13.1

We made it!  13.1 miles through San Francisco.  

The day started with alarms going off at 4:30am!!!  Funny, on race days the time just doesn't matter.  The anxiousness, excitement, and adrenaline completely take over.  Unfortunately for Scott this leads to a lot of nervous energy and a need to get to the race extra early!  

The gun finally went off at 6:18am and we were off.  I made it to mile two before needing to take the first potty stop (followed by another at mile 4)!  My only complaint about the organization of this race is that there were not enough port-a-potties at the start line!  

The first five miles of the race went by like a breeze and then the "fun" began.  The hills.  We started our journey across the Golden Gate Bridge only to realize the bridge is NOT flat!  It has a nice gradual arch.  After we made it back across the bridge the hills kept coming.  While we knew the first half (it is actually a full marathon and you can choose to do the first or second half) was harder I don't think we anticipated just how trying it would be.  Miles 9.5-11.5 were pretty brutal.  

Luckily, we persevered and came upon the finish line!  It is funny how all of that knee pain and soreness suddenly disappears with the finish line in sight.  

Plus, we got our first glance of our only supporters for the day, Crick, Kayla, and Tanner! Chrissie hauled them all to the race, navigated the crowds with the double stroller, AND managed to find us.  Not to mention she was a terrific chauffeur so we didn't have to take a cab home.  THANK YOU to Crick and kids for coming out to support us on race day (and take pictures)!

Team Strand showing their support!

Finishers with Miss Kayla

I used to laugh at these blankets/sheets/foil that I used to see people walking around with...turns out they are REALLY warm.  A nice treat after 2+ hours running in mist and fog!

Scott wasn't a fan so I wrapped him up in mine :-)

After the race we decided some food was necessary and headed down to Squat and Gobble.  Of course, bubbles were in order!

Cheers to Kayla too!

It truly was a rewarding journey and day.  It was great to be able to cross the finish line along with Scott!  While he could have run off and left me behind to run my 10 minute miles, he stuck out all of our training and all of race day with me.  Doing 13.1 with your #1 supporter is much more memorable than doing it by yourself!  Thanks, Scott!  

Next race...bridge to bridge in October with Crick and Kyle!  It is a 12k which I am sure my body will appreciate.  The soreness has officially set in and I am now hobbling all over like a 90-year-old.  

Time to find some Advil...