Nike Women’s Marathon RACE RECAP!! (Part 3)

Get excited!  Today is Friday and I am going to share the race recap from last weekend’s Nike Women’s Marathon!!  It was SO much fun and I hope that my excitement shines through to you!

This was by far the most fun race I have ever run.  This was also the largest race I have ever participated in.  There were 25,000 female runners and 9,000 male runners.  That means there were 34,000 crazy people running the hills of San Francisco this past weekend!  That is madness!!

One of the best things that I love about this race is that all the money that is donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!  There were many times during my run when I would see the words survivor or Mom to a survivor run past me.  Those are the real athletes!  The real heroes!

My beautiful roommates and I woke at a crazy early hour to get ready for the race.  We were all trying to get our morning systems ready, prep ourselves for the race and support each other with positive encouraging words.

I had my race outfit picked out and was ready to go!  I proudly wore my Inspire Yurbuds race shirt, yurbuds for my music, Brooks Running shoes, and all the other necessary gear that goes with running 13.1 miles.

 

We were fortunate and stayed in a hotel right near the start line.  The vibe and energy was pure craziness!!  There were thousands of people standing around with nervous excitement.  My stomach was so jittery I almost felt as if I were going to throw up.  I was excited.  I was nervous.  I was a bit scared. The hills.  The distance with lack of training.  All of those thoughts swarmed through my head and I was just ready to start running!

I am thankful for my roommates and starting our race off with a group prayer.  Jen prayed that we enjoy the journey, run our best, and have fun!  I believe that God heard our prayer and we all enjoyed ourselves.

I wish I was coordinated enough to run while take photos during the race.  There were so many hilarious motivational race posters that made me chuckle out loud on more than one occasion.  Some fun quotes that I remember were: Worst Parade Ever! and Smile You Are Beating The People Behind You! and A photo of a popular actor with the saying, Hey Girl! That fuel belt really makes your butt look great!  There was even a local man standing on the side with a sign that said a simple, Call Me Maybe!? with his phone number.

The crowd support was fantastic!  There was NEVER a dull moment in the race.  I never ran alone.  I never felt the desire to quit.

The hills were great.  The crowds were intense.  Most of the race was a bob and weave game.  I went into the race knowing that I would walk when I felt the need to.  I have no shame in walking races.  The hills were intimidating and the crowds on those hills were a bit frustrating at times.

Check out this photo of one of the hills I had to wind up and bob and weave through on the course.

The good thing about running hills is the concept that what goes up must come down.  The down hills were sweet.  I loved coasting down those hills and flying.  However, again, I had to bob and weave through the crowd to those who put on their brakes.

I must admit, when I saw mile 11 I knew I was done.  I had the immediate thought of I am so thankful that I only have 2 more miles to run.  I do not think I am mentally prepared to run a full marathon (at least yet).

Coming down the finish stretch it was right near Ocean Beach.  The mist was refreshing and the crowd was over powering.  The best race finish ever!

Of course, I was greeted by a handsome fireman in a tuxedo handing out pretty Tiffany necklaces on a silver platter.  What sweaty, stinky, mama wouldn’t be interested in that present?

 

I was very pleased with the results of my race.  I ran the hilly course with minimal training and managed to set a PB (personal best) post-children half marathon time!!

Looking back, and knowing that I still had a lot left in my reserve tank at the end of the race… the competitor in me wishes I pushed up those hills and tried harder.  I did make my goal to enjoy the race and to try to finish under 2:30.  I knew that the race would be challenging with the hills and crowds… so finishing quicker than that goal made me very happy.

I am very proud of my time and how I ran the race.  I simply ran for the love of running.  This weekend’s race reminded me of why I love to run.  How much I love the community of runners.  Why racing with other crazy runners can and usually is always a fun adventure!

I may not be the fastest runner out there.  But I am loving the run and all the lovely side effects that come with running distance races (chaffing, blisters, lost toe nails and all).

Thank you Yurbuds and FitFluential for giving me the opportunity to experience this epic race weekend!

Are you still interested in hearing about yurbuds!?

It is a fantastic product that I know you will love!!  Check back next week for my full review and recommendation!