More details on the half

So, I didn't really get into the details of the half last week. It was such a cool experience, but I'm not sure how to document it in words. I feel like the pictures tell a better story!

Nerves were flying in the days leading up to the event. I was scared of how I would do, if I would be able to finish, etc. It just seemed really daunting. I arrived at the Hyatt downtown on Saturday afternoon for the TNT pasta party, shirt decorating, and overnight so that we simply had to walk to the start line. It was a very good idea!

Running partner K (RPK) and I were roommates for the night, and we twiddled our thumbs until it was time to go down to the party. The food was actually quite good, and I carbed it up. They showed a slide show while we ate that featured the honored teammates from all the TNT groups across the city. I was on there, and it was a bit unnerving to see my face on a big screen every few minutes.

The presentation honored everyone who was there, and it singled out the top fundraisers. I was so proud to be a member of that group. I have raised almost $9,700 to date, which is beyond what I ever thought possible. I doubt I'll be able to touch that number again, but it sure would be nice to pull that off every year :).

We heard a speech from one of the mentors, P, who incidentally was one of my freshmen when I was an O-week coordinator during college. She lost her father to leukemia, and this was her second TNT event. Her speech, of course, had me bawling by the time she was done. Luckily, the night wasn't all about tears, we moved on to the shirt decorating party. RPK and I picked up these very cool sparkly letters, and we each put our name on the front of the singlets, and I put "Cancer is my bitch! Survivor since 2007" on the back.

That night's sleep wasn't awesome. We definitely tossed and turned, and then all of a sudden, it was 4:30am, and we were up. The weather was chilly, but pretty mild outside, so I went with shorts instead of the tight running pants, and a long sleeved shirt under my singlet. I wore some gloves as well. The whole TNT group met in the lobby of the hotel for a group picture, and then we walked over to the George R. Brown convention center to wait. We spent a good 45 minutes to an hour waiting inside of the facility before we were allowed to walk out to the start line. RPK and I were in the "slower" group (I prefer to call it noncompetitive!), so we started 10 minutes after the initial wave. Hearing that start gun was pretty exciting. We were in a big group for a while, and then things started thinning out.

As for the actual run part, it went well at first, then got hard, and then was on and off. I definitely did some walking, but I think I ran more than I anticipated. I also dealt with some aches and pains that were something awful. I developed a horrible side stitch about half way through that kept plaguing me, especially in the last stretch of the race. I finished the event almost doubled over, holding my side and weeping, both from emotion and pain.

On the upside, I had AMAZING support. My family, friends, and co-workers were out in full force, wearing TNT shirts, holding signs with my name on them, offering Gatorade.... it was awesome. They motivated me to keep going. D and my niece and nephews jumped in with me for a couple of blocks around mile 10, and that was fun. I remember how much fun it used to be to run as fast as possible when I was a kid :).

As for the end, I finished within the mandated 4 hours, without a problem. I wasn't very fast, and I'm definitely not a runner, but it was an awesome experience. I had the best time getting to know TNT people this season, sharing my story, getting involved with this cause.....

I had one guy come up to me during the pasta dinner to thank me for sharing my story with them all season. He told me that he signed up with TNT not having any connection to blood cancer, but I gave him one. If I inspired anyone to raise one more dollar, to want to do it again, to want to be more involved with the cause..... then I did my job.

The post race party was at my sister's bar, and it was loads of fun. The night ended with an impromptu family dance party, which is always fun! Many thanks to the friends and family who attended.

And as for me, a week later, my body is back in good shape. No more pain, although I was hurting something bad Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. I've already signed up for a 5K at the end of February, and I'm eager to do his same event with TNT next year. Most rewarding experience ever!