The
day approached quicker than I would have thought and before I knew it I
was at the starting line along with my RBO trainer, Marilee. This is it,
was all I could think along with the loud roaring crowd. I was so
excited I thought I was going to puke but there was no time for that.
Soon we went off and it felt like any other training day on a sunny
day.
The first
water station we encountered was in front of a small church, people
were giving out as fast as they could the water. The floor was covered
in tiny water cups, everywhere till the next block, cheering from the
crowd could still be heard from the first mile we past so far. I kept
running and drank the water in a few gulps, tempted to go back for more
but I couldn't slow down.
More and
more people were passing us until we hit the middle point, from there
our constant pace brought us up where the main group pasted us from
before. It got to the point where every water station made me run faster
and almost cry with joy as I kept thanking the people
endlessly. Especially at the water stop where they had brownies. They
were a piece of heaven. The ring of fire made me feel like I part of a
video game ((THEY HAD THE 'LEGEND OF ZELDA' THEME SONG IN THE BACKGROUND
OMG I WAS INTERNALLY SCREAMING WITH JOY AS I PASSED BY)) and I just
wanted to keep passing more obstacles like that, it was
very motivational. After passing that, about 3 miles was left, I
couldn't feel my legs but somehow we kept running.
When we got to the
last lap around Lake Merritt, it was there when I felt like stopping. Can't I just swim across the Lake?
The finish line was literally across from the lake and as I kept
running the cheering got louder. I just wanted to drop dead but I had to
keep smiling for the camera I'm pretty sure I looked like I was crying
in one of the photos.
Half way
around the lake where the last water station was located a resident
from one of the apartments on the side of the lake was shouting
out encouragements from her third floor apartment. "YOU CAN DO IT. I BELIEVE IN YOU GUYS, YOU ARE ALL INCREDIBLE. SO CLOSE, ALMOST DONE." It was like an angel from heaven, distant yet so clear and it was from that moment I thought to myself Hey...I actually like this.
BUT WHY IS THE FINISH LINE SO CLOSE YET SO FAR????
No
matter what happens the last mile seems impossible but it's not. It
makes one cry internally and whine about every little thing from the
shining sun above to the tiny pebble that's been a bother in the shoe
from the last mile. There was one thing for sure; I had
to concentrate to store energy for the last few feet from the finish
line. I wanted to finish in a dashing speed and I did but I ended up
slowing down a few inches from the finish line. I thought was going to
die at the last few steps from the finish...it was a good thing Marilee
was there by my side to keep me walking afterwards. I'm pretty sure I'd
just faint at the last minute, the last picture taken that day may not
show it but I was dying. Though I am happy.