm. Finally we headed to the race corrals. Corrals are where the runners are staged by their running time. Since I’d never run before I was way back in corral 18. Pattie Busque and Barrie Miliam my running buddies were in different corrals, but we moved to corral 22 along with other members of the northeast running contingent. It took us an hour to move to the start gate. Did I say a throng of runners?
Finally we were off and it was fun to finally start my first half marathon. Senator John McCain was at the start line cheering the runners as we passed over the chipper that would mark and measure our journey for 13.1 miles. I noted that we chipped in approximately an hour and 14 minutes after the very first runner headed through the start gate.
Patti passed Barrie and me by. Our younger friends blasted past us too. Barrie and I settled into a very nice comfortable pace. We kept each other going. The fun of a P.F. Chang race is that they Rock and Roll. Bands are stationed all along the course and the music is definitely a motivator. Since this was my first “real” race, I was trying to savor every moment. There were high school cheerleaders and dance teams positioned throughout the race and they were cute as they continually told the runners we could do it. The spectators along the course were at times two and three people deep. I loved the signs being held aloft to support running teams, individual moms, dads, sons, daughters, and brothers and sisters.
It is difficult to explain the feeling of running. In the beginning my body was wondering what the hell I was up to. Barrie and I counted up the miles to mile seven where we then began to count down to mile 13. That is when I had the runners breakthrough I have heard so much about. I finally got it, the breakthrough…I GOT it and I got IT. Somewhere near mile ten Barrie pulled his knee a bit so we backed off and did some walking and running. Barrie kept telling me to run ahead of him, but I had no intention of finishing without him. We were coming to the bridge that would push us to the finish line and ran into some of our co-workers. I believe Barrie’s comment was, “Hell no, GC is not beating me across the finish line”, so off we went, like gazelles! Admittedly, I had to push that last mile. I was tired! Then I saw the finish line, the bands, the crowd, and the folks with the medallions on their arms placing them around the necks of the runners and I don’t know what happened, but …I threw my arms in the air started screaming like a banshee and sprinted to the finish.
Holy Freekin’ Pete, I had just completed a 13.1 mile race. Holy Cow! WTH? Pinch me…was I dreaming? Obviously it was no dream as Barrie and I posed for pictures with our medallions and we immediately went gorging on the after race food of bagels, bananas, fruit cups, water, PowerAde, and nutrition bars. I ate like I’d never seen food before. Then I saw the tent, THE ENGRAVING TENT, the tent where for $20 they will add your name and your time to the back of your medallion. We immediately dropped off our coveted medallions to have them emblazoned with the results of our momentous accomplishment.
From there, it was off the UPS trucks to pick up dry clothes, phones, flip flops and all the gear we had stowed prior to the run. I was at truck 10 and Barrie at truck 22. We agreed to meet back at truck 10 and as I was turning around from grabbing my gear, I ran into Boulder. Well, he looked very much the runner I perceived him to be; He had on cool running gear with a gazillion logos on it. I knew he was somebody famous! I shouted howdy, called him Boulder, he called me DC and I was happy that he’d remembered our chat at the airport. I was so wowed by Boulder that I talked about him to anyone that would listen, and of course I spoke in awe of the woman I’d met who was doing her “come back race”.
Barrie and I headed to our food tent and I called my sister Sue, in Tampa, to tell her I’d finished. I don’t know what emotions welled up but I started to cry. I was ever so proud at that moment and Sue told me how proud she was too. I don’t know if Lori called or texted and I don’t remember who I spoke with after that call to Sue because I was starting to get the after run food/sugar coma. I felt good, but I was starting to feel some tightening in muscles. I could walk; nothing was injured. I was really surprised as we sat soaking up the sun in the after run glow and the younger runners who had busted through the gate before me began to limp in well after I’d finished my race. Yes, I’ll admit, I wanted to gloat. The Widow done good!
Finally, we headed back to the hotel for the hot tub and cold beer. On the way out, we passed many of the full marathoners as they approached the finish line and we shouted at the tops of our lungs in support of their endurance. And, yes, I know heat is wrong after a race. A cold shower or ice bath is better, but I figured the cold beer worked from the inside out. Cold beer/hot tub…ahhhhh...it was heavenly. We regaled each other with our stories from the race and shook our heads about the “babies” who ran without training and were suffering as a result of.
I knew then that I was hooked. I knew there would be tons more races in my future. Several of my friends, that race, told me that upon the completion of one race you should sign up for another: immediately. HA! I had already signed up for the DC National Half in March while I was at the Expo. I couldn’t wait to get home and hit the computer to sign up for races through the spring.
Sunday evening, a group of us headed out for Sushi. I was ever so glad to eat raw fish after consuming all the pre-race carbs. Umm, I think there may have been wine involved too. Yes, I know alcohol after a race should be avoided, but if that is true, why is there always a beer garden at the finish?
I think I slept like the dead Sunday night, but I don’t remember, so I must have. I don’t know what to attribute it too; exhaustion from the race in the fresh air and sunshine, food consumption, beer and wine or just the fact that it was done. I’d run 13.1 miles for the very first time and it was better than I imagined. I had shared a moment in time with Barrie and Patti that will be indelibly etched in my memory. My nieces on Face Book were posting their congratulations along with all my friends and family members. I felt like a rock star. I purchased my 13.1 sticker for the back of my car and picked up a cool hat for Lori Welch for all of her patience with me as I trained for my big race day.
Thinking back to the January race, and everything leading up to it, it seems a bit surreal. I know I finished the race: Me, along with 37,000 + other runners. What an amazing field of runners. From the 35 or so runners who ran the 50 mile Ultra (my hat is off to you) to the half and full marathon participants that ran and walked to a glorious finish, well done. As I reflect on my race, I am thankful that I have the health to run. I am thankful that I have friends and family that cheer me on and support my craziness with running. I want to thank everyone who supported the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society by donating to my fundraising page. You are helping make a difference in finding a cure. Thanks for your belief in me, thanks for all of your words of encouragement, cold beers, pushes to hit the street when my feet did not want to go, and thanks for loving me. And to my friend Larry Bory, I did run in spite of rumors I might have driven the Mini to the finish.