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So, it’s been a week and I think I have now digested my half marathon experience enough to tell the story. Each race has it’s own set of challenges for each of us, and this was no exception. I woke up on Friday morning, just two days before the race, with my sinus cavity aching and my throat threatening to close. I leaned over to my husband and said a simple phrase that I dreaded vocalizing: “I’m sick”.
The clock was ticking…
24 hours from when I would leave home to fly from San Jose to San Diego…
43 hours from when I would be meeting my team in the hotel lobby to bus it to the start line… Not much time to get better.
I sooped up on Vitamin C, Olive Leaf Extract, Nordic Naturals’ Ultimate Omega, Electrolytes, water, herbal tea and stayed in bed, working from my laptop and finishing my week restfully. That evening, I packed my bags and went to bed EARLY, sleeping soundly the whole night through and hoping my strike against the head cold was winning. I woke up feeling better enough to have hope.
SAN DIEGO was cooler than I had expected, with temperatures in the low 60’s and cloudy skies – no hint of blue, no sun peeking through. We checked in, got lunch, took a cab to the expo center, picked up my race packet and came back to the hotel. After the Team in Training Pasta Party, I went to bed early to rest so my chances of being better race morning would be improved. Sunday morning, we would all meet in the lobby at the predawn hour of 4 o’clock and board a bus to the start line where we would wait more than 2 hours for the race to start.
AT THE START LINE there were few early on, but the crowd grew and grew until roughly 30,000 joined the ranks of runners, walkers, and support crews. Water, coffee, electrolytes, bananas, dry cereal and bagels were offered to all and lines at the porta potties began to grow. The trick is to get in line, go when you get a chance, and get in line all over again until your wave gets called. No one wants to stop mid race and wait in a line for a pit-stop.
Around 6 o’clock, the Marine Marching Band came through to alert us all that the race would be starting soon. We would all be lining up in our respective corrals soon. With a number of 14,371 I would be in the 14th corral, which means I would be 14 corrals away from the start line. A corrall is comprised of 1,000 runners, with the fastest having the lowest numbers. That way they don’t have to trip over the slower runners (like me) along the way.
THE RACE STARTED on the button – in true militaristic fashion – though it took me a few moments of walking with the crowd to make it to the start line and begin the run. It was still cool, in the low 60’s (perfect for running) and my throat and sinuses weren’t troubling me too much either, so I was feeling pretty good… except for one thing… I had to pee.
In spite of all my best efforts, running through the bathroom line 4 times, I had to go again. At least this time, I had already given myself a bit of a break – with the head cold, there was no way I was shooting for a new personal record (PR). At the first pit stop, I got in line behind 2 others and made my way. Luckily, these guys were quick, so I only lost about 2 minutes.
With all of my worry over sickness I had almost forgotten that there would be a band playing at just about every mile, and that there would be so many elvises running the marathon too. Now, white polyester alone speaks bravery to me, but running 26.2 miles in that garb has got to be a challenge.There were many entertaining sights to see as I made my way through my meager 13.1 miles, of which the first few were probably the hardest, as we weaved our way through downtown San Diego and the trapped heat that emanates from the cement and blacktop streets. Those of you who have followed my progress know I have a hard time running in the heat. I sweat heavily and if it’s relatively warm AND humid, I have a really hard time cooling off. Such was the case, and I was DRENCHED by mile 5, and didn’t break away from the steamy streets until we started up the steeply banked freeway which met us with a new set of challenges. Running crooked uphill from miles 8 to 10 was challenging, but never so much as the steamy downtown district – at least not for me. So what kept me running? My inspiration. The knowledge that GREG MELENDY – in honor of whom I run – had just been sent home the previous day. He’s not completely out of the woods yet with his treatment from Leukemia and Lymphoma, but AT LEAST HE IS HOME!!! And then there is the entertainment… The bands, the water stops, the coaches, the TNT cheerleaders and the Support of my husband, Matt Bellizzi.
The bands were mostly rock, with some that seemed a little irish, country, or punk. Most were probably up late the previous night playing some local bar, and had dragged themselves out of bed bright and early for a 6:30am start. Pretty phenomenal really! Every water stop had a theme, one was sponsored by the girl scouts, another by the San Diego Zoo, and even one sponsored by a gay themed Santa’s Village, with many handsome young men dressed up as elves handing out water and electrolyte drinks. Candy cane cutouts and ginger bread houses really clashed with the weather – but the theme somehow, if strangely, fit. The coaches were something else. The one that impressed me the most was dressed as if from the movie “300”. This picture says it all! I love that he is blazing ith purple in support of Team in Training. I saw him a few places on the course, so he must have rode the trolly with so many others, like the TNT Cheerleaders and my husband. The TNT cheerleaders (who I dreadfully DO NOT have pictures of) were very obviously men dressed in drag with balloons for breasts and cheerleading outfits, many with beards. They, like my husband made multiple appearances on the course.
I should take a moment here to recognize my own personal cheerleader, my partner and my favorite person on the planet all-wrapped-up-in-one bundle, Matt Bellizzi. He got up with me at 3:30am, accompanied me and stayed with me (and my fellow runners) at the start line to see me off, found me at mile 4, mile 8 – and was waiting for me at my 13.1 mile finish. He rang a cow bell with all his might as he cheered me and my fellow TNTers on, even blistering his poor knuckles in the process. I am one lucky girl.
A friend who ran the San Diego RNR Full 26.2 miles on Sunday, 5/31/09 said this “You should give him your medal”. My response, if he wants it – it’s his. I know he doesn’t ever plan on running a half or a full marathon on his own, but every time he is out there supporting me, he is on his own version of a marathon, putting his all into it and offering whatever support he can. Carrying my extras, taking my hat from me when I’m too hot, offering me a sweatshirt at the finish, supporting me all the way. I don’t know what I would do without him, and I don’t ever want to find out. Thank you Matt. You make my life.
So how did I finish? Strong. I finished 3 minutes short of my personal record for a half marathon in 2:16:42. It wasn’t my fastest, but it was great all the same. I was happy to push through the muggy downtown section and conquer the 2 mile grade up hill to the 10th mile, finishing strong through the 13.1 miles to greet my husband at the end. I felt so good in fact that I spent the next hour and a half cheering runners on the sidelines myself. Congratulations to all the finishers of this year’s Team in Training season! We all did great!!! Raising millions of dollars for an important cause, supporting those with Leukemia & Lymphoma. I want to thank all of my sponsors for the season and all of those who have lent their moral support too. My honorees, my friends, my captains, mentors, and coaches. Without them, my life wouldn’t be so full, and without them I would not have achieved so many strong finishes. As always, if you would like to donate to my cause, please visit: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sj/nikesf09/corinna
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