Day 5: Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner *No Longer* In Training (Vol. 9)

On May 20, 2017 I ran the Great Wall Marathon in Beijing, China. This was far the most difficult marathon I have ever run - also the only marathon I have ever run - but regardless, it was a grueling, yet incredible experience. These were the thoughts that went through my head through each mile that I ran. 

Mile 1 (1.6km) - "Let's do this!!! Also, I hope that Spartan couple has to crawl across the finish line. How dare they say they overtrained after the inspection the other day...NOBODY ELSE thinks that...we all under trained!"

Mile 2 (3.2km) - "I see Mom! Okay, I'm gonna catch up to her." *catches up and starts walking beside her to rest/talk...she starts running* "WTF"

Mile 3 (4.8km) - "I just killed that 5km hill! Way better than I was expecting...only 30min total!"

Mile 4 (6.4km) - *comes to the beginning of The Great Wall* "Alright, the plan is to walk up and run down the sections of the wall...here we go!"

Mile 5 (8km) - "But why is it so steeeeepppp!?"

Mile 6 (9.7km) - "Aw, I love all the villagers out here watching and videoing and giving me high fives! This is so cool." 

Mile 7 (11.3km) - *starts passing people from Waves 3 and 2* "Okay, one at a time. You're doing great. You started 10-20min after these people and you're catching up already!"

Mile 8 (12.9km) - "I guess China's not too strict on the whole texting and driving thing...all these drivers are filming us! Smile and wave. Just keep smiling and waving, and giving high fives!"

Mile 9 (14.5km) - "I am totally embracing all these uphills - everybody walks, and that doesn't make me feel so bad!" *reaches for a new piece of gum; sees that it has all smashed and melted together in the paper* "I have to have gum, I don't even care that I am about to chew on the paper too...here goes nothing." *puts gum still wrapped in paper in mouth* "not bad, but a bit more tough to chew. Oh well, it'll do."

Mile 10 (16km) - "Shit. Already starting to chafe between my thighs!" *tries running with legs apart* "Nope. Not helping."

Mile 11 (17.7km) - *passes my first person from Wave 1* "I am gaining so serious ground. I am so impressed with myself, seriously!"

Mile 12 (19.3km) - "Bathroom! I think I could pee...I should probably pee...even though it's a disgusting port-o-potty."

Mile 13 (20.9km) - *hits half-marathon point at 2:40 mark* "OMG. What if I finish this in under 5hrs?! My goal was 6 (originally)."

Mile 14 (22.5km) - "Hmmm...either my bandaid just fell off, or my toenail...I hope it was the former."

Mile 15 (24.1km) - "Okayyy now my ankle and hip are really kinda hurting. This is not going to be good if I still have 11mi to go! Don't think about it, Cristin. Think happy thoughts!"

Mile 16 (25.7km) - *signs autograph for Chinese local teenager* "Maybe I'll get some new followers on Facebook and Instagram!" 

Mile 17 (27.4km) - "My hip. My ankle. My everything below my waist. What if I get this far and don't/can't finish?!" - "No! You're going to finish!"

Mile 18 (29km) - "I can tell my bandaid came off that other pinky toe. Ow. Ow. Ow. I will not stop and fix it though!"

Mile 19 (30.6km) - "I can't believe I'm actually running a marathon in China. At The Great Wall. And I'm going to finish. I wonder if Mom's done yet?"

Mile 20 (32.2km) - *phone dies* "I'm so glad I figured out how to connect my Bluetooth to my watch so I can listen to music straight from it. Serious lifesaver right now!"

Mile 21 (33.8km) - *starts The Wall for the second (and final) time* "Oh my gawd you've got to be kidding me! I just hit "the wall" - both literally and figuratively...just don't pass out. Keep moving forward. Five miles left, that's it."

Mile 22 (35.4km) - I passed my Team Leader (who's also one of the medics from Holland) and he told me that where I was right now was in the Top 50 female marathon finishers. "Do NOT let anyone pass you!"

Mile 23 (37km) - *starts climbing (aka crawling up) the steepest flight of stairs you've ever seen* "What the actual f*ck?! This can't be real life. I'm not sure if I should cry or lay down and pass out...this is hell."

Mile 24 (38.6km) - *Spartan couple passes me* "Hell no, they are not beating me! Okay, maybe they are...I cannot move any faster than this. And how the eff is he running up the steps, and hopping down them!?"

Mile 25 (40.2km) - *headphones die* "Noooo, this is when I need my music the most!!!"

Mile 26.2 (42.1km) - "Thank GOD that's over! Don't stop moving. Don't stop moving. But I just want to lay down and diiiieeee!!! - Oh, and take that Spartans! I just beat y'all...overtrained, my ass!"

xx - Cristin

Day 3: The Great Wall Inspection

We had to be downstairs in the lobby at 6:30am to leave. It was a two hour drive to The Great Wall - we arrived to Ying Yang Square where all the runners gathered for a briefing and summary of each race - full marathon, half marathon, and 8km Fun Run. As the race official went on with his schpiel, he informed the runners that this year they were going to be much more lenient on the rules because of the weather. Typically the weather ranges 60*F to 90*F, with the average of past races being around 77*. However, the high on Saturday (aka race day) was 97*F! At least five or ten times the official told runners that they could downgrade their marathon to a half, or their half to a fun run - but nobody could upgrade, like they've allowed in years past. 

After the briefing all the runners returned to their bus and were taken to the start of The Great Wall. We were told by the race official that the route the busses would take to get there would be the initial part of the race for everyone - IT WAS A 5KM DRIVE, ENTIRELY UPHILL...TO START THE RACE!!! The track that I mostly trained on in Newcastle was pretty flat, both coming and going, so I knew I wasn't going to be completely prepared. Now, the incline was bad, but it honestly wasn't as bad as I was envisioning. 

Then we got to The Wall. Ho-ly shit! A few days before I left Australia, I watched the videos of marathons past. I knew it was going to be tough, but man, it went straight to big steep steps and only got worse from there! There were small steps, big steps, wide steps, narrow steps, steep steps, and even steps that should really be called slopes - they were slick, and uneven - and if you didn't watch what you were doing you'd slide right down, taking everyone in your path with you! Lindsay and I lost my mom at some point; we wanted to try and push ahead of the crowd to get better photos, and she needed to stop to use the restroom. 

We walked. And we walked. And we walked. There were so many points on The Wall when I thought to myself, "How am I supposed to run this?! Do people actually run this?! What the (eff) was I thinking when I signed up for this as my first EVER marathon?!"

It took Lindsay and I an hour and fifteen minutes to finish the inspection and get back to Ying Yang Square where lunch was being provided - it took my mom an hour and forty five minutes. You'd assume that in an hour fifteen we would've walked at least five miles...that's normal(ish) if you average a 15min mile walk. But no, I looked at my watch and we had only walked 2.2 miles. TWO POINT FREAKIN' TWO MILES IN OVER AN HOUR. And I still had to do 21mi after all that come race day!

What the actual hell. 

To be continued...

xx - Cristin

Day 1: Newcastle to Beijing - The Journey

Fortunately for me, I live right next to a train station. That means I don't have to drive my car to the airport and pay for overnight parking or bribe my roommate/friends to drive me the two hours to Sydney to drop me off. Unfortunately for me though, I usually grab the earliest flight out when I travel, which also means that I have to catch the earliest train to Sydney...

My trip to Beijing started on Tuesday with a 4:10am train ride to Sydney. I had to get up even earlier to get ready. Lucky for me, getting ready consisted of rolling out of bed, brushing my teeth, and brushing my hair (because I slept in all my clothes), so I only had to wake up at 3:50am...only? Ugh. 

On the train to Sydney, I found a group of three open seats, sprawled across, and slept most of the way - until it started getting more crowded, and I started getting dirty looks from people. Lots of people commute to Sydney via train for work, and I mean LOTS! For me, it was a long 3 hour ride. It was also a cold ride, too ! We're coming into our winter months in Australia, so it was maybe 35-40*F when I left my house to walk to the train station. When I looked up the weather for China though, the temperature ranged from 94-102*F 😱 I try to be a "minimalist" and I pack only a carry-on when I travel, so when I saw that it was going to be so hot in Beijing I decided to throw out my Patagonia jacket and toss in a flannel instead (since it would take up less space). I have a Turkish towel that I travel with; it can function as a towel, scarf, swimsuit coverup, and blanket. I used it as a blanket this particular morning, but I was still cold. 

I arrived at the Sydney International Airport around 7:30am, my flight was scheduled to leave at 10:45am. As I was checking in, the receptionist asked me to put my bag on the scale - this made me nervous because I knew that my carry-on would be overweight. Most airlines, China Southern included - which is who I was flying with, only allow 7kg carry-ons (and that's combined weight if you take more than one bag). When I put my bag on the scale, it read 9.2kg 😑 My question is, why the hell does it matter how much your bag weighs if it's going on the plane anyways?! Say it makes the plane 'top heavy'...what's the difference then between a bag that weighs 7kg+ and me being a person that weighed 7kg more than I do?! Because a year ago I used to weigh 10kg (20lbs) more than I do now...and I was still able to sit up top in a seat on the plane...you know?! I just don't get it. If I can fit 10kg in a bag that fits above my seat, I should be able to cram it packed, even if it is overweight! Anyway, the lady started moving the bag down the conveyer belt and I told her that I was planning on carrying it on with me; she looked at the weight and asked if I had any liquids or aerosols and I said no. I asked if I could put some of the stuff into my other bag, and she hesitated then said "I'm going to let you take it, but next time try and stay under the 7kg." Shwew. She didn't charge me anything either! 🙌🏽

My flight from Sydney was delayed until 11:10am, however, we didn't even board until after noon. When I got on the plane I noticed that my tv was frozen - at first I thought that everyone's was and maybe we weren't able to navigate through the movies until after the safety announcements, but as I looked around, I saw more and more people scrolling through their tvs. Now movies on planes are my favorite! Not only are they typically newer releases, they're free (usually), and they make the flight go by heaps faster. After takeoff, I asked the flight attendant if they could reset the tv, which they did, but it still wouldn't work. When I told the flight attendant that it was still frozen, she said she would bring me an iPad. "Awesome!" I thought...

Yeah, no. First off, they must've thought I was the most needy passenger ever. I only own Apple products - I have a MacBook, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch - this tablet they gave me was a Samsung, and I didn't even know how to turn it on, so I had to ask the flight attendant 😂 I figured everything on the tablet would be organized in the same setup at the tv, so I started looking through all the apps for movies to watch. Couldn't find anything. I tried connecting to the internet for Netflix, but access to it was restricted. So once again I called over the flight attendant and asked him if there were any movies on it - he opened up the videos app and showed me that there were 200+ video clips to watch, all in a Chinese... Now why the hell would I want to watch short clips, in a language I don't understand, for the next eight hours?! I didn't. So I gave the iPad back and tried to sleep. As I tried to sleep, the screen of the tv was so bright that I couldn't get to sleep. I started pressing all the buttons on the screen...nothing...still frozen. Again I called over the flight attendant and asked if she could turn it off for me (remotely). She looked at me dumbfounded, touched the screen twice, and it shut off. WHAT. THE. HELL!? How did she do that? She must've really thought I was an idiot. I thought I was an idiot. But not even five minutes into closing my eyes the screen turned on again. Annoyed, I started touching buttons on the screen and figured out how to turn it off, but again it kept turning back on. I thought to myself "at least I can push buttons now, I'll see if I can watch a movie," and I was! I scrolled through the movies and settled on "Reverent" - the one with (my bae) Leonardo DiCaprio. I pressed play, was so excited to finally be watching a movie, then about 15min into it the volume/play/stop/rewind/fast forward menu popped up from the bottom. I thought maybe the cord of my headphones had brushed against the screen causing this, but no, the menu kept popping up and down (non-stop) for the entire duration of the rest of the movie...like 2.5 HOURS!!! Talk about annoying, especially when parts of the movie are spoken in a different language and the English subtitles are hidden 95% of the time by the constant pop up. I endured through the nuisance anyways, because the movie was intense and I was already hooked. When Reverent was over, I still had time for one more movie. This time I picked the animated movie "Ballerina." Ten minutes or so into the movie though it started rewinding for no reason, and my screen had once again froze, so I couldn't stop it. Since there was only about an hour left in the flight, I decided to sleep. 

I woke up as the wheels hit the runway, and as I got out my next boarding pass I noticed that the time to start boarding was 7:20pm. We just landed...and it was 7:05pm...shit. The taxi to the gate seemed to take forever, and I was freaking out because (of course) I wasn't listening to the flight attendant when they were reading off all the connecting flight gates 🙄 As we pulled up to our gate, the flight attendant made an announcement that there were 100 people on the plane needing to make a connecting flight, so if they weren't one of those 100, then to please stay seated. The plane stopped and EVERYONE got up! Thanks for listening y'all...not! There were airport attendants with signs pointing us in the right direction to the bus we needed to get on; on that bus a hundred people packed in like sardines - and we stunk! When we got off the bus we were given a green sticker to put on our shirt that said our flight number and boarding gate. I thought that would make it quick and easy, but we still had to go to customs. What I didn't realize was that I needed one of the customs forms filled out - which I was never given on the plane - and so once I got to the front the man in charge made me get out of line to go fill one out. I scavenged my backpack for a pen, filled that shot out as fast as I could, got through then ran to the next person who could tell me where to go. When I asked her, she said the flight had been delayed 'til 10pm...I looked down at my watch, and it said 9:40pm; only 20min, so I kept the pace up. I had to go through security again to scan my bags, then was given a ride to my gate in a golf cart. I arrived to the gate, double checked that I was at the right place, then realized that my watch hadn't synced to local time and I still had 2 hours 'til the flight left at 10pm 😫 

As much as I hated that, I was thankful that I hadn't missed it all together. They gave us snacks as we waited - water, saltine crackers, and what looked like a coke can of bean dip, which I was too reluctant to try. 

It was a 3.5hr flight to Beijing, no personal tvs so this time I decided to get some sleep - even though "Ballerina" was the movie playing on the shared screens. I only woke up once on the flight, to eat - if you know me, you'd know that I don't miss meals! I love food, even if I'm not sure about what it is I'm eating 😂 I had someone from Albatros Marathons picking me up from the airport, and I was eager to get into a real bed. The good thing about packing only carry-on baggage is you don't have to wait around for you stuff to be taken off the plane and make its way to baggage claim! So I quickly de-boarded and found my guy - the only problem was that I wasn't the only name written on his sheet of paper...there was one more. I really needed to use the toilet, so as I was waiting I went to find the bathroom. I walked in, opened the door to the stall, looked in and was so confused why what was there - or wasn't there, rather. There was no toilet, just a porcelain hole in the ground, and no toilet paper - it was a squat pot, as I like to call it now, and it was not for me...I went back outside to wait. It took the other guy AN HOUR to get his luggage. Not only that, this other guy (and his dad) were staying at a different hotel and they were dropped off first! 😡 I didn't get to my hotel until after 3am (5am Sydney time) - that's 25 hours of travel time, y'all!! 

When I landed, I (of course) texted my mom and sister to let them know I shouldn't be too much longer. That's when my mom told me that I needed to get here and get to sleep because we had our first excursion at 9am....noooooooo!!!!

To be continued...

xx - Cristin

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 8)

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 8) 

May 8, 2017

Mile 1 (1.6km) - "I'm cold. I'm cold. I'm cold." *looks down at watch, 56*

Mile 2 (3.2km) - "This is perfect running weather. So breezy!" *looks down at watch, still 56*

Mile 3 (4.8km) - "A mom pushing a pram just passed me...shit, c'mon Cristin, run faster."

Mile 4 (6.4km) - "I need to tell more people about this intermittent fasting/time restrictive eating thing - SO MANY BENEFITS!"

Mile 5 (8km) - "Just put two and two together as to why my arms are so tired on this run. A pre-run 1hr only-upper-body workout would be why...at least it wasn't legs!"

Mile 6 (9.7km) - "Hip's hurting just a little bit, but only like a 2 on a scale of 1-10...so much better than what it's been the past couple weeks, and I'm running faster."

Mile 7 (11.3km) - "Halfway...time for GU. Trying the watermelon gummy chewables today." *puts one in mouth* "OMG these are the best ever!! How am I supposed to stop at 3 when there's 10 in the packet?!"

Mile 8 (12.9km) - "What else do I need to do before I leave for China? ONLY 8 DAYS 'TIL CHINA!!!"

Mile 9 (14.5km) - "Smells like manure, ugh. I don't thinks it's the 'smell of money' here on the Fernleigh Track..."

Mile 10 (16km) - "Sun so bright. I'm gonna get crow's feet from all this squinting. But man, I need a tan..."

Mile 11 (17.7km) - *black cat crosses my path* "I am not superstitious. I will not be superstitious."

Mile 12 (19.3km) - *turns off podcast and turns on music* "Pretty sure my pace just increased by like 2min" 

Mile 13 (20.9km) - *looks down at watch - 2:05:01* "Boom! Fastest half marathon time to date! By 10 minutes, too! Let's go have a Rebuild shake now."

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 7)

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 7) 

May 1, 2017

Mile 1 (1.6km) - *gags as I try to force down a coffee flavored Endura gel* "This might be the worst part of my run today..." 

Mile 2 (3.2km) - "I'm so tired. That 3 day shift killed me this week, and sleep would probably be more beneficial to me right now, but the marathon is in just over two weeks (HOW?! 😳) so here I am..."

Mile 3 (4.8km) - "Is there actually a point to having a toilet that NEVER has toilet paper?!"

Mile 4 (6.4km) - "I need to clip my toenails; I can feel the middle one on my right foot digging into the other one...and I still have 14mi to go!"

Mile 5 (8km) - "I'm actually stressed thinking about everything I have to do this week and before I leave for China. What if I don't even make it to China?!"

Mile 6 (9.7km) - "It would be really nice to see 'the hottest guy ever' make an appearance in this track today...I could use the motivation."

Mile 7 (11.3km) - "Calling an audible today...only running 14 miles instead of 18 miles." 

Mile 8 (12.9km) - "Time to walk while I try and suck down this GU." *slurps up first taste* "peanut butter...not bad, not great...but I'm not gagging, so it's a win." 

Mile 9 (14.5km) - "I need to trim my fingernails too..."

Mile 10 (16km) - *Joe Rogan's podcast briefly mentions the terrible pollution in Beijing* "I wonder if I am going to be able to breathe while I run in China? WHAT IF I CAN'T BREATHE?!"

Mile 11 (17.7km) - "I actually have goosebumps right now. It's 75* and I am cold...what the hell?! This is nice running weather."

Mile 12 (19.3km) - "My armpits are foaming! They're not used to deodorant anymore..."

Mile 13 (20.9km) - "On a scale of 1 to 10, I think today's run was a 7. The hip's a bit sore, but I think the acupuncture is helping - I just need to stretch the soreness out more before race day! Thirteen miles is pretty easy...NEVER did I think I would be saying that!" 

Mile 14 (22.5km) - "Done. I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since 8am, thanks to my unexpected 2hr meeting earlier...it's now 3:30pm. Bring on my Herbalife Rebuild Endurance Shake !!"

**side note: (negative) - I did not see 'hottest guy ever' on the run today 

😔

**side note #2: (positive) - I got those Nike Pro spandex shorts for $10 at the Markets yesterday! #winning

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 6)

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 6) 

April 24, 2017

Mile 1 (1.6km) - *starts run two hours later than planned, because it's 'that time of the month'* "Being a girl sucks! BUT, bright side...I've got my menstrual cup in, so there will be NO LEAKS 🙌🏽" #ilovetheearth

Mile 2 (3.2km) - "Shirt's coming off. Already. Not sure why I wore long sleeves as I left the house this morning? 🤔 Tan lines're gonna be on point when I'm done..."

Mile 3 (4.8km) - "Not really a fan of the smell of fish as I run." *sniffs my armpit for a better smell*

Mile 4 (6.4km) - "What kind of hand signal should I give today? Wave? Thumbs up? Shaka? The shaka is my favorite, but I feel like a poser - I'm not a surfer OR Hawaiian. A thumbs up is pretty cool, too. I like the Aggies, but I'm not an Aggie...but it's also like I'm saying 'hey good job, keep it up' to everyone that I pass. Eh, I'll just stick with a wave and smile. It's been working for me." 

Mile 5 (8km) - "People aren't near as friendly and eager to wave back on this new route as they are on the Fernleigh Track...it's a warm and beautiful autumn day, SMILE PEOPLE!"

Mile 6 (9.7km) - "I could really use some gum right now." 

Mile 7 (11.3km) - "I really just want calves like all these bike riders that keep zooming past me...IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!"

Mile 8 (12.9km) - "Riddle me this...why is the only person to tell me I'm beautiful today an 80+ year old man with no teeth? He literally had no teeth - I was surprised that I even understood him say "the only reason I'm stopping is because you're beautiful" - this is also a crosswalk sir...I have the right of way 😑"

Mile 9 (14.5km) - "I SWEAR if I start my period on race day...I will cry!"

Mile 10 (16km) - I saw this badass little 4yr old blonde boy with long hair skateboarding and I thought to myself, "I hope I have a kid as badass as he is." That same boy then ran straight into a little girl (about the same age) on her scooter making her fall to the ground; he then yelled 'why the hell weren't you watching where you were going!?' and skateboarded off again. I had visions of myself sprinting straight into him and yelling 'why weren't you watching where you were going?!' ... Am I a bad person? 

Mile 11 (17.7km) - HALFWAY! "Do I really have to do 1mi. of stairs right now like the training calls for!?" *start climbing a big ass set of stairs - phone vibrates and says 20% power left* "I'm just gonna run home now...music is more important than these stairs - although I may regret saying this in 3 weeks."

Mile 12 (19.3km) - "Hey lady, I appreciate you trying to hide that cigarette under your left arm as I passed you on the right, but I was breathing in that secondhand smoke from about 100m out! I have a really sensitive nose when I run..." *cough cough cough* 

Mile 13 (20.9km) - "GU is gross. They must've named it that because it rhymes with 'ew'" *makes the most disgusted face as I try and swallow the gel down*

Mile 14 (22.5km) - "Walking this entire mile has hurt worse than running the last 13mi combined...oh my hips...ow ow ow."

Mile 15 (24.1km) - It's an incredible feeling when your mind shifts from "Omg I STILL have 7mi left!?" to "Omg, I ONLY have 7mi left." Who am I!? 

Mile 16 (25.7km) - "I really hate Spotify ads! I mean seriously, what a pace killer!"

Mile 17 (27.4km) - "So this is what chafing feels like." *splashes water between my thighs to make it feel better* "It burns! It's burns! That DID NOT help."

Mile 18 (29km) - "What are you supposed to wear to an acupuncture appointment? It's on my hip...I can't wear pants, and a dress just exposes me too much. Shorts? Spandex? Underwear? I DON'T KNOW!!! It's skin-to-needle contact, right?"

Mile 19 (30.6km) - *phone dies* "Mental note: turn off wifi, screen brightness, and all notifications come race day...DO NOT FORGET!"

Mile 20 (32.2km) - "I'm lost. I'm in my own suburb, and I'm lost. How has this happened?"

Mile 21 (33.8) - "I could really use a few power songs to get me home right about now!" 

Mile 22 (35.4km) - "Everything hurts and I'm dying. I need a shake, and a shower...STAT!"

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 5)

Diary of a Mad Marathon Runner in Training (Vol. 5) 

April 17, 2017

Mile 1 (1.6km) - "Ughhh my feet hurt. Why did I walk halfway home, barefoot, after a night out wearing high heels last night?! This run already sucks." 

Mile 2 (3.2km) - "WHAT THE EFF WAS THAT?!" *jumps across the track because I hear something move in the bushes* My mind immediately goes to "it's a snake and it's going to kill me, because everything in Australia will kill you." But in all actuality, it was probably a small harmless lizard (which I'm also terrified of).

Mile 3 (4.8km) - "Potty break...right in time. I feel like I got here pretty fast today!" *checks watch...average time* 

😑

Mile 4 (6.4km) - "Shit it's hot. I'm already sweating. My face itches. THIS IS WHY I DON'T WEAR MAKEUP!!"

Mile 5 & 6 (8-9.7km) - I literally didn't think about much during these miles. I was completely consumed in the podcast I picked for today's run - Joe Rogan Experience: #935 Robb Wolf, if you're interested. 

Mile 7 (11.3km) - "I love the running community...always looking out for one another." I think this as I stopped to get a drink of water, and a woman named Alyssa said, "just starting or finishing up?" I proceeded to tell her that I was almost 1/3 in to my run, and we chatted for a good 10min (which was happily welcomed). She gave me a list of FB groups to join in case I wanted to run in a group instead of alone all the time. "Bless her"

Mile 8 (12.9km) - There's some construction going on and I can literally see dirt in the air that I'm about to start breathing. "Please don't affect me, please don't affect me. Wait, is it affect or effect, I ALWAYS get those two confused..."

Mile 9 (14.5km) - "Nooooo!!" *headphones beep signaling they're dead* I also just ran out of track..."worst mile ever!" *starts playing podcast on loud* "I don't care what people think...I NEED this!"

Mile 10 (16km) - "I feel great! I don't even need to walk yet, but I'm going to walk - for 5min - because I want to walk."

Mile 11 (17.7km) - "There are literally so many things within this podcast that I want to try!"

Mile 12 (19.3km) - *watch vibrates telling me it's lunch time* "I don't want to see that. I don't need to be reminded that I'm hungry as hell right now because all I've eaten is a small piece of toast with peanut butter on it this morning!" 

Mile 13 (20.9km) - "I don't understand scooters (like razor scooters)...why are FULL GROWN ADULTS riding them like it's normal?!"

Mile 14 (22.5km) - "There goes another half-marathon to add to the list...killin' it!"

Mile 15 (24.1km) - *podcast ends* "Alright, time to see if the songs all my FB peeps suggested are any good!"

Mile 16 (25.7km) - "My legs are starting to get heavy. I'm going to race this butterfly." *picks up the pace* "I win!" 

Mile 17 (27.4km) - "I honestly love seeing people out being active...I don't care if they're young, old, "in shape" or not...what matters is they're out there trying to get healthier. I'm so thankful to be a part of that group, too."

Mile 18 (29km) - "Geezah, my hips hurt. But honestly, I must be doing something right because I'm almost done with 3.5hrs of running (after 3 days off and lots of chocolate, plus a late night out with a few drinks) and overall feeling pretty damn good!" *high fives myself*

Mile 19 (30.6km) - DONE! "How am I going to make my shake when I get home? I'm thinking peanut butter + banana + Rebuild Endurance + a little cinnamon... #winnerwinner" *phone dies as I'm walking to my car* "praise the Lord for perfect timing!" 

***And for those of you wondering...no, I didn't even see "the hottest guy ever" on this long afternoon run today