Let me start by saying the pre-race dinner party arranged by Mr. and Mrs. Labduck was great. I ran into Hippo and his very-much-not-a-Hippo wife on our way in. He introduced me to Julia by saying something like "look! This is not one of my imaginary friends, this is Marilou, she's normal, she's a Maniac." The hostess wasn't sure which party of 18 we were with, so she asked us to look around and see if we recognized anyone. It's a little hard to recognize people you have never met, but when we spotted the Boomers, it was obvious that this was our party. Everyone looked like the fit, youthful, athletic person I had imagined.
Econo and Tet gifted us with chocolate, keychains and little blinky things. Tammy got something special that I'd rather not describe. After dinner there was much jostling as pictures were taken, Tet was determined that every picture had to be goddess-Tet-goddess, although he reluctantly shared the wealth with the other guys. Econo took the fashionista award for her lovely black outfit complete with short skirt and cowboy boots.
Race morning was a big rolling party. I like the start of marathons the best and was reminded of that as we headed off into the newly breaking daylight to the sound of beating drums. I wasn't feeling well since I was just coming out of a terrible chest cold so I adopted the 1 mile run, 1 minute walk method of marathoning. I decided my goal for the race would be a new PW and to take things mile by mile, giving myself permission to drop out at any time. Despite feeling like I wasn't getting any oxygen to my legs, I had the best time! Spectators were everywhere, bands were set up every mile or so, and two out-and-backs gave plenty of opportunity to spot other Boomers. I was still hanging in there after climbing up the bridge at mile 17 (despite coughing up a lung) so decided to try and make it to the Boomer Aid Station. I thought it would be a perfect place to stage my first DNF and I could cheer on boomers that were behind me. Well, Tammy had other plans. She met me with a bottle of Gatorade and didn't even give me a chance to slow down or quit. Her enthusiasm and willingness to run with me for a stretch gave me new faith that I could finish and collect my medal.
I continued on for the next 50 minutes, smiling and enjoying every inch of the remaining miles. The beer at mile 24 added an extra spring to my step. The finish was amazing with huge crowds, great volunteers and wonderful food.
I didn't make my goal, though: I finished in 4:28... two minutes too fast for a PW.
I think I'll give Portland another try next year!
Fashion Report: Bright pink skirt, white singlet, pink running cap, Brooks shoes, diamond studs.
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