Sunday, March 27, 2011

9 Hours To Go! I Should Be Sleeping!

So.  I have been horrible about posting lately.  Life got sort of out of control.  There has been stress, but most of my extreme busy-ness the past few weeks has been due to wonderful happenings.

One of those wonderful things is this:


The Oakland Half Marathon is in just nine hours!  And I am running it!  And I can't sleep!  I feel like a kid who's about to go to DisneyWorld!  I feel totally prepared... I've been training like a madwoman, my running clothes are ready, my bib is pinned to my shirt, my breakfast is ready to go, I've packed my post-run change of clothes and I created a special half marathon playlist on my iPod.  Now all I have to do is run 13.1 miles.  Piece of cake.

I started seriously training for this run back in November, after I did a 10k.  I felt so strong and accomplished and good after that run that I decided to try for this one.  Tomorrow's run through Oakland is truly special to me.  I have a huge soft spot for underdogs and Oakland is nothing if not an underdog.  It's San Francisco's dirtier, harder-working sister -- pretty enough, but prone to poor choices and constantly outshone by the flawless Big Sister SF.

It's hard to compete with the Oz that is San Francisco -- I love that city more than vanilla ice cream drizzled with olive oil and dusted with chunks of sea salt from Boot & Shoe Service (which I've never actually ordered but I have a rich fantasy life with that menu item).   I think I (gasp) even love SF more than I love Paris.  But Oakland, sweet Oakland -- this city with a not-so-great reputation has my heart.  From its precious rose garden to its fabulous farmer's market... this city is like a big hug.  No question -- SF is breathtaking... but Oakland breathes.   Oakland is alive in ways San Francisco just isn't.

So, this run I am doing is a big deal -- tracing the streets of this city that is so, so special to me.  This is only the second year for this run.  Last year, I desperately wanted to participate as a way to support the city.  I'd done long run/walk races before -- but at an out-of-shape 256 pounds, I was in no physical condition.   Still, I thought in the back of my mind, "Next year."  I don't know if I believed it then, but I re-joined Weight Watchers a couple of months later and here I am -- down more than 85 pounds and preparing to participate.  

So, I went on my last pre-marathon run today... going at about a 9:30 mile for 3 miles.  This is my cute new gym outfit.

I also went to my hairdresser in SF and got these cute little French braids so I don't have to mess with my hair tomorrow.

Now, all that's left to do is RUN. (and of course, post a new blog).

Wish me luck!

4 comments:

  1. How exciting! Good luck!

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  2. Love the hair!!! Good luck on your run! Stay safe and have fun! :)

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  3. So jealous - I did a 10K in my town and have been trying to get up to running our half for the last year, but medical issues keep putting it off. Enjoy! Good luck! Have fun and don't forget to write a race recap, even if it's just a couple scraps of paper afterwards. You won't want to forget it when next year comes around and you're doing it AGAIN. :)

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  4. Thank you, ladies! This is just the encouragement I needed to get going on that post about the run itself... here goes!

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