Truth: I was the very front of my corral at the starting line. When you’re standing that close, 13.1 miles looks like a really, really long time.
Truth: I had to take a bathroom break 1.5 miles in. No judging.
Truth: There was a lot of chafing. A lot.
Truth: Chafing hurts. Even more so the next day.
Truth: I could use another slathering of Eucerin.
Truth: That may have been TMI. Sorry.
Truth: My official time was 2:42:07. My goal was A) to Not Die, and 2) to Finish. So I think the fact that I did both of those things in under three hours? Pretty impressive.
Truth: It couldn’t have been better weather. Very cool, and even raining at points.
Truth: I will totally take rain over wet-blanket like humidity and sunshine if I’m going to be running for close to three hours through the streets of Chicago, TYVM.
Truth: I love Greektown, and all its sights and smells.
Truth: I do not love Greektown when I am 5 miles in to a 13-mile run, it’s 8 o’clock in the morning and for whatever reasons the gyros store owners think it’s a fine time to fire up the lamb-on-a-spit.
Truth: It actually kind of made me want to vomit.
Truth: That would have been bad.
Truth: My left foot was cramping throughout the race, even when I’d slow down to walk. By the time the race was finished, and I sat down to soak my feet, my left foot decided it had had enough of this being used bullshit and decided if I wouldn’t stop using it, it would simply stop being nice and normal and instead be all painful and sucky.
Truth: When they asked me at the medical tent what I needed, I almost burst into tears when I wailed, “I don’t KNOW!”
Truth: They gave me ice and ibuprofen. It somewhat helped.
Truth: I DID burst into tears on the phone later when I was talking to The Swede, which I think alarmed him. Not that he’s never seen me burst into tears, but I think because I’m pretty sure I was not making ANY goddamned sense while crying, talking, laughing and in major pain throughout the conversation.
Truth: My left foot is still in pain today. I have an appointment with a doc tomorrow.
Truth: But who cares about that! The race! I ran the first seven miles, and then after that—due to my woeful undertraining—alternated run a mile/walk a mile for the last five. I worked it so that the last mile and a tenth I was running, because walking across the finish line just would not have been as sweet.
Truth: Whoever invented the iPod is a godsend.
Truth: I loaded close to four hours into a half-marathon playlist. Thank you Kanye, Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, White Stripes, Sly and the Family Stone, et al for running with me. Much appreciated.
Truth: Holy shit 13.1 miles is a long way.
Truth: But I did it. I wasn’t sure I’d make it, but I did. Put that in your half-marathon pipe and smoke it.
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