Yesterday, I walked on water. I suppose that statement is a little glib, so allow me to clarify: Yesterday, during the VM Seafair Half Marathon, I walked across the 520 Evergreen Point floating bridge that spans Lake Washington. The view was amazing–Bellevue in front of us, Seattle behind, and snow-capped Mount Rainier off in the distance, and it was easily my favorite section of the entire trip. The route I took is marked out in purple below.
At that point, I was still walking easily, with plenty of energy. It was hot, but not unbearable. There were police officers stationed at every intersection. Hot police officers. Ridiculously hot police officers. It almost makes me want to join the academy.
Around mile 7, I realized I’d worn the wrong socks–they were intended to wick away sweat, with more padding on the bottom and heat vents along the top, but they hit too low on the ankle, and my foot had been rubbing on the back of my shoe, forming a major blister. By mile 8, I was bleeding. If this were The Long Walk, I would’ve received my ticket by now for ignoring Hint 3.
Miles eleven and twelve were the worst. By that point, it was brutally hot outside, I could feel at least six blisters having their way with my feet, and my legs were on fire. The route set us up to go past where we’d parked, which was unspeakably cruel. Mile thirteen was easier, what with the knowledge that the walk was almost over AND the hot shirtless marathoners running by, though it didn’t slow down my complaining nor my instructions to put my finisher’s medal on my coffin.
At the last section, with the finish line in sight, I found the strength to run. I goaded Carrie into running with me, and while I thought we were just going to do an easy jog, it turned into a full-out sprint, with her blasting past me right at the finish line. One of the other members of our group who’d finished earlier and was waiting for us laughed and remarked that she was surprised that we didn’t give ourselves black eyes. My final time was four hours and change, which isn’t spectacular, but was about as reasonably well as I could’ve expected, with the blistering and the heat factor (I’d been doing most of my training at night and hadn’t realized how much the heat would affect me).
There aren’t any pictures of me stripped down to the sports bra, wearing the medal, screaming in triumph because 1) the shirt stayed on and 2) they were out of medals because they ‘underanticipated demand’ and will be mailing ours to us. I’d find that easier to believe if 1)we didn’t all have to preregister, giving them a damn good idea of demand and 2)the little cards they handed us to say ‘sorry, we’re out’ weren’t laminated. Lamination indicates forethought, not a last-minute whoopsie!
After a celebratory lunch, I went home and took a cold shower, which washed all of the salt off of my body and face (which felt like a salt lick) down into the open wound on my heel, which was…special. After that, I tried to take a nap while the upstairs neighbors’ velociraptors played what sounded like an impromptu game of basketball. I furiously stomped upstairs and pounded on the door, but just like when their toilet overflowed and started leaking into my bathroom and wouldn’t open the door for maintenance, they wouldn’t open the door for me. I shouted through the door in english AND in spanish that they need to stop whatever they’re doing NOW and huffed back downstairs. The basketball-style rumblings have ended…but for how long?
Regardless, now I’ve done a half marathon. Please wait until my body has healed before asking me if I’d do another one; right now the answer is NO. But still, I’m excited about having accomplished this, and knowing what I can do if I push myself. The human body is pretty awesome.
Good job!
Seattle marathon November 29th! Be there or be square!
yeeeeeah, I’ll have to get back to you on that one.
well done. really well done.
there’s no way on gods green earth i could do it.
Thanks! 🙂
You finished, AND you finished running. That rocks.
Don’t worry about getting the photo then, we can do a dramatic reenactment of the moment when you get the medal.
But the shirt comes off this time.
Awwwwwwww yeeeaaaaaaaah!!
~Aramada
Will you be going shirtless, too?
Done and done!
It’s a date!
~Aramada
Good lord, I would have died.
Flopped over the side of the bridge around the second mile, and been eaten by sharks.
I can’t tell you how much I worried about total leg failure in the middle of the bridge and having to float into shore somewhere.
Washington Lake sharks?… would love to see that. You’d prolly just be diddled by some pale, overweight dude in a rubber shark mask, tho.
What is Jim doing in the lake?
I couldn’t help it, please don’t murder me while I’m still weak as a baby kitten.
LOL — oh yes I did! — a weird, strangled guffawing that I tried to squelch but that must sound like record-breaking gastrointestinal distress to my office neighbors or a tearful nervous breakdown. My sides are sore.
Mellzah: 1 Anne: 0 Anne’s gut: ouch.
…but at least I know what costume suggestion to give Jim this Halloween.
Nicki and I have always called stifled workplace snorty laughter ‘Whale surfacing’ which is strangely appropriate.
Um… Lake Washington sharks that is. Reverse I words the.
I’m still so proud of you!!!
That was a far more positive post than I thought it would be 😉
-Carrie
Re: I’m still so proud of you!!!
And I’m proud of YOU for rocking nearly a full marathon over two days and still having the energy to run me down at the finish line!
Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
Four hours and change? That’s AMAZING considering the blisters, the heat, and the elevation changes on your route.
The big questions is: how do you feel today? Hope you upped the ibuprofen and stretched a LOT.
I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see it. I was on a plane/in an airport for most of the day trying to get back from my Dad’s place…a marathon of its own, in a way.
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
I’ve been shambling around like a zombie, mostly, though it’s really the blisters that are giving me the most trouble. I don’t own a single pair of shoes that doesn’t rub on one of them! I’m not as stiff or as sore as I was yesterday afternoon; I got something like 14 hours of sleep which has given my body a head-start on healing.
How was Chicago? I know how grueling the flight from there to here can be, especially with the time difference.
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
That’s why I love my open-backed, soft-soled summer shoes! Sure, they make that ‘flip-flop’ sound people at work can’t get enough of, but they never hurt. ever.
Chicago was wonderful! I didn’t realize just how much I needed a vacation until I took one (even a measly four days). My brother, his wife, and their daughter took the train all the way in from Joliet to Dad’s house(2.5 hours each way) three of the four days. I was touched.
I didn’t get to see the Art Institute (I always have before) but I got to see the new library, the Taste of Chicago, and the old library/cultural center. Mainly, it was great seeing family.
Time difference wasn’t too bad…it’s worse going to the east coast to see my mom. She’s constantly put out that I’m not awake and chipper at 8 AM/5 AM my time. She escapes hideous death only by proffering black tea with milk.
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
I’d have worn flip flops but somehow managed to get a blister on the inside of one of my big toes, so it seemed like a bad idea to wear something that had a strap right there. Sometimes I’m a total wuss about pain.
I’m glad you took some time to de-stress and hang out with your family! How was the Taste of Chicago? I’ve always heard good things but never managed to make it there.
I think in general we all could use more vacation than we actually take. At the moment, I’ve got nearly 3 weeks stored up and no solid plan on how to use them.
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
A blister on the INSIDE of your big toe? That comes from crossing your toes the whole way that you’d make it to the finish line. Seriously. Really?? Wow. My shoes sound like flip flops but they don’t have the toe floss…could never stand that. Thongs too. Torture devices!
Taste of Chicago was not crowded the first day when we went (guess everyone else thought it would be). We only got to eat juicy, ripe watermelon and corn on the cob (two of the foods I know are available in heaven)and which still ruined our appetites for dinner, but there was music and people watching. Fun times.
Three weeks of vacation?! I could soooo do something with that. 🙂 I don’t get paid vacation as a contractor. 😛 What’s your budget? What are your restrictions? Let’s talk if you want to brainstorm, because, hell, if I can’t take a real vacation, I can at least live through yours.
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
I’ve got magical toes, what can I say? I also got blisters on the bottom of both pinkies and on the top of one. I think my feet REALLY hated those damn socks.I can’t deal with butt floss but I’m surprisingly ok with toe socks and flip flops.
Do you agree–corn on the cob is just better in the midwest? The ears out here are kind of pathetic.
My workplace gives us DTO (discretionary time off), which I can use for sick days or vaction days, however I’d like. I earn a certain number of hours per pay period. President Wonka is really good about letting us make up hours if we’d like, instead of using our DTO for crap like going-home-sick half days or dentist visits or whatever, so it’s easy to hang on to a decent size chunk of time. Every time I get money saved up for a vacation, something happens with the car and I can’t go, so I’ve got time and no money. 🙁
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
Corn o’ cob is better in the midwest. period. My family owns farmland in eastern Nebraska. We grow corn and soybeans. You can pick an ear off the stalk and eat it raw if you prefer. I like mine lightly microwaved in the husk and then shucked.
Ideas for vacations long on time and short on money:
1) A short internship doing something you really dig, which might (a) get you that extra exposure and/or connections needed to make a switch to something you’ll love, or (b) prove to you that your current job is acceptable enough for now.
2) Time off for a local seminar(costuming, or props, etc); e.g., I take a 3-day weekend art/writing retreat at the end of September each year.
3) Many, many three-day weekends. Best enjoyed if you flaunt it to your coworkers and friends.
4) Camping… but what sane person calls that a vacation?
5) Know anyone in a city you’d like to visit? Free home base for your operations cuts costs.
6) Enough alcohol.
Re: Where’s the Chariots of Fire soundtrack when you need it?
With enough alcohol, ANY DAY can become a vacation.